Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-04-24
The Blue and the Gray.

Henry Watterson in Louisville Courier Journal.
/ When William Mckinley, as brave a
| Union soldier as ever went to battle,
| wearing a decorative Confederate but
| ton and carrying miniature Confed-
| crate fag-trophies acquired from a
bevy of pretty southern girls-mafched
| in triumph through the streets of At
lanta. ringing with enthusiasm. notice
| was served upon all whom 1t may con-
| cern''sthat the war of sections was over.
| When William Howard Taft, as true
| an American and as sound republican
1 as ever lived, named a Confederate
| soldier as Chief Justice of the United
| States by and with the advice and
| consent of the Senate" of the United
| States, and the universal approval of
| the people of the northern section of
the Union. proclamation was made that
| the war of sections was over.
| Yet, long before either of those
events. the soldiers OF the north and
south-the' men who had actually
| fought the war of sections-had COM
posed their differences. had buried their
hatchets and-at least in the border
states-had blotted out the memory of
old scores as they romped with children
who could not distinguish the grand
sire who had worn the blue from the
grandsire who had worn the gray.
| 1t was in 1895 that the Grand Army
of the Republic held its first national
| eucampment upon southern soil. That
was here in Louisville. There were those
who doubted whether the invitation
and it's acceptance might not be a lit
tie premature. The sequel showed them
wrong. Never such a fusion of kin
dred sentiment: such an outpou~ing of
brotherhood; such eager, spontaneous
| bursts of song. The big pot was lit
| orally put in the little pot Hospitality
itook turns with patriotism.
/ The welkin rang with the shouting of
the braves Not merely the public
places glowed with emblematic signs
that the war of sections was over, but
| through street and lane--up alleyways
and down by the riverside-every vista
showed a flower garden Of American
flags. The walls of the city, the hearts
of the people We're clad III red. white
and blue. From Maine to Texas. the
cry went up in praise and thanks to
God, THE war of sections is Overt.
| 1t was thought and said, If there
should come foreign war. the proof
| that the war of sections is over will
even more wildly and impressively
show itself. And the foreign war did
| come. 1t was at hand. It's earliest vic
tim CHANGED to be soathern lad. With
Wheeler, Fitz Lee and Wilson--the self
| same Wilson who had captured Jeffer-
| son Davis--mated in Cuba, with Miles
and Castleman in Puerto Rico, what
more was wanted?
| All went we'll again. The proud and
| happy American, whether of Yanke g
land or Dixie land. had once more a
common heritage--Kentucky a little in
| the lead. for Kentucky was the birth
place OF both commanders of the RIVAL
| armies that fought the war of sections
and holds the two spots in reverence
and honor, caring lovingly for each as
| for a shrine-so that the glory, the
name and the fame of the soldiers
| who wore the blue aud of the soldiers
4 who wore the gray became inter
1 changeable. Forever now they consti-
tute great national asset. dear to
every American who loves his country
| and is true to its institutions, for the
nation is at length rs II was intended
by the fathers to be and as II was
l thought to be until stress and trial re-
vealed the shortcoming and welded II
i together az never before.