The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1896-03-20
Patriotism at Confederate
Reunions.

ingdon, Tenn, at confederate re
union furnished some comparativ,
statistics that may be studied Will
profit:
owe were outnumbered by over
q millions. To put it another
way, they had 4S men to our one
OF the millions against us 494, coo
men were foreigners. This number
only fell short of our entire mum
Der los, 100 and was more than
made up byrthea 1s6, OF colored
soldiers enlisted in the Federal
army. So, my comrades, it will be
seen that We were outnumbered by
foreigners and colored soldiers, and
had to contend against a surplus of
2,2O3,215 loyal patriotic soldiers of
our own country. New York,
Iowa and Connecticut furnished
more men than were in our entire
army. They had an army, a navy
and ordinance to begin with, while
we had neither. They had money
and credit abroad, while we had
none. And yet, in spite of all
these things, it took four long years
for the North to overpower the
brave South. History presents no
grander page than written by the
Confederate soldier. We have a
right to point our children and
the young people of to-day to
the sanguinary conflict which we
passed through, and teach them
that their fathers were not traitors
but brave patriotic soldiers. There
is not in my breast any unkind feel
ing toward any brave Federal sol
der. Comrades, I utter your sen
timents when Isay that you, as one
man, are ready to take all honor
able, true ex-Federals by the hand
and bid them welcome and God
speed in the race of life"
On the subject of pensions the
speaker said: "The government
has literally pensioned the Federal
soldier. No true Confederate sol
der objects. They believe all de-
serving and needy ones should be
provided for by the government,
for which they imperiled their
lives. Millions and millions are
paid out annually in this way, and
it is right. True, many pensions
are granted that ought not to be,
but this does not prove the theory
wrong.
"The Confederate went to battle
at the call of his state; he recognl-
zed its authority as supreme. He
demands no pension at the hands Of
the Federal Government, but he
confidently looks to the state. We
must, as states, care for such as are
in needy circumstances. s." Refer
ring to his own state, the speaker
said: "The people of Tennessee pay
$50, 900 per year to 534 veterans;
this appropriation should be doubled
and trebled. We dare not fail to
be true to our unfortunate COM
rades; they must and will be provi-
ded for. In Tennessee all ex-Fed-
erals, ex-Confederates and non
combatants without distinction, con
tribute to both pension funds; We are
dOubly pension taxed. Thus it
will be seen, that the expense of the
government does not bear equally
upon the people of the North and
South. The government does not
want to impose unequal burdens
upon any section of its subjects.
To the ex-Federal ! would say, the
war closed more than thirty years
ago. The passions thereby engen-
dered have died out; we are friends;
we are comrades now. We believe
we were right and have not changed
our minds. You believe you were
right, and are of the same opinion
still. We cannot agree upon this
question, but since the close of the
war the Confederate soldier has
been true to the starry flag, and is
ready to follow it with the same pa
triotic heroism with which he fol-
lowed that one with the stars and
bars, which flag was ours. We
stained it with our blood; we upheld
it as long as we could; we love it
yet; we love the memories that clus-
ter around it, but in '65 we furled
it forever. The time will come
when the great heart of the North
will say, no unequal pension bur
dens must be borne by our southern
brethren; the east will as one man
keep step to the same grand senti-
ment, and the ever impulsive wes-
terriers will tune their harps in
sweet accord, and then the govern
ment viii find way by which all
unequal burdens win be removed.
Hear me my countlymen, the time
is near at hand when happy solu-
ton of this vexed question viii be
reached, and then ours will be an.
ideal republic. No north, south,
east or west, but there will be in
every section one happy, prosper
Gus, independent, free, liberty-lov-
ing, and God-fearing people.