The times., 1898-12-19
A MERRY WAR MAY COME.
Strange Possibilities in the Proposed
Rixey Act.

Rixey Act.
The dream of Adam Zad is bearing
fruit and many strange. things are being
wrought by the sudden love of all man.
kind for universal peace and disarma-
ment.
Even now has the spirit moved those
who hold down desks in Congress and
a bin has been presented by Repre-
sentative Rixey OF Virginia. which bill
provides that sick and crippled Confed-
crate veterans be granted admission into
the divers homes for Union veterans
which are supplied with coffee and po-
tatoes by this great and good American
Government.
II Is meet that this should be so at this
time when the Lion and the Bear propose
using their navies for Fresh Air Fund
excursions and beating their swords into
pens with which to arbitrate. 1t Is also
meet at the time when Spain has SO
mercifuly and graciously agreed to our
peace propositions. and when even Shar-
key has ceased snorting for the gore of
one Mcyey
So ii may come to pass that the blue
festive hash of the soldiers homes, and
the Yankee veteran will anoint the
wound which he gave the Confederate
veteran in years gone by and the Con-
federate veteran will bathe the head of
the Yankee whom he had at one time
used for a target
Ali of this and more would be very rice
| and appropriate and poetical, but for the
fact that many of the old Confederate
veterans are not yet fully decided that
the war is over. Nor will the Union vst-
Grams who populate the soldiers fomes
desist from lighting their battles DER ard
| considering Johnny Reb always a
Johnny Reb.
So we may yet have another civil war
and the soldiers homes throughout the
country will be the scenes of small Bull
Runs and Antietams fought a Ia dis
armament process. The remnants of the
| Army of Northern Virginia may insist
| upon flying the bonnie blue flag b side
| the Old Glory which is an indispensable
| part of every soldiers home. Then,
again the Southerners may object to hay-
ing punches of captured Confederate ar
| tiliery pointed out to them by the sociable
Yankees. II is even probable that at
| tempts might be made to recapture this
artillery and the veterans OF the last
late" war may be called out to quell
| the disturbance.
What love feasts might be pictured In
| the mess halls of the soldiers homes dur
ing the meal hours, The one-iegged vet
| erau In gray carving the rations of the
| one-armed veteran in blue. and the latter
aiding the former to his seat. At the
| next table battered cyn!c in b.ue adds
| susto to the rations of those in gray BY
| the query: You get more to eat here
than you did at Vicksburg. don't you?"
| And the huggings and cooings which
would follow the query,
| Then the veterans In blue could have
| opportunity to tell how they licked the
Rebs at Bull Run, while those in gray
would observe the day they licked the
| Yankees at Manassas. And the strifes
| which might decide the winning side at
| Shiloh would be nothing short of terri
| BILE.
"You wus at Gettysburg, wusn't you?'
| the veteran in blue might query.
| Il wus, said he in gray.
Thought So ! remember capturing
| you when you wus runnin' away
You're mistaken. sir, but l distinctly
| remember taking you prisoner at Fred
| er;cksburg."
You're another sir"
You're Yankee, sir.'
You're a rebel. sir
| And so on, while the angel of peace
| smiled that the war was at last over.
| Then again, how might the old veter-
ans sleep when they had turned into the
/ dormitories. Some Jealous veterans in
blue would be certain to regale the boys
| in gray with extremely interesting anec-
dotes of how easily Sherman did the rebs
| at Atlanta. and the boys In gray would
begin counter fire OF very pleasant
"reminiscences of what Longstreet did to
the Yanks in the Wilderness. Then
| might there follow a fusillade from the
pillow howitzers. A sweeping fire from
| the shoe rifles might do great damage,
| while a new national cemetery might
have to be opened to accommodate the
| victims of the slaughter done by barefoot
| cavalry armed with convenient wooden
| legs and arms.
But the bill is good despite all of these
| probabilities. There are many political
| leaders of both parties who say. "let the
bin pass. Let the blue and the gray
| partake equally of the hospitality of the
| Government, and let the new civil war
l go on