Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-09-30
A PICTURE
Executed BY That staunch Democrat, Hon.
E.A. James.
Nashville Banner

In his speech at the Masonic The
atre, Hon. e. A. James painted Il
picture and held it up for the in
spection of his audience. The pic
ture represented three Confederate
soldiers returning from the war
Gen. B. F. Cheatham, Gen. w. B.
Bate and Private Joseph Fussell.
They have just entered the lowly
cabin of a Southern farmer. Misery
and poverty are seen on every hand.
The only inhabitants of the cabin
are an old man and woman bent
with age. The visitors ask for some
thing to eat. There is not much in
the house, but such as is there is
given to them. Gen. Bate introdu-
ces himself and companions to the
old people. At the mention of his
own name the old lady adjusts her
spectacles, and after scanning him
for moment, says:
"Gen. Bate. we have seen a very
hard time. Bothof our sons were
killed under you, and I wish that
even we were under the sod. Our
eldest boywas killed i'm Mexico; our
youngest at Shiloh We have lost
everything"
"No," says Gen. Bate, in soothing
tones and accent sweet, "you have
not lost all, my good woman. You
have lost your boys and your prop
erty, but you have saved your hon.
Or.o
Gen. Cheatham, his noble heart
swelling with emotion, brushes a
tear from his eye, and the private
turns his face away to hide the
Watery drops already courslng down
| his cheek. s
By and by the three soldiers take
their leave. The war ends and
prosperity again visits this country.
The old cabin and its old inhabi-
tants are almost forgotten. Time
rolls on and we are brought to the
year of grace 1882. Gen. Bate is
now nominated for Governor on the
Readjuster platform. Senator Har-
ris and Gen. Bate start out on the
campaign. They ride along and by
and by Gen. Bate spies neat cot |
tage by the roadside, the garden
glowing with sunf1oWers, holly |
hooks and red and white roses
of sweetest fragrance. Vines of |
mOrning-glories creep up from the
doorstep, and along the newly
white-washed chinks and in clus-
ter Just over the small window.
through which the snowy curtain
may be seen looped back to admit
the summer breeze. Gen. Bate rec
OgniZes it as the place where he re-
ceived morsei of food while a
soldier in the Confederate army.
He mentions the matter to Senator
Harris and they determine to stop.
They enter the vineclad door, and
after being seated, Senator Harris
says: ..r.t1l
my good friends, this is Gen.
Bate, candidate for Governor, and l
am Mr.. Harris, candidate for the
United States Senate" -S..'.H
"Yes," says the old man, 81 saw
that in the papers," .:...
"We are Democrats" continues
Mr.. Harris, "and would be glad to
have your support"
During this conversation the old
wife has adjusted her spectacles and
is surveying Gen. Bate. After sat
isfying herself that it is really him
she remarks:
seen. Bate, do you remember be-
ing here when you We're a soldier ?"
81 remember it well madam"
1--WE were very poor then. The
war had well nigh ruined us. Both
our boys were dead ard thfAh hfAhe7n hte7nffa fa55
mics had robbeS lo1H9 hut Won gave
NE NE nefSeSsfaa neefSSee6Snsffaagement to live. You
said we had not lost all; that we
had saved our honor. Oh, how
fhncn |
nigh broken heart. They were as a
cooling drop of water to the parched
lips of fevered patient. | treas
ured them in my old withered heart
and my husband and | determined
to live and struggle on to the end.
We have lived and with the will
of God our Iabors have been blessed.
You see around you a comfortable
home; fields of ripening grain, and
stock and cattle in abundance We
have prosptred. We lost all save
our honor, but with that untarnish-
ed, we have gathered together what
YOU see around you. Your cheer
ing words years ago helped us on
and God did the rest. And now
you return to us for what? To ask
my husband to vote for you for
Governor on platform, which
means nothing more or less than
robbery. We have saved our honor
out of the wreck and now you ask
us to destroy it in BREATH" ~
With this she leads Gen. w. b.
Bate and Mr.. Isham G. Harris into
the garden in the midst of which
stands white marble shaft. Brush
ing aside the vines the old mother
points to the inscription; "Died for
honor and his country on the field
of Monterey, Mexico" General
Bate" she continued, "you are the
author of that .epitaph. Can you
ask us to erase it and write in its
stead "Dishonor?' Look on the
other side: Died for the honor and
glory of his country on the field OF
Shiloh Would you have us blot
out that inscription and write
across the brow of our dead hero
sRepudiatiOn and DIshonOr" No,
no, Gen. Bate; we have saved our
honor, and with Gods help we in
tend to preserve it. We reared two
BOYS and gave them to their coun-
try. They died fighting for honor.
One lies on the plains of Mexico,
the other on the field of Shiloh. |
God forbid that we should ever do
aught to detract from the honor and
glory for which they gave up their |