The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1917-07-17
A FEW LEFT

We are glad to copy the following
from the Lakeland Star:
"What, are you going to let those
sons of rebels raise that flag for this
city,"
That remark was made by a man
in this town to one or the leading la
dies of the G. A. r. when the pro-
gram of the flag raising was being
planned for July 4th. He referred to
the fact that the fine Boy Scouts of
America were to raise Old Glory and
referred to them as "sons of rebels"
In fact four or five of those very
boys were sons of northern men and
as many may~have been sons of
southern soldiers But we have made
the base for our argument in stating
the facts above.
We desire to state at the outset
that our birth place was in the north
and that no man can accuse US of be-
ing partisan because we don't believe
that any American citizen with his
right mind can make such a state
ment and fling it in the face of the
boys of the south who are just as
good as the boys of the north. In
fact we hate to think that there is
any north and south; we would like
to believe that the Union soldier and
the Southern soldier are Americans;
that they believe in supporting Old
Glory no matter who raises it and we
do believes that when this country
makes her demands for men for de-
Tense the south has always beat the
north in patriotism and in support of
the flag. But right here in Lakeland
is man who made all the human eff
forts possible to stop the fourth of
July celebration and on top of that
sneered at the good ladies because
of rebels" We were dumfounded
when that was told US and yet can't
believe hardly that a man would be
so narrow minded and peevish as to
allow his lips to utter such an ex-
preston.
1t was our privilege to have the
honor of addressing the Boys in Blue
two years ago at their annual mem
orial exercises in Kansas town and
at that time we made the statement
that had General Lee been backed by
as many men and well equipped army
as was General Grant the results Oh
the war of the rebellion would have
been different; both men were great
generals and they had splendid fight.
ers back to them; but don't you know
that as a general thing the individual
soldier of the south believed that he
] was fighting for greater principle
than the man of the north; it meant
his home, his property and everything
of the north were not so absolutely
uniform in their beliefs that the.
were fighting for a cause which came
SO close home to them. But regard
less Of the principles involved thu
men of the south were just as SINGER,
in their beliefs as the men of thu
north; they had as much right to de
fend their position as did the othel
side and had they not been so sincere
had they not believed that they had ;
right to keep slaves and that the ne
gro was their born servants, do yol
suppose that battle and war O
four years would have been fought
Do you believe that there would hav,
been Gettysburg, Vicksburg or l
Chickamauga had not the men wh'
were leaders and privates on boil
sides felt that they were absolutel.
right in lining up father against Sol
and brother against brother? Di,
you ever hear of bloodier Tough
and more determined war than tn
civil war in this country and still w
have men today who don't believe il
being fair who think that their sid
of an issue is the only honest one an,
who are SO narrow and conceite,
that no man is right but himself.
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