The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-28
VETERANS ON THEIR MErTLE.
They Don't Like the Atlanta Way OF
Doing Things.

They Don't Like the Atlanta Way OF
Doing Things.
There is considerable feeling among the
members of the confederate veterans asso-
Citations over the manner IN which Atlanta
proposes TO pull the wool over the eyes Of
the different county veterans associations by
its Confederate Survivors Association Of
Georgia. y organized at Atlanta couple Of
weeks ago. The Confederate Veterans As
ISOLATION of Bingham county viii meet
Saturday to take action unfavorable to the
| project of Atlanta 10 scoop IN all the vete-
ran associations Of the state.
A member of the Confederate Veterans
Association OF Savannah says that article
! OF the Atlanta association provides Tor an
| annual meeting in the month Of August in
each year, in TIE city OF Atlanta, aud de
| clares that delegates from every co1ted-
crate veterans association in the state
| shall be received and recognized, and each
| association Of veterans shall be entitled to
three votes at all meetings II this aSsocia-
ton"
Tire veteran went on to say that "article
3, having provided for an Individual men,
| bership, OF course any eX-cOnfsdsrate COM
ing up to the requirements can avail him
sells Of the privilege of membership aud
become a member of the ass citation. When
a man becomes member Of an association
he is entitled 10 attend its meetings and cast
one vote, his own, and this by the righ- of
membership. How many eX-cOnfederate
soldiers outside of Atlanta, or vicinity, can
! take advantage Of the privilege Of member
ship, attend meetings, etci he asked. Ex-con-
federate soldiers hundreds of miles from At
lantR cannot. Very few, at least, out of
many thousands would be able to do So.
Those living in Atlanta can. Of course, do
so TO a man. In Atlanta there are doubt
less 800 eX-confederates entitled to avail
themselves Of the privileges of member
ship. They Join. The annual meeting
comes on. They attend and the 500 mem
bers are entitled, each man, TO one vote,
making total vote of 500 for Atlanta.
Now say that there are or will be 100
confederate veteran associations in the
state, with a membership anywhere from
TO- 90 00 Associations, if represented,
will be by delegations, and the delegates
from each association will be entitled 10 but
three votes, making an aggregate of 300
Notes.-The vote of the entire state only 300
against Atlanta's 500-almost two to one
Can this be remedied by the method
prescribed by the constitution of the At
lanta association? This constitution may be
amen led, added TO or abrogated by two
thirds vote of the members present at any
regular meeting Of the association. How
are we, the Confederate Veteran Ass cla-
tons Of the state to amend, add to or abro-
gates When can we have a Jwo-thirds
votes Another question arises: Are our
associations members Of the Atlanta
associations Perhaps they are only ex-
tending a courtesy when they tell us, in
their constitution. that delegates from our
associations shall be received and recog-
nized.' Ii we have 100 associations, we are
entitled to only 800 delegates, which puts
us In hopeless minority, and then what
are our chances against the Atlanta rings
Nonen
"Well, what do the veterans associations
propose to do about itP
The answer is easy. We must have a
state organization that will bear the same
relation to the Confederate Veteran Asso-
cations of the state as the State Grand
Lodge of Free Masons or Odd Fellows bear
to their subordinate lodges and not 50
arranged as is the case with the Atlanta or
ganiZation, where one locality can capture
the whole machinery. Our duty is PLATA
one. We must kill the Atlanta association.
After the business season, whlca is now
npon US, is over, proper steps must be taken
to organize what we want and need, aud
we must have a State Association of Con-
federate Veterans. This can and will be
done bya convention of regularly appointed
delegates from the various local associations
throughout the state, held at some CEN
trail point - Macon, for Instance
A state association under the
auspices of the organized associations of the
state will then be organized, everything
will be done on the square and in all
sincerity aud truth, TO promote the con-
servation Of confederate history and
memories, the promotion of good fellow
ship and the cultivation of friendship, the
renewal Of old ties between the surviving
officers and soldiers of the army"
1t is understood that there is some feeling
over the fact that the Savannah Conf9der-
ate Veterans Association, with its roll of
over 300 members and having up N its roll
such men as Gen. l.. McLaws Gen. Henry
r. jackson, Col. Charles II. Olmstead, Col.
Il. j. Davant, Maj. w. f. Shellman, Capt.
w. W. Gordon, Capt. j. r. F. Tattnall,
Capt. John r. Dillon and a score OF other
lea ling ex-confederates, did not come in for
any of the honors Of office in the Atlanta
organization, not even the appointment Of
q district commander
On the whole, a state association in which
one city can control all the rest of the state
does not appear to be popular with the
local veteran associations, and is likely to
be succeeded by a state association com
posed of all the other associations In the
near future.