Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-01-28
A Late Day for the Resurrection Of Dead

United States Senate are of vastly
broader calibre than Mr.. Butler, the
Populist member from North Carolina.
This is late day forsany member in
either branch Of Congress to attempt
to rcsurrect the dead and buried issues
OF the Civil War. Especially repre-
hcnstble is it under the existing condi-
tions IN our country, when sectional
animosities have almost been lost sight
of, for any man assuming to act in a
national capacity to cndeavor TO
breathe the breath of life into the
corpse OF the old statc-rights hcrcsy
that was forever laid at rest at Apo
hind the times. He is an anachronism.
The people Of this country. irrespective
Of section, long ago grew to the appre-
citation Of the fact that this Union of
ours is vastly more than i confedcracy
ofs( ercign states; that it is one great.
roStessive,M indissoluble Union:
powerful nation with position of in
flucncc among the great civilized peo-
pies OF the earth. More than this, the
American people have long ago come to
recognize the fact that the idea of Il
strong general government. with ample
power to maintain it's own existence
and enforce its own laws, does not in
any way abridge or menace the just
powers of the states Composing it. Out
of this developing spirit of patriotism
and nationality has come a harmony of
purpose to the American people that
they could never have known under
the operation Of the state sovereignty
delusion. The fact that no state has I
right to menace this country by
severance of the ties that bind it to the
Union was settled by the War of the
Rebellion, and settled for all time.
Rip-Van- Wrinkle Butler. waking from
long sleep, may not be cognizant of
The manner in which his idiotic and
untimely harangue was received by
able senators from the Southern states,
whose devotion to the lost cause was
far greater than his, but who have
been broad enough and wise enough to
accept the logic of events, shows how
vastly far behind the times he is in his
appreciation of the issues that may
properly claim the attention of an
American statesman of the present day
and generation.
We have long believed that every
thing possible should be done to pro-
mote fraternal feeling between the
North and South, and we have been
gratifed by the extent to which the
recent war with Spain has brought
about better feeling and understand
ing between the sections. We believe
that in this Union Of ours there should
be no East or West, no North or South,
but that the people of all sections
should be united in the bonds Of a
common country and in the devotion
to a common flag. In endeavorng to
fully bring about and maintain this de-
slrable state of feeling, it will not be
wise to attempt to ignore the facts of
the great principles that have been cs-
tablishcd for all time by the arbitra-
ment of arms and through the martyr
dom of patriots. President Mckinley
In his suggestion that North and South
should unite in decorating with the
tender tributes of affection the graves
side during the great Civil War, did
not contemplate any yielding or any
sacrifice of the results attained or the
principles established by that great
contest. Neither do we believe that
the best men Of the South would ever
ask it.: such men, we are sure. have
accepted the results of the war in good
faith. They have stood shoulder to
shoulder with the men of other sec
tions of the country in the recent war
with Spain. showing the same loyalty
TO the flag and the same devotion to the
common veal 1t will be sad day for
this country when we permit ourselves
to forget for one moment the devotion
and the sacrifices of the brave men
who fought for the integrity of the
Union. and to whose heroic efforts on
many hard fought field we owe the
present power and prestige of our
great country. The men of the South
fought for a mistaken cause Many of
them. no doubt, We're sincere in the
devotion they bore to it, but time has
demonstrated their error. They fought
again the best country the world has
ever known, with a heroism and a
tenacity Of purpose that won the ad-
miration of those who recognized the
error of their course and prevented the
accomplishment of their purpose
Their cause was lost. They accented
the result philosophically. and now
that time and events have almost
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