The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-08-31

Close around your gallant chieltain;
Take him warmly by the hand:
lie. who led his faithful cohorts
Far beyond the Rio GrHnde.'
Time has set his seal upon him,
And the youthful soldier brow,
Flushed and eager AT the onset,
Meets you as u veteran now
Yer by year our ranks grow thinner
COMRADES, we are growing old
Down the vistaS, e'Ic We think il,
DEATH will send us our PAROLE.
God IN mercy grant, we prav thee
When the mighty hosts appear
Mnrshallel on the field Oi glory,
We may answer: all, all hcr"l
Anna Boswell Dale. raYnesvilc. Pike Co.,
August 18th, 1889.
After the reading of this beautiful tribute a
Thousand voices with one accord united
III IA request Tor Senator Geo. G.. Vest
to address them. He was brought forward
by DIR. j. j. Fulkerson who said THAT he
needed no introduction to the people of Mis-
souri, or to the citizens Of Lafayette" and
quite right was he In so saying. The senator
said he rejOiced In being able to meet with so
many Of his friends i'm joyous re-uniOn and
that in no other country could such Il spec
tacle be seen AS the one which then presented
itself-the victOrs found mingling with the
'Nb wv ~ W "N'S W. "'t'SN
purposes nor to revive the old feelings that
existed during the war but to teach our chill
dren to hold IN reverence the memory OF the
gallant soldiers of both sides" lie prOtrayed
in his most eloquent language how the con-
federate soldier, half naked, half starved had
faced the troubles of four years of civil war
and gave to the American soldier his name,
and how when the war WAS over they had
turned to their desOlated homes and by their
untlring energies had rebuilt their houses
and granerIes, and now he was proud to say,
there was not a beggar amongst them. We
are here to teach our children to ever revere
the memory of those who have laid down
their lives for a cause they thought was holy
and just, and that we, the survivors, are here
without a stain upon our honors. He thought
II there was one lesson in all history that was
of the unparalleled strides the people of the
southern states were making toward bring
ing themselves to the front. The south thus
slain now stood as part of the union and will
remain as such under one flag and with one
common destiny. The gallant memory Of
Gen. Sterling Price was referred to with
feeling and his remarks were received with
many loud cheers. He continued, 'My
friends, we do not get pensions for our
widows and orphans, our bin and our lame
(cries Of we don't want themD Nor do we
expect them. When we gave up our flag we
gave up our bountIes, our pensions, and the
history Of the war as far as the south Is con
cerned. We have no bounty but the bOunteOus
goodness of God. We have men here amongst
us (and he especially referred to two blind
ones then on the ground) who have lost both
eyes and others who have lost both legs or
both arms. who would not ask the least
pittance from the government, but neyerthe-
lees they are In need OF help and il is our
duty to help them. For one, | am willing 10
give the last dollar my means will allO " for
the establishment of q home for men such as
these" He read the names of men who were
authorized to solicit subscriptions. He also
last assemblage an old apd well beloved
comrade has passed away, Of whom what
ever else might be said of him, was brave
and generous. In my hand hold a book
the literary efforts OF Maj. Juo. n. Edwards
all that he left his widow and children. 1t is
hardly necessary for ne to cay that this, also,
will appeal to every x-confederate TO help
his widow and children thus left almost des-
titute. You can do this and still not throw
away one dollar Tor this book is an ornament
To any library and with it any library is
Utmost complete whether it has any ether
works in 1t or not"
Judge L. j. Ports, OF st. Louis, as gallant
q confederate a. eyer shOuidered u musket,
and who has the interest of needy soldiers al
heart more than anything else, followed
Senator Vest in one OF the most earnest APP
peals ever uttered on be half Of these soldiers.
His well-known eloquence was first used IN
pOrtraying how twenty eight years ago this
country was undergoing the trials of the
most bloody civil war In the annals Of history
and now how different the aspect-brotherly
loye throughout the whole United Safes and
to-day federal aud confederate mingling to-
gether, eating from the same table, talking
around the same camp fire and sleeping
under the same tent. His principal object,
he said, In coming before them at that time
was to advocate the establishment of n SOL
diers' home and to invoke the aid Of all eX-
C onfederates and any others who might feel
charitably inclined toward those men who
fought so nobly for what they considered n
just cause and. who were vanquished. He
told how, In 1867, a few coufederates in the
city of st, Louis had organized an association
to take care Of those Of the cOnfederates
unable TO care for themselves by voluntary
contributions and how this association had
cared for all that applied tor aid. But, he
said, the task BECAME too great for the little
association to handle and in 1882 ii was
formed into u corporation under the name OF
the "Southern Historical and Benevolent
Society" and this society with the dues col
leoted from members had been taking care OF
the widows and orphans. He said since the
last meeting Of the veterans at Mexico that
the leaders In the movement had scared Il
charter for the association under the name of
''The Confederate Home Of Missouri" which
charter allowed them to collect dues from
the members of the association. Any man,
woman or child could become u member of
the association by the payment of one dollar
or as MANY more as they felt able to give.
The election of officers and the entire man
agement Of things rests entirely with the
members. He recommended The doing away
with u cigar occasionally, or making some
other like sacrifice, and donating the money
saved in this way to help support our blind
and lame soldiers,o or the widows and orphans
left penniless by the war. "I.et's us take care
of them or die In the attempt,' he SAID. "In
helping them you will be doing Il n0hler aci
than all your facing OF canndns. 1t is all
right to take care of cemeteries, etc, but,
fellow soldiers, those men need no care OF
ours; they are already safe; they are moi
blind or lame, but those left on earth who
are blind and lame do need your attention. II
is the duty Of us who twenty-five years ago
brought OH these things to care for them, and
unless we do something for them in the few
years we have lett to live L will never BE-
done. Let US be up end doing and show that
~ we were men In the time of war that we
are men IN the time of peacs."
If anybody ever received an ovation OF
which they could be proud it was Gen.. Jos.
Shelby, who was called for by almost every
body in the most deafening yeils. No man
could refuse to step before an audience that
appealed SO earnestly us did this one ard
when the general stepped forward the can
mons commenced TO belch forth and his eve9
sparkled as if he were again in the lead OF
his gallant brigade. He said, ~ rejoice to
once more be among you," and anyone that
saw him can easily testify to the truth OF
what he said. He SAID he could see in his
audience men who wore the blue and against
whom he fought during the war, and to them
he was thankful that they allowed him the