New-York tribune., 1897-08-20
taking dress reform. wWnld sweep the country
Ike wihliirc.
RJcHUOND'S INVITATION TO THE q. A. X.

RTcUUONDS INITIATION TO THE u. 4. H.
For several weeks past public interest has
been attracted to Il project set Oh foot In Rich-
mond to induce the Grand Army Of the Republic
10 hold It's National cncampment Of 1879 In what
John ! ingalls, once l,yfully designated ms the
extinct capital of the extinct Confederacy
The idea Of inviting the Grand Army 10 VII
clnia originated with the Young Mems Business
Association Of Richmond. an organization recent
" formed to advance that clty's commercial
AMI industrial fortunes The associatiohs pro-
gramme was officially ndorsed by the municipal
authorities. and ut the outset seemed 10 nnd
widespread approval in popular sentiment A
committee of lending business men was selected
TO 20 to Buffalo on August 2:' and urge upon
this years National Encampment of the Grand
Army The attractions and advantages when
Richmond had to offer as a mccting-place TWO
years hence. Certainly It would he dlfiicult TO
overvaluc the sentimental and historical asso-
ciatons clustering about the return OF the | mon
veterans TO the hard-fought fields OF the Old
Dominion. and their peaceful recapture. after
thirty four years. of the long bcleagercd citadel
Of the Confedcracy. 1t WAS only natural there
fore. that thc suggestion made from Richmond
should he received with favor mt the North. ana
that decided interest should he aroused within
the Grand Army in the proposal to revisit at the
invitation of a former foe the stronghold whose
gates In other days were only to bc battered
down after four years Of tedious and costly Of
fort
La'tcrly. however. the project Of rcinvading
the South in 1899 has encountered some serious
If not fatal setbacks. Divisions Of opinion have
arisen M the Virginia capital which gravely dis
credit the unanmy and cor,liality Of the in
vtation carried by the Young Mems Business
Association to Buffalo. The first questioning
note was struck by Colonel Cussons the head Of
the Virginia Commandcry of United Confederate
Veterans. who. though warmly commencing the
spirit in which the invitation was offered.
pressed his fear that the Union veterans might
not he received with the unstnted hospitality to
which they had become accustomed in Northern
cities. and that the success OF the reunion might
bc marrod by an embarrassing consciousness Of
This fact. Attention was called at tine time 10
the delicate and consldcratc feeling underlying
Colonel Cussonss warming: indeed. the tone in
which the Colonrls letter was written seemed
in Itself an assurance that Union visitors TO
Richmond in 1899 could safely count on fra
tcrna welcome from their former rivals at arms.
But within the last week depreciatory COM
ment on the cncampmcnt project has taken
decidedly more OulspOken and hostile form.
only day or two ago General Bradley T. John
son. "A political "brgadicr" of the extreme South
crn type. made public letter strongly dcpre
eating visit in 1899 from the Grand Army. and
asserting that feminine Virginia ar least would
"have no welcome then or any other time for
Northern veterans" "Thc Richmond Dis
patch" n Democratic newspaper Of high stand
ing. has also Joined the opposition to the en-
campmcnt scheme. objections to which it blunt
ly summarizes thus.
our people are much divided on this aues-
ton. The great majority of them regret that
the cncampment scheme was broached
There are difficulties In the way that cannot he
removed. Greatest Of all these is the race qucs-
,ion. Here there is a color line not only in
hotels and boarding houses. but in railroad cars
saloons, places OF amusement and churches. We
do not believe that the g. A x. would consent
TO conform 10 our customs. and we know that
our people would not and could not consent to
abandon their customs for day or an hour
For city of the size of Richmond 10 undertake
To entertain the G.. A. r. upon the occasion of
any of It's encampments would be venturesome
at best. but - undertake 10 do SO when public
sentiment is divided ard unity OF action is i'm
possible would be 10 court a situation which
might result I'm lasting embarrassment to guests
and hosts alike.
That an invitation 80 conditioned ana qualified
as that which must be- submitted under these
circumstances by the Richmond committee will
be declined by the Buffalo Encampmoni nrXi
Monday admits of little doubt The Grand
Army Of the Republic cannot afford 10 consider
a welcome couchcd in such rvasivr terms or 10
accept hospitality offered in guarded AMI
non-comlui.al spirit Despite the apparent
relaxation Of old preiudres. public opinion in
the South has not yet reached that point of toll
crance af which. in the interest of broader Ma
tional fellowship. it can lay aside even for the
moment liz intcnscr local and sectional conven-
fions The success of the National Encamp-
mcnt of the Grand Army at Louisville in 1896
can scarcely be- cited in contraventon of this
general statement. for Louisville Is a Southern
city in the mere geographical sense The tenn
pest aroused IN Richmond over the Young Mems
Business Associations startling programme
throws n truer light on Southern motives and
feeling Certainly another score Of years Is like
" 10 pass before an association Ike the Grand
Army of the Republic can receive IN unqualified
welcome at the ancient seat Of Confederate gov
.rnmcnt or. indeed. in any other city of equally
genuine Southern tradition and sentiment.
The missing link-the connection between the
nrice of silver and the price Of wheat