The Columbus commercial. (Columbus, Miss.) 1893-1922, 1896-05-03

this occasion to institute invidious
SIX aavisons, or to detract OF dero-
- achievements and the
merits al our brother in blue. He
was in ruth a great soldier, and in
fact he Is our brother, bone of our
bone and flesh of our flesh-yet,
when we consider the great odds in
number against us-the poverty of
the Confederacy-the prestige, and
limitless wealth Of the established
government at Washington-with
the world to draw from, and the
world drawn from, and then con-
slider the achievements of both ar
mics you are compelled to agree, that
my Judgment Of the oonfeder-
ate soldier is but the reiteration of
the voice of history and the inevita-
bic verdict of posterity. Think Of it,
my friends. The Confederacy with
no navy at all, no standing arms,
.noBe Of the essential preparations
for manufacturing arms, munitions
of WARMTH not more than 100000
men all told, fighting the balance Of
the world, and in the end was only
ovtrcome-not whipped-by wear
ing herself out whipping the other
fellows.
It is true that after awhile she did
gather together a few boats, but
nothing to compare in strength and
equipment with the navy she was
fighting. | repeat the South had
nothing with which to wage this re-
markable war save the inherent val
or-the answering temerity and
deathless determination of her men
to resent a willful violation of a
blood-bought constitutional right,
aided and sustained by the most
loyA' - and self-sacrifcing of
VIC On that ever blessed the life of
mo tal men.
II is needless for me to 60 into de-
tails-to worry you with the reiter-
alton of dull statistics. You are
familiar with all. Every school boy
that reads true and honest history,
a thing | am ashamed to say was
rather hard to find up to a few years
ago, is in possession of all the facts
with reference to the number en-
gagged on either side, and all the
salient and important facts con-
nected herewith, so | will not bur-
den you with that recounting theme
here, but content myself with sim
ply saying that while the South was
never able during the entire conflict
to muster into service more than
100000 men, the North without
special effort listed over 2,000,0 900.
And there are today-the enthusi-
astic remnant Of the Northern ar
my--on the federal pension rolls
more persons making their living
by the sweat Of other peoples faces
than the South had soldiers. This
fact of itself is an eloquent eulogy
on Southern soldiery, and proves
concIasively one of two things, that
the Confederate soldier was either
the most unerrng shot or that the
North and the country generally is
cursed with a lot Of the most gifted
preYaricators on earth. Take either
view of the question, or believe
them both, and my position is sus-
tanned.
But enough along that line. The
chivalry and valor Of the Confeder-
ate soldier has never been ques-
toned. However bitterly the spirit
of partisanship may have ranked
in the minds Of our Northern critics,
| have the first one Of any respect
ability to hear gainsaying or ques-
tionng the valor and courage Of the
Confederate soldier. They can't
deny that. But it is avery common
thing (more in the past, am glad to
say, than now) to hear them domi-
nate the Confederates as traitors or
class them with revolutionists.
Now, my fellow citizens, I have
not the time to enter into, nor you
the patience to listen, to a discus
sion of the constituhonality Of Sc
.cession. But I want to say this