Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-12-21
TAKE DOWN THE BARS.
Corporal Tanner for Opening u =
Soldiers Homes TO Confederates'
washington Post-December 10Th

washington IOst-DecemDel -V'"'
Editor Post: The members OF the
Grand Army of the Republic VIII De
very nearly. If not quite, unanimous IN
approval Of the Presidents position re-
garding the care Of the graves Of the
Confederate dead. The only criticism re-
garding the project which | have IT, ina
We should have lone it long years ago
\ few may oppose IL. but. as n rule theS
will be found to be those who never heard
the song the bullet and shell sang. Ihey
are the same individuals who have no
thing c-ommendatory Of our SURVIVING
comrades, and who cry Fraud, frauu.
continuously regarding those whom the
laws of the land nave given a plttahce
OF pension.
Here is a fact worthy Of record, II
seems 10 me. in these later and better
days. only twenty years ago my COM
rades IN New York used TO go out 10 the
Cypress Hills Cemetery with great guam
titles OF flowers every MemOrial-Day, as
/ presume they have gone every year
since. Near the resting place OF our
Union dead there are. I think. some 2.oll
graves Of Confederate dead, who slckened
aud died while prisoners Of war. Nhrn
our boys had laureled our W graves
they would go over To the Confederate
plot. and out Of their supe~rabundance OF
floral gifts place flowers on every grave.
There was no formality about IT,, no
newspaper parade; but the act was per-
formed with reverent mlen and every IN
dication that It was a spontaneous recog-
milton of departed valOr.
About that time | had the honor 70 be
sYTiaa IIlnFaI ~ nafmr ngVliF n1 mo NrIIIsN
Army of New York. and i'm an oi1clal
communication TO all the posts In the
state / alluded To- the action or cypress
Hills Cemetery, and expressed the nope
that when we went out on our Memorial
Day to decorate our comrades graves.
wherever in the state any of our former
foes had found s%e.ulchre, common hu-
mainly would forbid that we should pass
by their graves. but rather that We
should esteem il a privilege 10 In a mea-
sure take the place of their stricken kin
in the South and bedeck their graves.
not ! said, lin honor of their cause,
for that we fought and conquered, but
because We who met them in the fray
knew that better soldiers never trod hat
tle-felds, since men We're first marshalet
in battle array" The response was, hap
PLY, general and approving.
Naturally / am rejOiced, after more
than twenty years, TO have the President
Of the United States broadly advocate
our government taking charge of all the
cemeteries where lie the dead of the Lost
Cause and maintain them at government
expense. / am sure II VIII be- done. The
President will now be constrained 10 see
that a law Is enacted by Congress to
carry his suggestion into effect, and If
any legislator shall oppose its passage.
why, God help him in his future political
career. for men will not be able TO-.
But admirable as is the Presidents
proposition, II seems to me that to round
II out. one further act is most desirable
tnat VIII be Of much more practical ben
eilt. No Intelligent person Will deny that
the proposition 10 are for the graves Of
the Confederate dead embOdies a beautiful
sentiment. but still if is wholly sentiment.
Neither will any deny that whether the
government does, or does not. care for
the graves of the Confederate dead. It
VIII make no difference to those who lie
entombed. In either event. they will. for
tne balance Of time, sleep as serenely as
they have for a third Of a century.
but there are quite a number Of In
diyiduals TO whom the lawmakers Of
lhlS ldnd can appear as almost variable
angels Of God. The South has many
wrecks of the rebellion" who sOrelv
need a positive demonstration Of the
brotherhood Of man. They are the men
from whose bodies our Union shot and
shell tore limbs, men whose constitutions
were wrecked in that wild revelry OF four
years Of the hardship OF war. They have
fought the battle OF life since then terri
bly, handicapped, and now despair is the
handmaiden Of many of them. and their
only hope is beyond the gateway of the
tomb.
Now. let us get as near 10 Christ as
possible in our attitude toward these un-
fortunate brethren, and let US be as prac-
teal as Christ was when lie produced
the lOaves and fishes and fed the multi
tude. In a word, let lie enlarge our sol
diers' homes, build new ones If neces-
sary, throw open the doors, and say.
Come in. Johnnie. Bring your faded old
parole, and we will convince you that
while Uncle sam felt constrained 20
punish you when you went wrong so
many years ago. he loves you still. and
does not wish you to suffer"
The blood of the South which flowed SO
freely at La Guasimas. FL Caney. and
San Juan. which was so grandly offered.
but happily not taken. at Manila bay.
and off Santiago harbor. proved that You
reared your sons surcharged with love
Of the nation beyond that Of a section
thereof. and we owe YOU something for
that. Unprecedented" some n cX-
claims regarding this proposition. Grant
ed; but this nation makes precedents.
We are emphatically capable Of being a
law unto ourselves, and 20 Spain. and
several other monarchies. as well. you
are throwing down the bars" says an
other. "and the ext him will be a prop
osition TO put these men on the pension
roll" Not necessarily, my alarmed friend
but | will give you one very sure pointer.
Gather in convention all the Union vet
Grams who gave leg, or arm, or eyesight
TO save this Union from amputation OF
States. and let them lave the power, ami
| wager YOU that every MANNED or blind
veteran of the South who needs aid tc
keep him in decency outside OF an aims
house, would get II by their votes, and
Nv n tremendous majority.