The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 1, 1903, Page 14

ECOLLE CTIO} e | THE CIVIL WAR This is the Seventh of These Clever Articles. {Copyright, 1903, by Thomas Fitch.) T was my fortune to pass the night of the 2d of March, 186%-in the gal- the United States Senate breathe an air rife with tion, to hear the threats ors, the - deflant an- ose-from the North and the leas of others, as the debate Gen compromiss resolutions matie gallery was crowded with the atives of forelgn kings and em~ ht that came to me was that were -there to. watch and pos- ‘ejoice over what they -belleved Yie last-bours of the great American _yons was constructing the state- he would announce to nent that the Amer- blic. was disint £-gov de Sartiges was viewing 1 e future "of ~the ace in America” and dreaming of re for his imperial master ng if California would form ssessions when the Union &hould be no more. tive of every petty ith patfonizing supposed ‘end of the Gov- ed’ by dreamers, -who be- that the people could govern them- {tions were appalling. The pub- was empty, the public credit confidence paralyz- es, dismantled ships we awaited the or of - the Senate chamber on the last effort at com- e in val Seward, belled ‘his Mason of Vir- e bread pills. tiondriacs are precision, and compromise which pre- of the indif. been growir Under. the Taurel Under- the Yet unto this day their deed ing agut lashed to the mainniast and ig into the flames: Sheridan. thunder- ng-down. from Winchester to whirl re- g .bayonets into of advancing w g history with hi A can-sofl,. and punctuati < with :'victories. all the way from Atlanta to the sea. Grant— Patient of tofl, serene amid alarms; Inflexible in faith, invincible. tn grms, Marshaling - army. affer army and .hurl: ing men By thousands to-a willing death order - that the. nation might - live. These are the palntings thatthe American people huhg 1n the. great . gallery-of .the ages. These are the pictures- that- the cameras ~ of “armies -photographed. with crimson warfare upon the sensitive paper of history, never to fade or fall while the world goes Tound And net slone on. flelds- whose surface mer feet shook like thunder and whose turf ‘was- their last plllow, but -on -fields where ‘weary -feé followed the plow to provide food for the children of the ab- =ent; and at firesides where eyes, dimmed with tears, guided the needle through gar- ments that were being fashioned for the brave boys who battled beyond the Po- tomac; and in counting’ rooms, where Prudence turned eside her face while trembling fingers wrote the checks which capital gave to country. Everywhere on land and .sea; on mountain and in valley, in street and shop; amid the roar of forges and the hum of factories, in the hospitals of sorrow,. “by the midnight watchfire end amid the roar of battle,” wherever the 'heart of the mation . throbbed, wherever. . the . sword .of the nation gleamed, there upon the parchment of theé eternal ages a milllon armed men wrote irrevocable judgment ‘and decree, t. slavery should dle, that freedom should live, and that government of the people, by the people, “for the people, should not perish from the:earth. Four years of war and appalling sac- rifice .of blood' end- treasure. Four years of & conflict convulsing the -earth with its consequences, and the representatives of the forelgn powers -again gathered, this time ‘at the great stand-in front -of the ‘White House, .to. witness the grand review. The Army of the Potomac, the (Copyright;, 1303, by T. C.. McClure.) OMETIMES: théy. are il called “supernumerar- P les” . or, in.. derision, “supes,”. ‘but " stage- land “and the peopls themselves take more kindly, to " the more commonly.- used term “extra people.” In the big crowd of applicants for the. position with the company which was to present the society comedy, “My Lady Bylvia,” were all sorts and conditions of men and women. The fact that the ad- vertisement inserted by the stage man- eger In the. morning mnewspapers had. stated - that each applicant ust have evening clothes had not.been suf-" ficlent to deter -the man ‘who slept on a_ park bench the night befors from appl: ing, and next to him in the line you might. see the eager, boyish face of some well dressed stage struck young fellow.from, one of the acting schools. 7 B On the big, dark stage "were crowded over 200 men and women and; from these twenty men and as many women- were to be selected to take part in the ballroom scene. The e manager passed ropldly from one to another. ‘“Have you a dress suit?” he -sald to the men, and “Hav you a ball gown?" to the women. In spite of the fact that the advertisement had mentioned these as absalutely requfsite, full half of the applicants did not own them, end those who did not wers told to go at once. Then the stage rmanager picked out twenty men and twenty wom- en who he thought would be able to ear- ry themselves in the ballroom scene with- — = — . 4 out swk : R0 g : THe men were on one side of the stage . &nd the women on. the other. There was no light except that furnished by a single “spot light” set in' thé rear of the stage, Ing end one could not see across -it well enough to recognize even & friend. . Then began the rehearsal of the second , in which the ballroom scene -oceurred.” ‘The scene, ladies and géntlemen,” be- gan the stage manager, “is lald in the ballroom of the Duke of Ellersiie. The stage settings and exits I will -indicate by chairs. ' Here {s the entrance to the conservatory and here to the supper-room. At the rise of the curfaln you are waltz- ing. When the music stops some of you- g0 into the. conservatory and somse Into the supper-room, otliers stand and talk. When Archtbald s denounced I want my picture this way. Vi . And he-began to group the peopl the stage. In the supposed ‘entrance to the conservatory he placed a ‘man and a. woman, who he pald were supposed to be o Interested in each other- that they did not even look up when Archibald was charged with theft. ‘‘Now, you two peo- ple keep up a conversation. Count up to a thousand .and back.again if you can't think of enything to say to each other, ::x; enimated and absorbed in each er. e AR “Neither had.noticed the other untfl then on the difnly lighted stage. And the first look, which brought recognition; caused u;‘: to start, . . o - o woman wpoke first, and with an at- tempt at llthmn-ulr?' fiun“ g “Who would have ever dreamed it pos- | — (& AT (”' THE SUNDAY CALL. [ By W W Hme #uAnd you kmow ‘Hothing of what has : her inquiringly. Her face -was white and “0f :cose, we cain’t countthetr votes—you ununundthnt yvn;‘l&;u, nm” : ' TWO OF THE trange place as this after we told each other good-by in Virginia? Where have your'boen and what have you heen -do- ‘It is strange that we should "meet at 2ll,” sald the man. *I have been doing & little of everything and mnothing. well. 1 suppose you have entered one of -the -acting "schools and have determined to. try to.realize your old dream .of going on the stage?” . - s 3 “BExactly. And your &7 “Oh, I-am here because I need the §5- ‘week the part of a ‘super’ pays. Things have not gone well with me since I left Virginla. I made & fytile.effort to estab- lish & law practice in Kansas, drifted to. New York to try newspaper work, failed there and came heré. This moining I counted up my assets and found that they - consisted of §2 in cash and an Indefinite prospect of & job on one of the afternoon newspapers. I suppose you know- that I- cut off all communication with the péople ppened since you left?”’ asked the girl. . “Not & word. . You -know. that I have tives there, .and .when ‘the trouble . eam determined that I weuld s° before they got a chdnce lan,’ said thé man in’s cynical tonel .. . ¢ “And you. had not heatrd-of the death of iy brother?” the girl contiriued in her questioning. > 2 i ¢ At this the inan started .and looked at’ her lips wére trembling a little. -of the man.and %" he sald softly. “I had not heard When aid he die?T™ .- “He dled very. suddeniy’ last year, but before ‘he died” he—told the truth abeut that Martin matter to my father and me. We -could not bear. for justice’s sake— and—and—yours, ‘to keep sllence so every one in'Léxington kiows now .tiat he ‘was. gutlty and not. you: We tried. every way we could think of to“find you, but eould not. Finally, we came to the. concluston that you must have died and I— . Well, I suppose- that I’ thought of the stage be- causé¢ there- was nothing elss for me .to :do. ‘You know. Uncle Jack left m me money, 8o 1 decided to come on her nd *study. A ‘woman -must - b some .interest-in her life, and that seemed all that was left me.” © “The first rehearsal is over,” ‘sald the stage manager in & loud volce - “Report rnrompuy_ at 10 -¢’clock . to-morrow morn- g 2 “Then he came over to where the couple were standing talking to each other and sald: “Both.of you young people did ad- mirably. - You followed out my {instrioc- tions to ‘the letter..-I like to see people . take an Interest in their work and I.am going to see i I cannot find & emall speaking part for each of you. You are ‘too clever to-be wasted among the extra people.” . . .. - The man and the woman looked at sach other. - Thare was. & question in tha eyes y bappy answer in those of- the: womar., E 2 iyl ¢ will.talk that.over when we report in ‘the morning, and, ‘at.-any rate; . we . thank you for your compliment,” -sald the But neither of themi showed up for the - - relrearsal next mornihg. Army of the Tennessee, the Army of the West and all the legions which the bugle call of endangered liberty had summoned, filed in grand procession in the n capital, bearing tattered but triump banners and bronzed faces and jub hearts, past the places where the foreign Ministers gazed. There was food for f eign-meditation in the sight. The Conted eracy was dead and these were its execu- tioners. Jefferson Davis paced his cell at Fortress Monroe, and his armies were scattered to the winds, The American experiment of self-government was an established success. What Europe deeme o be its dying struggles were only the throes of & mighty second birth. It had sloughed its viler attributes and th the.pangs of parturition were mighty glant who arose purified from the glant who to-day stretches h mighty limbs from the Arctic to equator, from the Atlantic westward within, sight of the shores of Asia, and rules a nation of eighty milllons—a nation great in letters, arts, arms, . commerce, prosperity, freedom and power. ‘A member for South Carolina was ac- cused -of selling & cadetship. He was an ex-preacher and a Teady speaker. The offense” was- ctlearly proven, and before the committee report, which recommended his expulston, could be presented, he rose to ‘s -question of privilege, and arranged & roll of manuscript on his desk. Prior to beginriing the dellvery of his long and ornate_speech, he sent his resignation to the clerk’s desk where it. was read. He then commenced his speech, but before the first sentence was fairly uttered the gavel ‘of the Speaker descended. “Tha late mem- ber - from South - -Carolina,” “sald Mr. Blaine, “has, as an ex-member, the priv- {lege. of the:floor, but not of addressing the ‘Houyse.. The. chalr cannot recognize him, for he is rio longer & member of this House, ‘The regular order will be pro- Ceeded “with.” - “I'll ‘make that speech yet,” exclaimied the ex-member to some friends in the cloakroom, and he did. He retirned to South Carolina, ran for the wacancy created by his own resignation, ‘was’ elected, returned to his former seat, and on one Baturday — “Swashbucklers Day”—zave his cadetship speech to empty benches, and had it quietly entombed in the Congressional Globe. In. 1563 I. was ‘elected Representative in Congress from ‘the State of Nevada, and in a.quiet way ‘“felt my importance.” An extra session of Congress was called for March 4, 1869, and I went to Washington early in February. Walking down Penn- syivania - avenue -one bright morning, I met.my old friend John S. Harris; we had been: closé-friends and ¢omrades In Mil- waukeeé . before the war. - He was theu head clerk in a clothing store and I was bookKeeper in a grain commission house. We had lost sight.of each other for eight years “or.more. : After a warm greeting and -discussion of old times, I, supposing that ‘Harris; who in Milwaukee was al- ways dabbling 1in: minor p seeking ‘a-Government office, sa “Now, Johr,’ s there anyt for you' here, any place 1 to.get?”" *No, I think no “but I thank you for your offer, ma help yow.” ‘““What, if I may ask obje¢t of your visit to Washing- “Oh, I replied, swelling just a little with consclous pride, “I am member of Congress from Nevada.” *‘And you,” sald I, “Is your stay here likely to. be pros jonged “For some years it will be.” was his answer, “I-am United States Senator from ‘Louistana.™ In 1891 professional business carried me, temporarily, to .& mountain county In North Alabama. Lured by the beauty and cheapness of- attractive timber and coal land ori-ths.banks of the Tennessee River, 1 pufcliaséd a half Inte: tin it I en- deavored.-tp drganize a company. in New York to- work it, but as soon as ¥ men- d that it was in ‘Alabama the glad I of'tire' New York investor turned to ice ‘and he barely refrained-from tele- phoaliig .the police.to eome and take me away. Returning tq Aldbama I told my assoctate owner that unless we could ob- taln ‘local capftal or provide capital for developient ourselves the property must remiain undeveloped, for I could not in- duce -‘my New York friends to touch it He wias a stalwart fellow, who had com- manded -a company of Confederate cav- alry during thé war, and he was greatly disappointed ‘at my failure to negotiate funds: ““What's the matter with them?" #ald -he. “““Well,” L replied, “they do not consider money invested in SBouthern prop- erfy as safe’” “Property is just as safe in_ Alabama as it is io Massachusetts,™ jald. he, Indignantly. *“1 know It,” sald L, “put I cannot make them believe it. You see, all these stories of killing negroes and ruining the homas of carpet-beggers give -them @& prejudice™ “That's all past,” sald he, “that's all past I give you ‘my .word of honah that thar ain't been nary- nigger kukluxed in this county for moah than #ix yeaha, Don't they read the papers up. North? Deon't they know that. thé days of disorder are ovah?" “But they algo know,” sald L “that you refuse to give the .colored man the right of suf- fragé ‘conferred upos him by the fifteenth amendment.” .- “Thar they are wrong agaih,” .‘sald he. “Thar they're dead wrong. . Nobody.in this county Interferes with niggab voting. The niggahs who want to vote ge right up to the polls and nobody interferes with them, suh Last efoction niggahs voted In front of me and behind me and nobody tried to stop them or evah sald a cross word te them. Thar 18 no Interference here, suh, with the con- stitutional sight of the niggab to vota Of cose, we.cain't count their votes, you un- derstand that yourself, suh, for to count them might put in office a lot of scally- wags who would. benkrupt us with taxes and thievery. “We've got no prejudices, suh, against white Republicans who are decent men,” continued he “Thar's Captain Hill, sub, was elected Assessor last fall H R Republican.” "*“Was he in the war?" said L- “Yes, guh, he was In the wah.” " “On which sidée did he fight?” satd I “Well, suh, he was not- particular about that; he ‘was a good deal promiscuous like. He wasn’t a Confederate captain d he wasn't-a Federal captain. He was & sort 6t turniture captain.” *“A furniture cap- tain?""sald L ‘““What kind of a ¢aptain was- that?” *““Well, suh, he had a little steamboat, and .he used to run up and down the Tennessee River, and whenewer he. found a deserted home, or a house not guarded, he didn't stop to ask whether it belonged. to .a Confederats or & Union man. He- just .tock the furniture out of - Is the ton 7" "1t and cdrried it up the river to Chatta~ nooga ‘and sold it. He made right smart at it ‘and .when ‘the wah was ovah he bought a farm in this. county and he is well liked here, suh, for he is a good man end a leading ‘member of the Baptist church, though- he. is & Republican.”