Birmingham age-herald., 1895-05-31

plBOteu IeellnBS as WOulu prompt us cordant note on occasions of this sort are rarely found among true men and brave soldiers, and I have often thought if the two great captains who were en- gagged in that death grapple in Virginia had been left to settle the terms Of peace, each supported by his faithful fol lowers, the country would have had peace indeed, one honorable alike to victors and vanquished, and which would have prevented the evils brought about by the politicians.
 '.As it is, the south recognizes and hon. ors the magnanimity of General Grant towards our great chief, General Lee, and deplores as an unmitigated misfor- tune the assassination of Lincoln. l re- peat emphatically that the untimely death of President Lincoln was regarded by all thoughtful men of the south as one of the most serious evils which had befallen our section, and I venture to say that my southern associates here present will sustain my assertion. We know that during the war he devoted ev- cry energy of mind and body for resto- ration of the union, and that result ac- compllshed. we felt that his big brain and his kind heart would prompt him to deal kindly and leniently to his fellow citizens of the south; for his highest, if not his sole aim, was to see the union re- stored, and it was cruel fate that de- prived him of what he hoped would be the reward of his labors, and the south of one who could have been her strong est protector in her sorest hour of need,
 Some of our northern fellow citizens seem to pharaphrase the biblical ques- tion, Can anything come out of Naza- reth?' by applying it to the south, but. my friends, we really are not all evil. Put yourselves in our places and judge us from that standpoint In the conven- tion which formed the constitution there were two parties which held oppo- eli n-it rit,rr tIan Ion of a strong central government, and the other advocating the doctrine of state rights. It was attempted to reconcile these antagonistic views by compro- mise by which it was declared that all powers not delegated to the general gov ernment were annexed to the states, but like all compromises, it left this vital question unsettled, and from 1787 until 1861 the proper construction to be placed on the clause of the constitution just referred to has led to constant and often to angry discussion. This unfortunate condition of affairs was further compli- cated by the election of the question of slavery into it, and we all know what has been the result of these unhappy diff ferences These are now all dead issues and l do not propose to discuss them"
 The Decision of the Sword.
 "It was a wise philosopher who said to a general commanding an army, I do not choose to argue with the commander of ten legions,' and when questions are submitted to the arbitrament of the sword the decision Is generally in favor of the ten legions. The vexed questions which have disturbed the country since the foundation of the government are settled, and reference to them is made only to show how natural the course of the south was, educated as the people there were in the school of strict state rights. Every southern man, felt that a call made upon him by his state was an imperative command, and that his duty was to obey without hesitation and at all hazards When the north called on its citizens to rally to the old flag, they re- sponded to the summons from a sense of duty, as did the people of the south to the call made on them. State allegiance and state pride in each case was the moving cause which arrayed millions of men in arms in this country, and while the war that brought them out caused untold misery to the country, it has taught a leson to the nations of the earth-that America in arms can defy the world. It seems to me, too, that 1t should inculcate another lesson to us, and that is that the time has come when the actors in that fearful fratricidal strife and those whom they represent, should judge their former opponents as they themselves should be judged. This can be done without the sacrifice of prin- cip1e on either side, as the example of our mother country has shown us. York and Lancaster, cavalier and roundhead no longer wage war on each other; all are Englishmen, proud of their country and the red rose and the white are em- blems of peace and of the glory of old England. Can we not all be proud of the prowess of the American soldier?
 "As long as this lofty column points to heaven, as long as one stone of It's foundation remains, the future genera tions of Americans should look upon it with pride, not only as an honor to those who conceived its construction, but as a silent. though noble, emblem of the re- stored union and reunited people.
 Tn the name of my comrades, dead and living. and in my own name, I give grateful thanks to the brave men of Chicago who have done honor to our dead here, not as Confederate soldiers, but as brave men who preferred impris- onment and death rather than freedom obtained by the dishonorable sacrifice of principles for which they were willing to die"
 Another vocal selection followed, and then Maj. Henry Stanton of Kentucky recited a memorial ode. He was followed by Rt Rev Samuel Fallows, IL. D.. bishop of the Reformed Episcopal church and late major-general of the United States volunteers who eloquently voiced the blessings of peace, concluding as fol lows:
 Sheridan and Jackson, Sherman and Johnson Grant and Lee. are there. are here, with that indivisible,s improving. protecting host; and with the benediction of our common Father and with the Prince of Peace, our Elder Brother we repeat the words that came from a southern womans lips and loving, loyal heart:
 "Together cry the people and together stili
 shall be, An everlasting charter bond forever for the
 free, Of liberty the signet seal, the one eternal
 sign, n Be these united emblems. the palmetto and
 the pine.''