The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-11-02
RETURNING THE CAPfURED FLAGS.

pect victory.
RETURNING THE cAP1URKD FLAGS.
The action Of Grover cleveland during
his presidential tern in.ordering the re-
turn of al captured dags.n custody of the
war department to the Southern states
was . stupid bIunder thas no man Of pa
sriotic sensibility would ever have COM
nitted- There are prong memories con-
nected with these cap,urvd aags, and no.
body with any soul voul5 have needlessly
inflicted 80 painful shosk upon the feel
ings OF the surviving .olGsers ofthe Union
AL over the South. in private and public
hands. are many Unie1 Tags captured
in battle by Confederates What would De
thought OF the govern meat if it enforced
demand for the return q all these days
which are captured properly of the United
States or Of the various ssates Of the loyal
North. Neither side realms these flags
because they wish to veg the other. but
they keep them because Sley were Dough.
with their best blood in gsan!y battle. The
country had already SHOWN q generous
spirit by expunging FROM the colors OF the
regiments Of the regular army the names
Of the battles Of the was, but these cap
tured dags in the euspody OF the war
department we're dear to- their states, not
because they spoke in any poor. mean
spin. Of victory over ths South, but be-
cause they we're purchasei with the blood
Of thousands Of gallant searts, and pres
ident OF 9 restored Unios who could not
appreciate that sentiment would, If he
could or dared, throw the statue of Gen.
George H. Thomas into che Potomac and
Gen. John Sedgwick's efYgy over the cliffs
At West Point into the IEudson.
But what did people expect when they
elected Cleveland or suffered him to be
elected through frauds snd violence that
beat down constitutional rights in so
many Southern statesf His sympathies
were ali with the rebellion. He never had
conception Of the national principles at
stake in the struggle. he did just what
the South that nominatsd him expected
him to do. In his political philosophy
the prosecution of the war for coercion on
the part Of Lincoln was unconstitutional,
ana as these battle aags sere captured by
unconstitutional aggression upon the
South, of course they ought TO be re-
turned to those from ahom they were
taken. Obliged 20 makesome concessions
to national sentiment, and not daring
when president to hols, as he did when
private citizen, that ting war TO suppress
the rebellion was rsoceeding of ag-
gression and unconstitutional outrage
and violence against the South. he
tried. when president. 20 confound dis
tinctions and put the cause of rebellion
on q plane OF patsotism with the
cause of the Union Re had the same
ston as for Garfield and sedgwick, and the
motto upon which he acted was. "God
alone knows who was right" So as part
of his system of confousding distinctions
he ordered these flags, bought with the best
blood of the country. seturned to those
veterans of the countsy that it was no
more patriotic in them % have fought for
the country than it Was for the South to
have fought against il.
This episode Of the hs,gs has significance
today, when Cleveland lis again . candi-
date. for it is part Of ting repulsive record
that proves the coarse qaality of the man.
Presiden, Cleveland cou5d not see why the
idea of the Confederasy should not be
treated as cordially as tse idea on which
the Union rested, and Re took of his hat
and shouted as Justify f:sr the idea of one
side as he did for the idsa of the other. 1t
was this fatal blindness or indifference 10
the historic right and wrong Of the great
conflict that persuaded cleveland to order
the return of the captured battle flags, and
he was doubtless .s.@nished when the
Union veterans beat tha long roll Of alarm
and indignation in prosast.
President Cleveland failed utterly to
today clasps the hand 81 the Confederate
in warm fellowship, hcs,oring him for the
valor that put up his life for his cause,
for the manly truth thas makes men like
Longstreet today keep Goth the letter and
spirit of hi. oath OF senewed loyalty 10
the Gag. the Union vseran nevertheless
cannot afford by eqy5vocal conduct or
expression 10 confouss3 the two causes
without making himself the exponent
of q false and dangerous education.
For the Southern mel, sorcow-stricken,
sick, suffering by fevesz fire, food. famine
! or earthquake, the Unson soldier has an
open hand, an open aeart and an open
door, but to the southsrn idea. on which
rested the ark OF ths Confederacy, the
Union soldier Is and m9st ever De as cruel
| and inhospitabls as t5as vast grave be-
tween the sections " hich their hands filled
with our precious and gallant dead. The
incapacity OF Grover Cleveland TO respond
70 this sentiment OF zostility, not FOR the
Southern man ou. for She Southern idea,
makes him unit compared with Harrison
10 be trusted 10 again larry the American
dag as president of she United States. The
man is insens;ble to tsose patriotic men,
cries VII en- are in the g.ss solemn analysis
the strength, the SAT-, the SAVIOR, the
safety CT the state.
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