San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-05-30

not on southern soil, but northern.
The men who rest under its shad-
ows came from our far-off south
land, and it owes its erection, not
to the comrades OF these dead SOL
diers, but mainly to the generosity
and magnaminity OF their former
foes, the citizens OF this city. All
honor, then, to the brave and
liberal men Of Chicago, who have
shown by their action that they
regarded the war as over and that
they can welcome as friends on
this solemn and suspicious occa-
sion their former enemies. AS long
as this lofty column. points to
Heaven, as long as one stone of
its foundation remains, future
generations of Americans should
look upon it with pride, not only
as an honor to those who conceived
its construction, but silent though
noble emblem of a fostered union
and a reunited people. In the
name of my comrades, dead and
living, and in my name | give
grateful thanks to the brave men
of Chicago who have done honor to
our dead here, not as Confederate
soldiers, but as brave men who pre-
ferred Imprisonment and death
rather than freedom obtained by
dishonorable sacrifice Of the princi-
pals for which they were willing to
die.
OF the 5000 Confederates buried
here, not one was an officer, all
were privates, in no way resron-
sible for the unhappy war, which
brought an Had Of woes
upon our country. And yet
these humble private soldiers,
any one of whom could have
gained freedom by taking the oath
Of allegiance to the Federal gov
eminent, preferred death to the
sacrifice OF their principles. Can
any possible dishonOr attach to the
brave men Of Chicago because they
are willing to recognize the cour-
age and the devotion Of duty Of
these dead Confederates : Imagine,
If you can, my friends, the despair,
the horror Of these poor privates,
lingering in prison and dying for
their faith. They died here, in
what they looked upon as foreign
and hostile land, far away from
the land OF their birth, with no
tender hand of mother or wife to
sooth their entrance into the dark
valley OF the shadow OF death, and
with all the memories Of their far
off homes and loving friends to
add the sharpest pains OF death it.
self. They were true men, and say,
if you please, that they were mis-
taken, that they were wrong, no
brave man on earth can fail to do
honor to their courage and their
steadfast adherence to what they
conceived to be- their duty. You,
the brave citizens Of Chicago, in
doing honor to their memory,
honor yourselves and humanity.
Nor will you blame US, Of the
south, while appreciating grateful
ly, your generous action in their
memory. You could not respect
us were we to feel otherwise. Death
places its seal on the actions OF
men and it is after death that we
"measure men,"
| We of the South measure our
dead comrades, buried, by the
standard applied to men after
death and you Of Chicago have
measured them by the same stan
dard, the only standard by which
we can measure man and by APP
plying this you have shown that
you have come to the highest
| standard vouchsafed to men, and
on this north and south can stand,
with honor alike to both sections.
Are any Federal soldiers disloyal
to the flag under which they fought
because they join in decorating the
graves Of brave men whom they
met in battle? Thousands OF Fed
eral soldiers rest under southern
skies, in southern country, many
in unknown graves. And when,
ON Memorial Day in the south, the
graves Of our dead are decorated,
gray haired Confederate veterans
and noble. devoted women strew
flowers over the graves of the fed.
| eral soldiers. II the humane gen.
erous action OF the president of this
city in doing honor to the memory
OF their old antagonists is de-
nounced as descreation it would
seem to follow that descreation OF
Federal graves by "rebep hands
should be opened to the same criti-
cism, but no denunciation ofsouth-
ern people for daring to honor the