The Irish standard., 1906-05-05
OBJECT TO FATHER SHERMAN'S
MARCH

Recently an order was issued by tho
war department requiring practice
marches to be made lasting from one
to twenty-one days. Under this au-
thority Brigadicr General Duvall COM
handing the department of the Gulf,
ordered a detachment OF cavalry to
take up Il march over the road which
General Willi1nr'1'. Sherman made his
| famous march to the sea during the
Civil war. He gave permission to Rev.
Father Thomas T.. Sherman. son of the
distinguished General. to accompany
the cavalry on its march. Last Mon
day the march was started from
Chattanooga, Tennessee. thus Just
fortN-two years after the commence-
mcnt of Sherman's famous expedition
the son was to follow in his fathers
footsteps The thirtieth of April, 1864,
was the day originally set by General
Grant for the campaign against At
lanta.
1t seems that the President has
found it advisable to cut off the in
| tended march. The Georgia dclega-
ton in Congress, when it reached their
cars that Father Sherman intended to
| march from Atlanta to the sea, made
such Il stir in Congress that for some
| reason it seemed advisable to the
President To prevent the intended
| march from being carried out in full.
There are probably two reasons why
| the Georgia delegation made such IL
fuss. The first is that they did no!
| care to be reminded Of the real thing
that took place forty-two years ago,
and in the second place they are UNI
! willing that a Catholic priest should
! receive any distinction such as was to
be accorded to the son Of the dis
tinguished general who did so much
| for our common country in the Civil
war. When it comes to unalioyed
! prejudice the Southerner must always
be awarded the palm. Catholics are
not as numerous in the South as they
are in the North. The h;rdshclled
! E,aptists and the cross road Mcthodists
Of the South have little use for the
| Catholic Church and it's priests.
| These two denominations INCLUDE tho
great portion of the southern people
1t is probable that the distinguished
! gentlemen who represent the State of
Georgia in Congress forcsaw what 4
furore Il Catholic priest attended by Il
! detachment of United States cavalry
would cause among their constituents.
They Immediately got busy and in
\ some way prevailed upon the Presi-
dent to prevent the threatened ralam-
ity.
1t is hard for Il person not affected
with the mania OF religious prejudice
TO understand what possible otrcnse
could br taken because the son of the
great general was to be allowed to
rctracc the steps of his father. Father
Sherman is himself a most distinguish
ed parsonage. He is one of the great
orators of the Catholic Church in the
United States. Aside from the dis
tinction which he naturally would OBJ
! tain because of the position to which
his father attained he is himself Il
| person OF great attainments. The or
binary Individual would consider the
privilege that was granted to him as
Il delicate compliment to his great
father and to himself. OF course our
Southern brethren may have an entire
ly different opinion of General Sher-
man from what we have in the North.
Sherman made things extremely inter-
csting during that memorable summer
OF 1864. 1t was one of the most re-
markable campaigns in the military
annals of the world. The manner in