The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-05-23
Ghr Wlessengfr.
LET Us HAVE PEACE"

Let us have peace" The words
pronounced by General Grant forty
years ago did more to heal the breach
between the two sections of the coun-
try than anything that has since been
said or done on either side TO the un-
fortunate conflict between the two sec
tons of the union. 1t was recognized
the world oyer that he was in earnest
and meant what the words implied.
His prominence gave emphasis TO his
words. The man who had brought to
successful close a war of four years, a
war as bitterly prosecuted on the one
side and as stubbornly and heroically
arms ever waged, stood forth and a
to the subdued people and to the men
behind him who were clamOring for
further degradation and humiliation Of
the conquered brethren: LET us have
peace" and the men of the north who
had aided in bringing about b defeat
of the south and the men of the south
who had fought their brethren OF the
north to the last ditch echoed the
words of the great chieftain and said,
LET us have peace and had the or
dering of affairs on both sides been
left in the hands of these men we
would have had peace. The men who
---x ~-l oxl-. -, 4In In4flnHnl1 in
deadly conflict, after the war was over,
could have settled all matters OF dis
quite had they been allowed to do so;
but, unfortunately for the country, an
other element came to the front and
took charge of the affairs OF the ma
ton, and there has been no peace.
But, as we have said, the prominence
of General Grant gave to his words
significance and Importance that they
would not have acquired if uttered by
a person of less national reputation.
On the other side of this contest,
among the men who were defeated
and who accepted in good faith from
General Grant his declaration that
there should be peace, was a confeder-
ate officer, one of the vanquished, a
man who accepted defeat and returned
to his North Carolina home to help
build up the waste places, who, though
standing high in the grade of officers
of the confederate army while such
army existed, the close and trusted
friend and adviser of General Lee, has
since the close of hOstilities taken an
humble place in the ranks of the peo-
PIE who are striving for the u%pbuilding
of the fortunes of their people. He has
uttered a sentiment that should be
placed beside that of the great federal
leader. This man went into the wal as
a private in a North Carolina company
When the struggle was owe he held
the commission of a major general. His
words were: when the war was over
/ was over with the war;" That man
the men on both sides of that contest
declared with General Hoke, and stood
by their words, hat when the war was
over they were over with the war how
different would have been the rela-
tons of the two sections of the cOun-
try in the years following the surren,
der of Lee and Johnston. The trouble
has been that when the war was found
to be over there were so many who
never having taken part in the real
war, wanted to fight it all over again
from the campaign stump or b news
paper office. 1t is to such men as these
that We owe the present divided cond1'
ton Of the country. Those who say
with General HOke that when the wal
was over they were over with the wal
bear no animosity and keep up no sec
tiOnal fight.