The San Francisco call., 1903-01-28
LET US HAVE PEACE.

II NGLAND was long torn by civil dssensions.
r. The strife between York and Lancaster red
IL dened with blood the right little, tight little
island. Then ensued the uprising led by Cromwell.
that ended in the Lord Protectorate and the Com
monwealth. Cruelty, savage courage, soldierly
qualities and leadership characterized all OF these
commoticns. Revenge survived after men were dead
and in the potent passion of the time graves were
violated to expose the heads OF the dead or to hang
their bones in chains, receive the execrations Of
their enemies T.
But the civil wars and their passions and divisions
are long gone by, and for more than century and
half the descendants of Cavalier and Roundhead and
the descendants OF the still more remote leaders in the
wars of the Roses have learned that those years of
strife and strategy after all developed the qualities
OF endurance, patience, discipline and leadership
such an extent that these have come down to the
present day as endowment of character to which
England owes her place in the world. So the act
ors IN those old wars to-day held in honor, and
history puts them pedestal to receive the respect
of all the people, the common ancestors of the
England of the present.
In this more modern age intelligence is more gen
eral and the minds OF better trained. So it
has come to pass that within half century the actual
participants in Civil War of 1861 have come to
recognize the struggle and the in it, on both
sides, as expressive of common qualities of courage
initiative sacrifice and stubborn devotion to an ideal
that make up the American character In the first
years after the close Of great war there seemed
but little hope that the generation which participated
in it would reach such broad ground Wounds were
fresh. Political differences supervening upon the
war ITSELF so bitter and sectional preudices long
existing hot that the best on both sides
despaired OF ever reaching common ground. But
it has been found at last
Looking back over the years to the exceeding bit
terness that is farthest away it evident that the be-
ginning OF kinder and better sentiments between the
North and South began when Horace Greeley went
on the bond OF Jefferson Davis to deliver him from
the rksome and humiliating imprisonment in For
ress Monroe Though the South accepted that act sui
fny, and the North showered abuse upon Greeley
for it, it came to be understood as an expression of
profound patriotism Mr.. Greeley, who was phil
osopher clearly that the Union must be one OF
hearts, to be real, and not bond of force binding
the unwilling together
That union OF hearts is here and will not pass
away. It's latest emphasis was given in the meeting
the 10Th inst OF the Camp OF Confederate Vet
in New York. The opening was to Presi-,
dent Roosevelt, "a prince among the rulers OF the
world but the servant OF free people," which was
received with enthusiasm which did not subside
to the end Charles Francis Adams OF Massachu-
setts veteran of the Union army responded to the
toast to the memory OF General Robert E. Lee, and
declared that his statue should be erected the ma
tiona capital by common contribution OF the blue
and the gray in recognition OF brilliant military
achievement, lofty character honor and humanity in
war and devotion and dignity in defeat.
Colonel Watterson. Confederate veteran, in like
spirit responded to the memory of Abraham Lin
coin, who was declared by his old ioeman mot for an
age but for all time At the close aif the great
company, blue and gray, in ascription to the
silent brigade" the million Americans who fell in
that mighty strife.
While it is true that here and there Southern
Hotspur tries to blow life into the dead embers of
hatred and STRIFE he gets little sympathy as does the
Northern man engaged in the ungracious task
They were all Americans, all brave men, all devoted
to ideas and ready to die for them May Our country
always have their like, ready for sacrifice and mar
tyrdom