The silver blade. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1895-1903, 1895-06-01
Day Set Apart for Communion
Of Living and Dead.
at is OBSERVED EVERYWHERE
Willis Sweet at Pullman Speaks of the
True Causes That Led Up to
the Late Conflict.

Pullman, WASH. May 3O.-Ex-Con-
gresham Willis Sweet was the Memoir
ial Day orator at Pullman today. In
his address he ably reviewed the vic
tory Of the war, and, replying to there
cent utterances OF chairman Lee or the
historical committee at the Houston
confederates convention, he added:
The truth is that the civil war was re-
belliOn by slave owners in the interest of
human slavery. The question of state
rights, states sovereignty, notification or
whatever it may be termed was invented
in the interest of slavery and to prevent
any interference with that institution. 1t
was preached by Calhoun until Andrew
Jackson said he would hang him if he
would not stop talking treason. There
was shadow of right back of it in the
DRY, based upon certain guaranteed rights
of local self government. That right or
justification did not exist in fact, because
no one sought to deprive the southern
states Of the self government which the
constitution guaranteed.
The truth is that the south nominated
it's candidate for president, and when he
was defeated she seeded; call it 'digni-
fled Withdrawn or what you will. Abra-
ham Lincoln never sought to cOerce the
south until the south by open warfare
attempted to destroy the Union, which
he was sworn to protect. AS slavery and
'disunion were eternally wrong, you, MEM
bers of the Grand Army of the Republic,
were eternally right
Upon the occasion just mentioned the
chairman of the historical committee re-
ferred to the 'barbarities practiced'' by
federal soldiers upon an almost defense
less people,"
Justice to the memory OF the dead SOL
diers whom you meet this day to honor,
calls for an indignant protest against
such unwarranted statements. War is
barbarous at best: but in this instance it
was invited by those who complain most.
The man who made that speech at Hou-
ston ought to be compelled to live for one
year in AndersOnville or Castle Thunder,
just as those places were when Union
prisoners yielded up their lives to barbar-
isms that were a disgrace even to bar
baric warfare. Such an experience would
probably temper his views and induce
him to unite with those who seek to for
get the late war and it's horrors, rather
than strive to arouse a feeling of hatred
in the breasts of a generation that ought
to live for the present and respect each
other in the future.
It is only the orators of the character
of the one who talked "barbarism' at
Houston who find pleasure or profit in
stirring up these old animosities. No
such feeling exists among the soldiers
north and south, and each understand full
well the fighting strength of the other.
Your old comrades are gone. I think
the greatest and above all, the most
unselfsh of them was Grant. His cam
paigns speak for themselves. When he
met the aged emperor Of Germany the
kaiser said: 1.-THE Oldest general in the
world shakes hands with the greatest
one"
It is the duty Of those of us who now
enjoy the fruits of your hardships and
sufferings to do all i'm our power to light
en- your burdens as you approach the close
of life, and usually the younger genera
ton is anxious to do honor to our veter-
ans. That your closing days may be as
peaceful as the great battle of your life
was useful and glorious is my sincere
wish. And that the coming generations
may be as patriotic in the discharge of
public duty, even to the extent of sacrf-
fees. as you were, is the prayer of every
citizen who loves the republic.
UNWILLING OF A MARBLE COLUMN