Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-05-30

student is WeH COnNcrSant.
A Dead Issue.
Second fact: When the god OF battles
decided the civil strife the southerners
almost to a man were ready to accept
that decision. When Finland was con
uuered by the Russians In 1909 and Al
SAGE and Lorraine were conquered by
Germany in 1871 and Spain and Italy
and Holland and Naples and Westpha-
liza were conquered by France in the
Napoleonic wars these people were
compelled to bend the knee at the
stroke of the sword, but they and
their cOnQuerors never became one.
Finland today is no more Russian than
It Is Japanese. Alsace and Lorraine
may pay their taxes to Germany, but
their hearts are In the Tuleries. No
sooner did Napoleon abdicate than the
kings and queens whom he had de-
posed were gladly welcomed back by
their people to their vacated thrones.
Not thus was the ending OF the civil
war The southern people are not a
subjugnted people They are not peo-
pie trembling at the sound of the can
mons explosion. They are people
who had an issue. They said. let us
decide this issue once for all at the
lannon's mouth And when the god
of battles decided against them these
people said, "The issue IS forever
dead" The northerner said: Here.
men of the south, here are your flags.
We have no differences today. Take
them back as heroic emblems of your
glorious deeds on many battlefelds.
Take them and keep them for your
children to look upon with reverence
and awe. They are yours and not ours.
We are all brothers, of one race ana
one nation" Oh, today thank God that
these questions are all settled and that
all the old heartburnings are over.
The returning of the southern flags
proves it.
There was still another reason why
those old flags were returned. No
sooner was the war over than the
southern men began to work side by
Side with their northern cOuntrymen
for the upbuldng of the nation. They
dropped the sword for the plow the
gun for the moving machine. But
they did more-they began to work for
the benefit Of the north as we'll as for
the south, for the west as well as for
the east And as in the Spanish Amer
! lean war T.. S. Grant. Jr., served upon
the staff of Fih-Hugh Lee and Joe
| Wheeler fought under the stars and
! stripes by the side Of I.awton, so side
by side in congressional halls and OF
| judicial bench and in mercantile es
! Enlistment the southerners worked
with the northerners for the develop
ment of our whole nation. You could
not find any difference in these mems
patriotism by the place Of their birth
Like a Busle Call.
was very much struck With This
| fact when my mind ran over the names
prominent in our national Legislative
halls thirty years ago a great army
of statesmen had entered Washington
from our southern states. Nearly al
Of these men had worn the Confederat e
gray or been prominent in Richmond
| There We're Alexander Stephens and
Lamar and Harris and Gordon and
Pugh and Morgan and Wade Hampton
and Iebulon Vance and +. NJ Cock
rell and NJ. G.. Butler and Berry and
great number of others too numer
Gus to mention. My, what a list there
was! When We read their names i
seems as though we hear the bugl,
call and the rafting Of ARMS and III,
yelling of the cavalry charge. When W.
look into the United States senate q
thirty years ago ii seems as though tn,
field officers OF great Confederat (,
army had been collected for a council
of war. But, though those southern
statesmen assembled In Washington
they were not assembled for counci
of war, but for a council of peace
Those exConfcderate soldiers were
planning and continuing for the pros
perty Of the whole United States ant
hand and glove with their northern
colleag CUES for the success OF our re
united land. And. though the north
as whole. in the early seventies did
not have confidence In the loyalty OF
the new south. the northern Statesmen
in Washington who came in touch will
those southern statesmen learned /,
trust the south.
When such true leaders as Charlie;
Sumner. from Massachusetts, and I.u
cius Lamar. from Mississippi and hun
dreds and thousands of men like then
could strive as soon as the civil wa
was over to weld this broad country
together, Is It any wonder that afte
awhile the rank and file should fal
into line and cry, "My countrymen
know one another and you will low
one another" Oh, yes. the return O.
the Confederate flags by the north wa
a natural sequence to such patriotic
love as, that. No sooner was the Apo
mattox treaty signed than the tru
spirit Of the north and the South started
in to obliterate sectional strife.
Lastly, remark that the north Gav'
back the Confederate flags because tn,
two sections of our country, by trave
and Accommodation. got acquaint
ed and learned to know each other
The northernerS Travelled south, ant
they had taste of southern hosptali
ty, including the hot breads and tn,
johnnycakes, and they liked them An,
the southernerS travelled north ant
learned that there were chivalry ant
| warm. loving hp1rtS among tho New