The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-07-23
AN UNHOLY DESIRE.

The civil war, as far as armed Conten
ton between the north and the south
was concerned, ended twenty-seven years
ago. When Lee passed his sword fc
Grant the south surrendered all hope Of
a distinct nationality, all hope of becom
ing a separate people, and all hope of g
confederacy of southern states. The
southe.n soldiers laid down their arms
In good faith and returned to their bar
rem fields and neglected homes to begir
anew the battle of life for bread. The
reconstruction" period, so full of bitter
ness. of humiliation, of injustice to &
conquered people, was endured only az
brave men endure contumely and op
preston by al unfriendly, dominant
party. In spite Of adverse forces work.
ing against it the south has grown and
prospered, and is today a striking exam
pie of what a brave, true, generous, in
telligent people can do under the sun
light of civil, political, and religious lib.
erty.
But the TRIBUNE is sorry to say that
Notwithstanding IA generation of men
has almost passed away since the meet.
ing of Grant and Lee ear Appomattox
court house on the 9th of April, 1865,
Notwithstanding the child in swaddling
clothes at that memorable time is now a
man in the active pursuits of life; not
withstarding the blue and the gray
have fraternized, ate from the same
table, drank from the same cup and
told and retold over convivial boards
their stories Of hardships and defeats
and victories, and formed friendships
which will lever be broken, we say not
withstanding all these things have come
to pass and we are taught to know
neither north, nor south, nor east nor
west, but to love n flag, one country,
and one great union of hearts and hands
as we'll as of states, to promote the pow
er, the honor and the glory of an indis-
soluble whole, there still remains a
l%eaven, in the republican party, of that
intolerance and hate and political big
otry which found expression after the
war in those petty expressions which
make life miserable, and which now find
expression in an unholy desire to enact a
force bill to place the south again under
republican domination.
We say this desire is unholy, because
a force bill ~embodying the provisions of
the Lodge bill of the last congress-, is
not only un-American. unworthy a free
people, uncalled for 10y any existing or
possible eXigency, but it would be I'M
just and in direct violation Of all the
teachings of our free institutions. The
desire is unholy because its satisfaction
would mean the destruction of that
liberty which has made this great re-
public the objective point of the OPP
pressed of every land. The desire is I'M
holy because it is conceived in selfish
ness and sired by the lust for power. 1t
is unholy because it means the degra-
dation of a liberty loving people and the
permanent establishment in power of the
dominant political party. Ii is unholy
because the enactment and enforcement
of a force bill would lead to contention
and strife in every community and to
the sacrifice of lives. the destruction of
property ana confidence and the sever
ence of all those ties of friendship which
bind men in a common brotherhood. 1t
is unholy because political or religious
oppression is unholy. A force bill means
worse than oppression.
But we see a political party in this
year of our Lord; one hundred and six
teen years after our forefathers had de-
clared that "these united colonies are.
and of right ought to be, free and indie
pendent states and after their children
and children's children had tasted OF
and enjoyed the sweets of liberty, at
tempting to pass "a force bill which
would put a bayonet behind every ballot
and reduce the people of the country to
a condition of political servitude far
more humiliating and degrading than
that suffered by the captives of the
CAESARS. Are American freemen pre-
pared for this? If So they will vote the
republican ticket next November. If
not they will shun one as they would
the shadow of the Upas tree.