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Thursday, June 29, 2017

Who did that sign at the courthouse in Salisbury?

[Commentary by Tacitus]

Located on the north side of Main Street near its intersection with Division Street, a sign that briefly describes the military record of General John Henry Winder (1800-1865) – West Point, for starters, followed by service in both the U.S. army and the Confederate States army – states near the bottom “Maryland Civil War Centennial Commission,” the organization that caused the marker to be created some 50+ years ago. That organization was formed by the Maryland Legislature back then to memorialize and thereby preserve local aspects of a conflict that many then and now regard as a dispute over the right of states to secede from the Union, which at the time was an unsettled matter not addressed in the U.S. Constitution. Liberals view it as a war to free the slaves, which is an erroneous notion.

That Commission, whose Honorary Chairman was then Governor J. Millard Tawes (of Somerset County), was composed of a number of persons of various backgrounds and views, including former Governor Lane and then U.S. Sen. Charles Mathias. Its Chairman, George Radcliffe, a former U.S. Senator, was from Dorchester County.

As pointed out in Gov. Tawes’ statement in the Commission’s publication, Maryland Remembers, its members sought “to pay tribute to the persons who during the Civil War tried to do their duty as they saw fit.” He also observed that the members “have wisely not attempted to decide who was right and who was wrong … nor to settle other controversial issues.” In short, they wanted to preserve in its entirety a significant chapter of our national history, not just a certain select portion thereof.

That wisdom has now disappeared with the emergence of political opportunists and firebrands who seek to destroy by eradication the part of history they find offensive. Almost daily ancient structures are being demolished by radical Islamic cadres, and that same aggressive and sanctimonious political and cultural correctness has become extent in the United States, where memorials to Confederate figures are being removed from public view and genuine free speech is no longer tolerated and often suppressed, sometimes with violence, on many if not most college campuses and elsewhere.

Wicomico County has seen the emergence of self-styled progressive liberal elites that harken to the likes of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, fomented by so-called local leaders like Jake Day, James Ireton and militants such as Black Lives Matter and its collaborators. Their latest (?) target of opportunity is the historical marker on the courthouse lawn that was created by fair-minded citizens of an earlier time.

The mainstream media reports the nefarious conduct and goals of the current mob and its misfits as if they were essential defenders of democracy. Is it any wonder that the United States is now nearly as polarized as during the Civil War?

Thanks to independent online fora, such as this blog, the moderate voices of reason can still be heard. We must and will prevail over the strident, odious minority whose personal prejudices and animosity are seemingly boundless. A recent episode that demonstrates the power of the people to resist the rabble-rousers and their misguided followers is the decision by Talbot County to maintain the memorial to its citizens who fought for the Confederacy, known as the “Talbot Boys,” on the courthouse lawn in Easton.

Now the rabble-rousers have shifted focus to Salisbury.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

At the time, Chas. Mathias was a US Congressman -- he became a Senator in 1970, as I recall, and was known as "the conscience of the Senate," by then Dem. leader Mike Mansfield.

What a shame that opportunists like Day and Ireton are now attacking part of his legacy.

Anonymous said...

Wow...such a informative article. A very interesting read. I am 72 and don't recall ever seeing a photo of Gov. Tawes being so young. lol

Anonymous said...

9:14 must be a young whippersnapper. I can remember when Mr. Tawes had a full head of hair

USMCRetired said...

All the morans who thinks that "erasing" history will correct our problems are idiots. We learn from our past and from our mistakes, and the truth of our history defines who we are as a society. It is our job to learn and to use our past as reminders that we should unify to create
a brighter and better future, and not suppress the past. The ignorance and arrogance of removing our history is obsene and laughable.

Anonymous said...

You will never hear a history lesson like this any where in the local msm. Thank you for keeping me informed.

Anonymous said...

Well said and researched. Thank you.

Thornton Crowe said...

The travesty here is most don't even realize the marker is there to begin with. If it weren't for the nannies in the area with their social justice nonsense, most would just pass this marker by without notice. What's more stunning is, with all the ills in Salisbury, why is this even a hotbed issue fraught with tension and divisiveness? It's a historical marker. It should serve as a reminder what not to repeat in our history rather than anything more sinister as proposed by some who have nothing else to do with their time. Maryland being a border state in the American Civil War, left it vulnerable for both sides to extort. If anything, it should provide us a reminder of our intrastate division during that particular era. You can take down every marker and statuary in town but it won't erase or white wash the history. History doesn't change just because people are looking for warm fuzzy moments.

Anonymous said...

Thornton Crowe said...
The travesty here is most don't even realize the marker is there to begin with. If it weren't for the nannies in the area with their social justice nonsense, most would just pass this marker by without notice. What's more stunning is, with all the ills in Salisbury, why is this even a hotbed issue fraught with tension and divisiveness? It's a historical marker. It should serve as a reminder what not to repeat in our history rather than anything more sinister as proposed by some who have nothing else to do with their time. Maryland being a border state in the American Civil War, left it vulnerable for both sides to extort. If anything, it should provide us a reminder of our intrastate division during that particular era. You can take down every marker and statuary in town but it won't erase or white wash the history. History doesn't change just because people are looking for warm fuzzy moments.

June 29, 2017 at 1:07 PM

You are correct. Not many people ever really noticed it there and it never bothered anyone. Then comes along this out of stater with an agenda demanding that this be taken off county property. That's right Jake Day, it is county property, NOT city property. That's right Jake Day that sign is in the middle of Wicomico County, not the middle of Salisbury like Jake Day claims. That sign was here long before you and long before that Yakahomo clown and it is going to stay on the courthouse lawn. This county isn't going to cave into a very small minority like the "social justice warriors" and the likes of James Yakahomo.

Anonymous said...

People " out there " get a life
and live and let live.
Do something Good for your Community
and forget the Marker!

Anonymous said...

Jake Day is going after that sign to divert public attention from his latest screw up on Main Street.