Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-08-15
BETTER "a Postponcment Than an tn'
nIcnsrutucSs.
CThe Hartford COurant.

CThe Hartford Courant)
The Grand Army of the Republic WI!
be invited to hold the national encd.ll
ment of 1899 In Richmond. va. The ioi
NAL invitation Will come from lhe ~ ~
Mems Business Association OF th'
town. What rsements-munlclpI
and other-it will bear. We cannot no"
say. There was talk at one uine OF nv
Richmond camp of Confederate -
rans-the Robert r.. Lee Camp-uhitlns
i'm II. but this seems to have died out. J,
is said however, that as rule the oid
southern soldiers of Richmond are hul-
vidually I'm favor OF the PROJECT an
ready TO give a hospitable welcome 10 thC
of the Richmond newspapers has throw"
itself into the movement with enthusl-
asm. 1t IS daily telling the hIchi,ioilu
people that the coming or the natlohdl en-
campment Will be a great thlng LOT pual-
ness. 1t is also earnest IN JUS assur hlce,
TO the Grand Army men that they uteu
not give the possibility OF difficulty or EN-
barrassment on account OF the Color
line" q second thought. as there Is 10
more danger Of this in Richmond than III
Buffalo-the city which is To nave the
honor of entertaining the national en-
campment this time.
We do not question the sincerity OF
these assurances. 1T is n fact that the
wears have been at work on the color
line in Richmond one Of the most sus-
gestive sights Of the town nowadays lot
gray-haired visitors from the Nortn 10
the throng Of neatly-dressed negro bovS
and girls hurrying along Broad street ,,.o Ti
a morning on their way TO school'
Negroes ride In the street-cars. In the
matter of civil rights they appear ABOUT
as well off in the capital OF virginia rs
in the capital OF Connecticut. Our IL, IN =
preston is that they are never met WIN
as guests at the Jefferson. or Murphy 5.
or Ford's. They have earthquakes OF
their own and drinking-places Worse
luclO, but we think we are not mistaken
I'm saving the unwritten law eXclule5
| them as customers from restaurants
and bar-rooms patronized by the White
folks. Perhaps the unwritten law
would be suspended during the session
| Of the national encampment. We don
| know.
Given the right sort Of conditions.
we can't think of a town in which the
| old soldiers who fought under Grant ana
| Sherman and Thomas would have a
| better time than in Richmond 1t is an
| old town, a fine town, delightfully."-
! hospitable town. a town STEPPED ana
| soaked in history. Between the bronze
! chief on his war horse and the bronze
l sentinel on his towering pillar are a
| hundred objects OF Understandable
| among them the stately old Capitol N
! its pleasant sQuiTrel-haunted grounds
| the Confederate White House" and the
| Confederate Cathedral" with It's
| splendid window "to the dear memory
OF Robert Edward Lee" The Sredegar-
Works would interest the gray-haired
| boys, and the great tobacco warehouses
/ and the docks and the James river
itself They would want to see the site
! Of Libby Prison. They would want &C
| see Hollywood Cemetery. and to stand
| beside the grave OF jefferson Davis.
Then there would be the ring Of battle
fields to visit: there would be excursions
to Petersburg and Appomattox. and Col
| course to the sea. The veterans would
| enjoy a visit to Richmond. under favor
| able conditions: no doubt of that.
| But unless all the people OF the tOwr
| want to see them there in 1879 and say
so, perhaps II would be wise 10 put on
| the visit to some time In the twentieth
| century. Better a postpOnement than any
| friction and 1Innlen sanfnoss