The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-11
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
TRIBUTE or HONOR 80 TIE EXPIRES.
IDENT OF THE CONFEDERACY.
A MuItlfud Assembled at Mississippi
Clty To DO Homage to the ssTeat
statesman and Warrior.


Yesterday morning at 1880 an excursion
train chartered by the Louisiana Division Of
the Association Of the Army Of Tennessee
left the city with goodly number Of our pe0.
pie, bound for Mississippi City. The object
Of the trip, as already agitated in the papers,
was to present badge and certificate Of hon
orary membership 10 ex-Presldeut Jefferson
Davis.
The train sped along, stopping ut Pass
Christian and Bay st, Louis to take In num-
Der Of excursionists. At Pass Christian the
well-known Pass Christian brass band, under
the leadership Of Mr.. J. J. Curtis, got aboard
the train by special invitation and before
long Mississippi City was reached.
At the station the line Of March was formed
and all directed their steps towards Barnes
Hotel where the ceremonies were to take
place.
Chairs had been placed in the spacious yard
Of the hotel under the shade Of the trees. The
staircase Of the middle building had been
skillfully covered with planks and then deco
rated with the Union flag. When every one
had reached the place it was already II 80
and everything was ready, but the Hon. JET
ferson Davis had not yet arrived.
Capt John Augustin stepped on the plat
form and announced that at u o'clock the
ceremonies would be ushered in by the firing
Of thirteen guns, after which the badge and
certificate would be presented to the Hon.
Jefferson Davis by Col, Lingan, president Of
the association.
At IL O'Clock the booming OF canEon am
nounoed the arrival Of the distinguished chief
tain with his family, who were conducted to
the stand by Major Douglas West and Capt,
John Augustln, a committee specially dele
gated for this purpose.
Cheer after cheer rent the air when the peo-
pie beheld the serene and resOlute counte-
nance Of their beloved old-tir1e leader
When order had been restored, Col. Lingan
introduced the Rev. DR.. Witherspoon, of New
Orleans, who delivered most eloquent and
impressive
PRAYER.
Almighty God, we recognize Thy good
providence that brings us together on this
impressive occasion. Great God, how in
finite art Thou what worthless worms are
wei We ask Thee to pardon our sins and
shortcomings, through the merits OF our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We invoke
Thy blessings upon him who stands as the
head and representative OF q lost cause,
In fact, but we trust not in our hearts lost,
or Ill the ne1TbS Oh bEOUSHHilS Oh JnDSG VINO
are not bodily present with us to-day. We
pray Thee, our Lord to give him strength
for the occasion. Help him from on High;
and we ask Thy blessing upon the families
Of those men who were slain in the battle, oh
GOdl Be In place Of husband tn the widow
and In place of father to the fatherless. We
invoke the blessings of Almighty God upon
all of both armies. Let grace, mercy and
peace from God on High re7t upon them all,
fOreverl And we pray Thee, again, to be
with us on this OCCASION grant us Thy
Heavenly benedictiOn. Amen!
col. DTEGAN
then came forward and made the following
address:
Cbmrncles of The Arnny Of Tennessee ladies
and der1t1emsen-We have met here to-day for
the purpose OF rendering q testimonial Of our
hearts-0ur warm hearts Affections and Of
our respect for one upon whom in the past,
the people Of the South have heaped every
honor and power within the gift Of free peo-
pie.
We have assembled here for the purpose of
looking back on the past, in order to learn q
lesson for the future. We have assembled for
the purpose Of doing honor to the past, reviv~
ing memories OF the dead and paying honorto
the living. At the graves Of our dead COM
rades we have no bitterness to cherish; we
look rather towards the future for the realiza-
tiOn OF the hopes lost to theIn preserved to ls
in a prOperOus and successful country. We
can honor the living Without melting any Of
the antagOnism OF the past, because, through
out its length and breadth the country.
from the Rio Grande to It's n0rthern-
most part, has ruDg with the name of him
whom we meet here to-day to honor. It is
not alone the ordeal through which we have
passed together that we are called upon to-
day to menoriZe, because the name Of Jeffer-
son Davis long before the war between the
sections Iapplause was 8 name hOnOred and
reVered throughout the land, a name at which
every man felt proud Of his country and his
manhood. IApplause
1t would, therefore, be in bad grace for any
one to say that the people OF the South could
not to-day do honor to him without reOpeninR
questions or issues, or feelings or preiudiceS,
which we, at least desire forever to be buried
In the past.
You, Mr.. Davis, am instructed by the AS
soCiatiOn OF the Army Of Tennessee TO inform
that at regular meeting Of our ASSOCIATION
you have been elected an honorary member,
On behalf Of that association I hand you
this engraved certificate Of membership and
inasmuch as many here will perhaps not be
able to see it in person, will read the de-
scrptiOn.
ECol. Lingan here read the certificate 0f
membership, which runs as follows;
THE ASSOCIATION OF THE ARMY OF
TENNESSEE.
To whom 1t may concern:
We do hereby declare and certify that JET
fersOn Davis entered the military service Of
the Confederate States Of America as Presi-
dent and cOmmander-tn-Chirf, which position
he filled with unsWerVjng fidelity and patriot
ism. Undismayed by disaster and unbpguiIed
by Temporary success, that he met the ObEoauy
Of utter and final defeat, as he has the later
shafts Of detractiOn, with the patient, dgni-
fed bearing Of q Christian gentleman and
hero, without reply, save in the language Of
calm and philOSOphIc craftsmanship, and that
In commemOratiOn Of his personal and official
virtues he has been unanimously elected an
l. ~