Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-10-11
ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA.
Ringing address by the Gifted Georgian
at It's Annual Reunion.
HER RICH AND EMINENT DOMAIN.
This One of Her Priceless Gifts TO
the tniOn-FOremOst In the Conn
try's Defence-NIaintennn of the
Material Wealth.

or the Army OF Northern Virginia,
body of war-worn veterans. many OF
! them bearing the marks Of battle, and
not a few Of whom fought in the late
great struggle from the first battle Of
Manassas to the surrender of Lee at Ap-
| pomattoX. held their annual reunion last
night in the hail OF the House OF Dele
gates. The floor of the hall and both
| galleries were crowded. and on the form
er were many ladies'. In the gallery on
the left of the hall sat Troop c. First
: Regiment Cavalry, under the command
/ of Captain Lockwood The opposite gal
lery was crowded to its utmost capacity
with citizens. The Richmond Howitzers
were stationed upon the floor of the
hall. and acted as ushers.
! When General Clement \. Evans. Of
Atlanta. the orator Of the evening en-
/ tered the hall ana was escorted to the
! speakers chair by Hon. George l.. Chris
/ tian. who presided over the body. he was
greeted by a storm Of applause which
shook the building for several minutes.
| Rev. DR. J. William Jones. Of the Uni
versity Of Virginia, a few minutes after
! the arrival of General Evans. offered a
| beautiful prayer in which he referred in
| loving terms to the beautiful Southland.
| At the conclusion Of d.. -Jones's prayer
/ Judge Christian Introduced General Evans
/ to the audience. The Judge in few
| well-chosen words. welcomed those who
/ were present 10 attend the reunion Of
! the veterans of an organization which,
/ he said. was the first Confe 1erate organ
! iZation i'm the whole Southland. He re-
/ ferrrd In touching terms to those Of the
! organization who had gone to join the
| great majority. The vacant places could
| never be filed up again on earth-those
J places once occupied hv Early. Rooney
/ Lee and "A hundred others that could be
mentioned. Judge Christian. in referring TO
| General Evans the orator OF the evening.
| said: I'VE have been particularly for
| tunate heretofore in selecting the men
| who have addressed us on these various
/ " enty-fOur occasions. but We are pecu-
/ liarly fortunate tonight in having
/ as our orator one who entered the Con-
! federate army as a private in the ranks
! and literally fought his way up 10 the
| command Of division. General Evans
| who has shed his blood upon four diff
| ferent fields He has been as true II
| the Southland since the war as
| he was during the war. and ! cam
not put il any stronger Than that. He
is one whom Nirginians delight u honor
and / take the greatest pleasurs In In
PRODUCING him to you as thA orator Of This
occasion"
GEN. EVANS CORDIALLY GREETED.
As General Evans arose to address the
body. he was greeted with hearty ap-
plause. and II was several minutes be-
fore the enthusiastic audience would al
low him TO speak General Evans's sub
ject was THE Contributions OF the South
to the Greatness of the American
Union" He said: Il am honored
by the request to speak during "A con-
ventlon of men whose occupation deserves
the first and chiefest consideration as
the cornerstone Of popular welfare.
whose success makes all things prosper.
and whose cry for relief is never made
until the pain is too great to be borne.
Labor that converts human energies into
cities, railroads, ships. factories. and
foundrics, into churches. schOoI-housCs.
asylums. and homes: into munitions OF
war for the cOuntry's defence, and i'm
plements Of industry for times of peace;
labor that makes and spends money by
billions per annum, Is entitled to the
honest solicitude Of statesmen. zap
plauseD Dear 10 my heart are you my
comrades of the Army Of Northern Nir
ginia with whom | followed Jackson
and Lee 10 the last charge at AppOmattox.
There are events In my life. as in the
lives of others, which are remembered
with regret. but the part | bore with you
in the assertion of the original IDEAS
of our forefatheTs upon the battle-fields
of Virginia is a rich memory which |
shall cherish with patriotic pride forever
THE MOTHER OF INDEPENDENCE
"By your cordial invitation ! stand upon
the soil Of State which i'm the trayails
OF nearly three centuries has uniformly
affirmed the automatic truths of human
freedom and produced eight generations
of manly freemen willing to defend them.
Virginia, every heroic age salutes you:
all free peoples hail you as the historic
mother of American independence, and
this exalted era applauds your American
spirit! l speak by your courtesy also
within the gates OF a revered city, plant
ed by the enterprise and bravery OF liber-
ty-lovng men amidst their conquered
obstacles. nutured into etalwart strength
by the acrid sap of trial. lathed into 1.-THE
grace in the whirl of sharp vicissitudes
polished into untarnished brilliance by the
rub OF rude conflicts. and withal stead
fast in sustaining the most vital human
convictions,-a city that has reversed the
dread decisions OF the unfriendly fates
which decreed its destruction. and wrought
superb success out OF the debris OF its
ruins. Richmond, The epochs of human
struggles cluster around you in a proud
homage such as the sheaves OF the pa
triarchs gave TO the sheaf OF princely
Joseph in his prophetic dream, In the
inspiring presence of the sons and daugh-
ters of this iilustrious State-every one
worthy Of place in the house Of our
Co hu
with the ardor Of a Southerner and in
The sOberness Of matured reason a pa
trio,ic question that concerns our whole
country and admits OF no partisan treat
ment; a theme as broad as our expansive
land and uplifted above the stature of
partisan political motive.
ALTHOUGH 20 the southern manner
born. will speak without sectional bias.
and in vivid consciousness Of possessing
al this moment the broadest and truest
American spirit, Southern honor main
tains with chivarc fealty that agree
nent which the swords arbitrament late
w REQUIRED, when Americans surrendered
to Americans, and not by deed or word
or thought will the terms Of that settle
ment. sanctioned by the peerless Lee,
be avoided in letter or in spirit. The
South Possesses In atiluence the true
American spirit-that pride In the gram
deur Of our country. that hospitality
which keeps open house for the worthless
of All the world. that slorying In our free
instituticns that faith In our nations
over to maintain It's place among the
sarth's greatest governments. and the
rrofound conviction that in the constitu-
tiona union OF all the States we shall
acbieve "A national greatness never
Som,lied in the history of the world The
south says let the decayed corpse Of
Icng-eone. ldrid. sectional strife lie Ike