The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1915-04-15
Our sole reply shall be:
"He comes from Appomattox
And the famous apple tree"


"He comes from Appomattox
And the famous apple tree"
Almost 20 years afterward, when the
moment came for Roscoe Conkling to
place Gen. Grant in nomination for a
third term in the national Republican
Chicago convention of that year, he
stepped upon one of the press tables
at the front, waved his hand with that
imperious gesture which was peculiar
ly his own, and repeated those lines in
that deeptoned, clear and perfectly
moduIated voice which could charm a
multitude in spite of the austerity,
amounting almost to superciliousness,
of the man himself. When the words
of the first line, long familiar to every
body within sound of his voice, were
recognized, there was a profound hush
instead of the wild outburst which
many expected to hear. The great
throng was waiting for the last word
of the last line. When it came it
could be seen, and more particularly
heard, that the tradition of the apple
tree was not yet dead. Nor has it
since died, nor is it likely soon to die,
so dearly does mankind love a tradi-
tional and romantic setting for all
great events, however .prosaic and
matter of fact their real setting may
have been.
Another apple tree song which flour,
ished long, was called "The Tree OF
Appomattox." 1t was sung by the
Lombard brothers in many campaigns
in many states during the impassioneo
politics which followed the close OF
the civil war, and lasted many years
Another heroic Grant song of the day
which aroused the people of the NORTH
to frenzies of personal devotion ant
patriotic fervor, had for one refrain
the line: "The man we wan is Gen
Grant when once he does apply" ant
another running: United we cal
whip the world with Grant and Gen
Lee" This last showed the high re
spect of the North for the courage an
chivalry of the South during all of tn
struggle. Could this have been bette
understood south Of the Mason an
DiXon's line, the wounds of strif
would have been sooner healed.
For the north approved wholly tn
magnamity shown by Grant in maxim
the terms of Lees surrender Foreig
critics have often said that these wer
the most magnanimous terms ever o.
fered by victorious general to de
feated foe. The officers were to Civ
their individual paroles not to agai
take up arms against the government
until properly exchanged, and eac
company or regimental commander t
sign like parole for the men of hi
command. The officers were above
to retain their side arms. 1t was pr
vided that, after the stacking and par]
ing of all the Confederate artillery an
rifles, baggage and property of a
sorts, each soldier should be Above
to return to his home mot to be di!
|turbed by United States authority S
long as they observe their paroles an
the laws in force where they reside
Lee accepted these magnanimou
conditions on the same day. The NJ
tion was thrown in transport of jo,
soon to be clouded by the assassin:
ton Of Lincoln. That tragic even
was not the ending of the war, no
even could it be called it's consumms
ton. It was the act of mailman wit
a weak brain, unable to stand tn
strain of defeat of a cause in whic
he believed himself to believe. His
torically and practically, the creates
civil war in the history Of the worlG
with battle line thousand miles il
length and million soldiers enliste
on the two sides, ended half a centur
ago.