Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-08-20
REBEL REUNION AT DALLAS, TEX
Extracts From the Speeches of Exon |
federates-Their Cause Still Sacred-A
Tribute to jeff, Davis

OAA00 uGYS. among bn0 speakers WIS
ex-Gov. Lubbock, who was governor
when the war broke out and was with
jeff. Davis when he was captured. He
is now treasurer of the state of Texas.
Il occupy the position of being an
unattached Confederate, but Pm at
tached to the whole ex-Confederate
cause, and I'm attached to all it's SOL
diers. When this war began it was my
lot and fortune to be at the head of
this great state. [ had the temerity to
say at New Orleans that if war must
come to the people of Louisiana and
her sister states [ would put $4,000
muskets in the field. What was the re-
suit? Texas had put more soldiers in
the field than she had voters. She put
10000 men in the Confederate armies"
After he had paid high tribute to
the ex-President of the Confederacy,
he warmed up and said:
[ don't want to forget the war. I
don't want our children to forget it. I
don't want our grandchildren to forget
the war. I am not willing to forget.
While the other party are writing their
histories, their books about the great
they fought in a great and glorious
cause, propose to let the thousands of
people to come in after years know that
we were little right ourselves. By the
Eternal, when they come along with
their biographies and histories believe
in meeting them, as the lawyers say, in
pari passu. That's what they call it,
isn't it? [ want some of our history
told, too. Talk about brotherly love,
and all that thing. Pm willing to treat
them respectfully, but they'd better read
q little Of our great men, little about
Jeff Davis, q little about Stephens, a
little about the principles for which we
fought. You know I'm treasurer. Now.
and then fellow sends me one Of those
old bills we used to see, and wants to
know if it's good. 7 sit down and write
him: Yes, it's good. Texas is great
state, and rich enough to pay all her
obligations. We'd like to do it, and we
would, but when the best government
the sun ever shone on laughter recon
structed us, we were forbidden to. We'd
like to redeem it, but we can't / write
that way, and I usually add, This is
private. please don't publish So I say
to the reporter, Don't publish what I
say This is presidential year, and we
must be very cautious. We might
offend somebody up in Massachusetts,
SO don't publish it,
The following is brief but verbatim
exract from Gen. Gano's address:
We stand here to-day with NO apol-
ogy to offer. We fought because we
believed our cause was just, and we be-
heve it to-day. We're we placed there
again, under similar circumstances, we
would do SO again. We have nothing
to be ashamed of, ard we are not
ashamed. We fought for principle, and
the Same principles to-day are right.
But the great question of state
rights was the one for which we strug-
gled. It is not dead, but lives, and is
most important feature in our form of
government. Take away the rights OF
the states, centralize and consolidate
the power in our government, and you
might just as well go back into mon
archy. But give the states their rights
under the constitution, and give our
people the virtue and intelligence con-
templated by our forefathers, and we
have a glorious future, and think see
the day dawning. Our Democratic
brethren of the North, who warred
against us on account of slavery, now,
with that question forever settled, are
joining us at the ballot-box, and we be-
lieve the noble principles for which we
struggled will ere long triumph"
After this came an episode of novel
character. The old grizzled tiger, Gen.
Cabell, came forward bearing in his
arms the little baby daughter of Charles
S. Mitchell, the president of the as
ISOLATION. Rev. Mr.. Ennis stepped to
the front, and, after brief introduction,
said:
"This little one is now to be conse-
Grated, not as the daughter of the regi
ment, but as the baby of the Confeder
ate nation, as represented in her sol
diers here, and now I consecrate and
give to you (sprinkling the water)
Grace Rector Mitchell"
The baby, a pretty little child, who
behaved admirably, is the granddaugh-
ter of Gov. Rector, Of Arkansas, and in
referring to her ancestor, the minister
spoke of him as a man that was not
surpassed among the soldiers or civilians
of the Confederate states. There was
just saving clause in his conclusion,
which was
"We give Grace Rector Mitchell to
the combined reunion of Confederate
and Federal soldiers who have met
here on this occasion"
This is the tribute that Col. f. It.
Mitchell, of Bryan, paid to Jefferson
Davis in the course of a somewhat ex-
tended speech:
There is man in his beautiful home
beyond the Mississippi, one whose
venerable form, now bowed with the
weight of years and many cares, we had
hoped to look upon to-day in this
beautiful grove, thronged with It's
swarming thousands-one who made
his name and state illustrious on the
plains of Buena Vista, and yet more
illustrious in the Senate and Cabinet,
and yet thrice ilustrious in the capitol
at Richmond, browning all with a
beautiful halo of glory during these two
decades of quiet suffering and patient
W. 10