The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-06-14
THE RECORD OF GEN. THOMAS.

Seattle, Wash, June Z, 1895.
TO the Editor: a criticism appears in
your last Sundays issue OF an incidental
allusion made to Gen. George II. Thomas
on Memorial day. The expressed object of
your critic is to save this great generals
reputation from suffering at the hands of
the speaker, because of words false
cruel and defamatory. innocently repeat
cd by him. This is certainly most COM
mendable loyalty to one of our most he
role military leaders. but our critic seems
10 have lost his head quite as completely
as the speaker. Why did he not call at
tention to other words" delivered in the
same breath. and as a part of this same
defamatory" reference? Why did he
not tell the people. for whom he ia so So
Icitous, that the speaker also said: Gen.
Thomas never had a peer in the American
army. Had it not been for
his excessive modesty and his tender care
fuiness always for what he regarded as
the rights of others, he, instead of Gen.
Grant. would have come out of the civil
war at the head of the Union forces"
comment is unnecessary. Remembering
our critics avowed object, such an omis-
sion Is marvellous.
SO far as the particular phraseology of
the passage objected to is concerned. IL is
sufficient to say 1t is not in the exact
form OF the prepared address-which, be-
cause of physical indisposition. was only
IN part delivered-and IL could have been
improved: but the statement it contains
is not inaccurate. except one reads be-
tween the lines. and here is a second mar
vel-that our critic should first remove Il
from its proper setting, and then read into
IL a sufficiency of the false, cruel and de-
famatory" TO make, in his judgment. an
occasion for hasty and eloquent defense
of the imperiled Thomas. must appeal to
that large and eager audience" for whose
benefit he writes, as devotion without pre-
cedent.
Nor is II true that "Comrade Acton"
not so well Informed "as every other iiv-
ing comrade in the United States" had
never heard of "the lying invention of
the enemies of Gen. Thomas: but il is true
that this Invention never entered his
mind at the Memorial services, and was
not referred TO in the passage to which
our critic objects. He did refer to the
fact out Of which this invention" was
manufactured. Just before the outbreak
OF the civil war. and when 1t was appar-
ent that the storm was near at hand
Gen. Thomas did have a period OF silent
consideration OF duty in which he settled
this question. This very silence was in
terpreted as disloyalty; and out of II grew
the abuse OF his enemies. BY contrast
with the boisterous hurrahs for war and
the Union all around him. Thomas
deprecated war. He saw IL was unneces-
sary. He did not want IL 10 occur and he
went into II reluctantly. Evidence is not
wanting that this is the simple fact. and
50 far as now known. Gen. Thomas never
authorized his hiographer nor any one
else TO deny II; and TO affirm more than
thirty-four years after the event that
during this period of painful silent solicit
tude. foreseeing his native state and his
own hearthstone slipping into the grip OF
a bloody war, Gen. Thomas never had q
doubt OF his duty. is. to say the least
quite gratuitous When the first gun was
fired upon Sumter Ali questions were AT
oIrce settled. The necessity OF war was
forced upon the nation: choice was a
thing OF the past. In Gen. Garfeld's ora
ton Gs10l, referring 10 Gen. Thomas. the
orator said: I'VE have no reason to doubt
that he shared in the general sentiments
Of Virginia, and deprecated any agitation
which would disturb her social institu-
tons. He regarded the grow
ing political strife as measureless ont
rage. in which both contestants were
wrong; but in which Northern agitators
were the first aggressors Rut
the fash OF the first gun revealed 10 the
clear intellect Of Thomas the whole char
acter and spirit OF the controversy. and
his choice vas made in an instant" This
author further says; While the contest
was confined 20 the politicians and found
expression only in constitutional theories
and legal subtleties. the wisest might we'll
be perplexed' This is precisely the use,
and ihe only one. which the speaker made
OF his reference TO Gen. Thomas. For a
time Gen. Thomas was not in sympathy
VITA the hasty hu-rah for war on either
side. because he believed war could and
should be averted: but once opened. he
never hesitated, never faltered and never
failed. and II has always been the judg-
meDt % the writer that 10 willing ser
want ever honored with a military COM
mission by the American people has eft
record 50 round, so fun and so fault
Jess Those who in the past have known
his sentiments n reference 70 Thomas
written and SPOKEN for years. both East
AMI West. "iu simply smile al this criti-
Clsu.
NoT Is the critics statement concerning