The Portland daily press., 1894-06-15

captured by guerrillas. Gen. Mcneil, they say,
declared that he acted under orders from
Gems. Halleck and Schofield, but the act
made him lose prestige among the Union
soldiers, and the Confederates called him
THE butcher of Palmyra
The st. Louis Republican contains this
account of the meeting of the Southern
Women's Historical Society: 1.-The regular
meeting of the Southern Women's Historical
Society held Tuesday at the residence
of Mrs. Minor Meriwether, 3,?l6 Delmar
avenue.
1.-The GRAFTON of DR.. Cave at the unwilling
of the monument to the memory of the
Confederate soldiers and sailors at Rich
mond, Va, was read from last Sunday s
Republican and warmly applauded. Col.
Wells Blodgett's vindication of Gen. John
Mcneil then came in for a good share of
the ladies attention, and tor some very
caustlc criticism. 1t was moved that a
committee be appointed to draw up resolu-
lions expressing the sentiments of the So
ciety ON the subjects discussed. One lady,
who objected to having her name given,
thought 1t better to take no notice of Mr..
Blodgett's address-she believed in the pol
icy of silence-why keep alive painful men,
cries?
Mrs. Meriwether said her policy of silence
might do very well if the other side would
keep it. AS long as such speeches as Col.
Blodget's are made over the graves of such
men as Mcneil, she said it was the sacred
duty of Southern men and women, by every
means in their power, to promulgate the
real facts of the war between the North
and the South: it's real cause; its conduct;
it's results, direct and indirect. There is
too much ignorance on these points. The
cong uering party all along has stud1ously
distorted some things, concealed others,
and misstated many events. Southern
people have been so long slandered and
maligned that the whole Northern heart is
hardened to them. Had the ten innocent
men Mcneil ,butchered been any other than
Southern men, had they been ten innocent
negroes or Irish, or heather Chinee, even
at this late day shudders of horror would
creepover every human being at the mention
of McNeils name. But simply and solely be-
cause these ten men were Southern, their
murder is approved; costly monument is
erected to the butchers memory, and over
his grave the boast is made that Lincoln
promoted him for his bloody deeds. In this
way, said she, the minds of the present gen.
Grafton are poisoned against our people,
and the old cruel hate of the past is per-
petuated. There is no remedy for this
wrong but to meet falsehood with facts;
SANDER with TRUTH
The committee presented the following
preamble and resolutions, which were un-N
animously adopted. The lady who favored
the policy of.slence carried out her own
IDEAS and said nothing:
Whereas For many years the Southern
people have borne misre representations, SIAN
der, abuse. sneers and jeers. for the most
part silently, hoping that time would work
a cure and soften the animos1ty OF their
conquerOrS, and
Whereas, The policy of silence has not
proved a shining success, but on the con-
trary, to-day, thirty years alter the war,
many newspapers, politicians, ana h3stor-
ians still use their utmost endeavor to kind
lie and keep alive in the hearts of the pres
ent generation, as well as their own, the
hate and injustice so rampant in the Gays
of the cruel war ;atherefore, be 1T
''Resolved, That in our opinion the policy
of silence under falsehood and abuse is un-
wise and should be no longer pursued; and
be it further
'sResolved, That we send to the Rev. DR..
Cave Our heartfelt thanks for breaking that
bad policy. and assure him that we also have
ever held the unwavering faith that an en-
lightened posterity wills decide that the
South was in the right, that her cause was
just, that the men who took up arms in her
hQe1SnC6 were GI0- pdlIlOGS, hlu w II
further
s'Resolved, That we herewith present to
the thinking people of the city a few indis-
putable facts on which the South, in pos
terity's court will rest her case in the calm
confidence of winning the verdict. to wit:
-'.1-That wars of conquest are per Sc
wrong.
's2-That wars of defence are always right.
''3-That from the first to the last day of
the war the North fought war of con-
quest.
"4-That from the first to the last day of
the war the South fought war of defence.
'.5-That the South from the first was
eager for peace-prayed for peace.
''6-That the Norths answer to her prayer
was the arming of 2,772, 40S men to hurl on
the South to kill, desolate, and conquer.
''7-That at no time did the South have
half (Gf she had one-third) many men to
meet these merciless invaders.
''S-That in its four years. efforts to con-
uuer the South, the North used the enor-
NOUS sum of $2,714, 100000.
''9-That in her efforts to resist conquest
the outh had no money, but she spent her
hearts blood without stint.
''by these and otner lndisputable facts
the South will be judged.
THE Secretary was instructed to send a
copy of the proceedings to the Rev. DR..
Cave, to the Confederate Veteran, spub-
lished at Nashville, Tenn, and other South
ern papers, and the meeting adjourned