Show dom AW AW M X cale anna ajai ojai din arar V IP r 9 w ng xa t g n V n A ZM 5 Ss 5 confederate battle flags captured in 0 t 8 civil war were returned to the dixie states of virginia north caro 0 llna and Texa impressive core mon les at the capitol on dece aber 16 ajab by ELMO SCOTT WATSON N THE states of alabama georgia florida and mississippi sis sla sippi confederate erato memorial day Is observed on april 20 in north carolina and OD south carolina it la Is may 10 and in louisiana it Is june 8 may BO 80 which was originally the federal memorial day has bas become a national holiday and in so far as I 1 it honors the memory of both the men who wore the blue and those who wore the gray as well as their khaki clad sons and grandsons who fought in all of our wars since 16 1 it Is observed in all states As these dates ore are again approaching it Is ini g to note that thra Is nowa project under way which inthe of its sponsor is designed to ablit erate the last remnant of til ill feeling between the sections of the north and lf the sections of the south as we once knew them that project la is the proposal for a joint reunion of union and confederate A survivors in washington this year and a bill already has been introduced into congress by representative 1 edgar howard of nebraska as the first step toward bringing it about the bill provides pio ldes vides for the appointment of a commission consisting of the general in command of the united states lt army the governors of the states and such other members as the president e nt may be pleased to name to have central harge charge of the reunion and for the authorization of an appropriation of sufficient Eum clent money from the united states treasury to pay the expenses of the reunion press comment on the proposal especially by southern papers indicates that the idea has made a good impression and the chances for the passage of the bill are coni good in introducing the bill congressman i howard acknowledged his indebtedness for the idea to two veterans of the war between the states judge morley cain and L D richards of fremont neb a former commander of the grand army of the republic and in his speech advocating the bill he be said 1 I feel I 1 have a perfect right to propose this legislation because of the fact that I 1 am about ra as far removed from sectional feeling as any roan man might be I 1 recall in recitation by my elders chatin that in the days of strife about one third of the men of the blood of my kinsmen were in the union army about one third in the confederate army and about one third being quakers were ministering to the sick and wounded on both sides in answering a question of another member of congress during the bourse course of his speech in regard to the number of old soldiers on either side who are still living mr Hoir howard fird said according to the report of the commissioner of pens pensions lomb who has better knowledge on this score perhaps than any other I 1 am informed that on the last laist day of november of this year there were still living men who served in the union army now I 1 take it for granted that approximately the same number survive with reference to the confederate side aide many would bo b able to attend such euch a reunion I 1 have talk talked edwith with many of the old soldiers on both sides aides and the general estimate la in inn i no above ph snows gov ralph brewster of maine left eft president coolidge center and geri gen W B freeman of richmond right honorary comma commander Inder of the united confederate erata veterans with some of tho the flags returned r i that the number would be less lesa than how do I 1 gather that or how do they reach that estimate they reach it by taking the figures of the pension commissioner which show that in round numbers ot of the living union soldiers arenow are now physically incapacitated requiring the tha constant aid and attention of some other person to care for or them because of infirmity and of the remainder the cell mate Is made by those who have taken account of the attendance at the annual re unions of the grand army of the republic and of the united confederate cetera ye tera I 1 ile he then referred to the scene shown in the picture above as aa follows out here this morning on the steps of tho the capitol we witnessed the return of some captured confederate flags by the people of the northern state of maine to the people of north C carolina arolina those people up there in maine whom the southerners used to call the cold blooded yankees are now warra warm and they como come down here bearing their captured flags faaea to the north carolinians and I 1 understand that it if north carolina did capture flags from the maine regiments she has already or Is to return them to the alie state of maine I 1 recall an incident a little while ago when the state of new jersey through its governor returned some confederate flags to a southern state I 1 think it was worth north carolina al also 0 and here I 1 have a little editorial ra from r o M the new york times which says of that action the decision of the governor of new jersey to return to north carolina flags of that state captured by new jersey regiments during the civil war will be approved in the north as aa well as in the south ever since the world war brought the sons of northern and southern veterans into close contact the last remaining vestige of regional has disappeared the north has taken lee to heart as a great american the south has recognized the splendor of lincoln As an one mark of the new spirit many cof confederate flags taken by northern tr troops ps and union flags taken by the oooo southerners ther nerE have been returned in following this custom new jersey is contributing her share to the obliteration of unpleasant me mem morler any that I 1 might leave with you tny my friends as a last remark on this sub eject than to quote some of the utterances by the splendid ones who have represented us in high capacity in out our government in peace and in war I 1 recall it may have been at appomattox I 1 do not know but certainly soon thereafter when the great general grant uttered that immortal expression pres slon lot let us have peace it was only a little while after that that the wonderful lee said cald we are all one now it was not long lone after when dear old general gordon said the rho american people will forever remain an unbroken brotherhood from sea to sea and it was not long after when the princely mckinley said eald let ur up strew flowers alike on the graves graver of those who wore the blue and those wh who wore tho the gray for or american valor valor Is the common heritage of the nation living here in washington today Is a wonderful old soldier of the confederacy ah he knew what service was and he knew what suffering was ile he was in the war for four and a halt half years and the last part ot of it he be spent in prison life his heart to Is ro eo full ful of a desire to accomplish a final wiping away of all thought of bitterness between the two peoples that he has written a poem which has haa been set to music un der the caption the blend of the blue and the gray I 1 refer to maj john alleine drown brown of washington city I 1 know that many of you are personally acquainted with him and I 1 would like ilka to leave as my closing plea in behalf bf the proposed joint reunion the in kviring lines by major brown THE BLEND OP ULUE AND THE by J alleine drown brown oh swell the song of kindred fame and blow ye bugles blow nor more doth burn with heated healed flame the passion of the foe the battle long hath bath ceased to rage rag there Is no battlo battle line the nations pride engraves the page its joy invests the tha shrine the blend of blue lights up the gray the blend of gray shebl thet blue together now how those thos e colors colors away sway with inspiration new patriot hands that sweep jp the lyre ay to I 1 th they ey chaat on high their lay the blue invokes the nations choir my country sings the gray then chant the blended blue and gray though once they faced each other oth 0 r those tattered efi ensigns signs furled away proclaim the name of brother weve found at last tho the vaulted sky for us outspread oT spread alway eternally ane blue on high blends with the morning gray other incidents similar to the return r I 1 of battle flags which are obliterating unpleasant memories and which are in keeping with the idea back of the proposed reunion of blue and gray veterans have been recorded in press dispatches recently as follows atlanta oa ga charred by sparks from c and bearing holes as evidence d ence of C confederate on federate marksmanship a woolen bedspread taken from the home of the late gov joseph E brown nt at canton ga in 1864 by one of general sher mans lieutenants has been re turned to atlanta the spread taken from the home of georgias war governor when it was burned by federal troops was returned to george it drown brown sr son con of the former governor by mal E U I 1 sivey of chicago whose father borrowed it in the war between the states richmond va alfred 1 L alken aiken formerly gover governor of the federal reserve bank of ot boston hits haa returned to the senate of virginia a gavel that was carried oft off from the senate chamber by a young officer of the theUn Unton lon army on april 2 1866 1865 thi the day of thi the evacuation or of richmond the historic relic with handle of at walnut and head of lignum vitae was presented at special ceremonies recently and was accepted by il aut gov junius E west presiding officer of the senate the young officer who carried tt it away was J lewis spaulding adjutant of the twenty ninth connecticut infantry which was among the first union troops to enter the city at after richmond nich mond fell ho gave it to Will william tarn A buckingham mr aikens grandfather then the n governor of connecticut afterward d united states senator whose home was lit at norwich for more mor ethan than slaty sixty two years it had remained in possession of members of the family there the kavel gavel was used not only by the virginia senate but also by the confederate senate which held its sessions in the same chamber washington D C maj gen john joh i 1 I clem retired union veteran and vivian fleming a confederate veteran have been designated by secretary secre ta ry davis of the war department BS as members of the county battlefield tle field memorial commission which also will include capt george F Il hobson army quartermaster corps B both 0 th gen can clem and fleming served on the preliminary commission and already have detailed knowledge of the fields which will alil be under their jurisdiction |