The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1897-10-29
DhsDemorrat-S Star
AROUND TIT CAMP FIRE.

ANU NJ LIE NstHi fAish'
The following description OF the
now famous speech made by Gen. Il.
9. Catchings before the reunited vet
Grams OF the I'd Iowa Cavalry at Day.
export, Is taken frum the Davenport
Democrat Of Oct. 9th, and cannot fail
To be read with Il feeling OF pride and
satisfaction by all Mississippians:
The talk Of Congressman Catchings.
commonly called Gen. CatclIings, was
one OF the happlest events OF this
sort that was ever made In this city.
An effort was made To secure the AT
tendance OF his fellow members Of
Congress, Davey, of Louisiana, aud
private" John M. Allen, Of Tupclo,
Miss, but they had imperative en-.
gagcmcnts That compelled them to
decline.
Congressman Catchings salutcd the
veterans Of the I'd cavalry as Com
radcs." lie told thc.audience that the
old ~ my songof his side, I'm a Poor
Rebel Soldier, and Il Long Way From
Home" was not the one he was sing
Ing them. lie was right at home,
right here in Davenport. He knew
no sectionof this great country where
he did not feel at home. He paid glow.
ing tributes to the memories OF the
great leaders OF the war, Lincoln,
Sherman, Thomas, Meade, Sheridan,
Grant, Lee, Jackson, johnson and
Johnston, Beauregard and Forrest,
and the house chcered him to the
echo. In fact it was hard for him to
talk more than Il half minute at a
time without interruption by a salvo
Of applause or a chorus OF laughter
that flled the auditorium so he could
not be heard. lie told stories that
kept the people quietly shaking with
merriment, interminglcd with volcan.
ic explosions OF mirth that could not
be held in. He made as good Il United
States speech as ever came from the
lips of any man, and he won the hearts
of his hearers 50 completely with his
genial manner, his 0pen-lleartcd fra
ternity. and his broad and liberal ac-
ceptance Of the opinions OF his neigh
bors who differed from him, now or IN
the past, that II he moved here he
would be morally certain to be forced
to run for Congress from this staunch
Union district, no matter What his
politics or his war record have been.
He apostrophized the common soldier,
and declared that lie was the man who
did the fighting and who made the
great men of the war. He sad he had
been in Il hundred fights, and not Il
dozen times in those four years had
he heard a command to charge, and
he had been in charges more than lie
could remember. Men in the ranks
charged by instinct, and their officers
had ado to keep up with them. They
learned the tactics OF the field SO
thoroughly that the regiments and
companies handled themselves with
out the word of command but after
the private had fought, died and
bravely won or gallantly lost the day,
the officer who had been hardly an in
cident in the whole affair got the pro-
motions and the honorable mentions
and the receptions and the feasts.
while the blue beef and privation
were still the lot of the private.
No such tribute to the martyrcd
Lincoln had been heard In this city
as that which this four years COnfed.
crate soldier paid him. He said;
"Thcre has been no reasonable
thought in the South that ! have
encountered for more than thirty
years. II ever the eagles Of war arc
let loose again in this country we will
outnumber you three to one, though
In populatiOn you outnumbcr us that
much, in defense Of this Union and
that flag. This audience Looks to me
Just like one OF Vicksburg people.
There are no difference in us as men,
or In our desires and aspirations, and,
God willing, we will march hand in
hand with you till in this glorious land
OF ours we have solved all the problems
that vexed humanity; till we have
demonstrated that that great man,
Abraham Lincoln, was right when he
said that this government OF the peo-
pie, for the people and by the people,
was the g~randest production OF the
human mind.
In closing Mr. Catchings said: Sand
what a government is this we have
here! This hand (raising it aloft) that
tried to break down that government,
has for years been engaged In making
its laws, to govern alike you and me-"
lie followed this with an urgent APP
peal for the encouragement OF the
National Guard, aud tile fostering Of
the patriotic spirit everywhere, and
ended with a tribute to the woman
hood Of the country that was enough
TO make every woman in the house
want to hug him. When he conclud-
ed and babe his audience goodnight,
Col. Horton On the stage and some old
soldier In the body OF the house were
on their feet simultaneously, propo-
sing "Thrce cheers for Gen. Catch
ings," and they got them, full meas
urc. The scene ended with half a
dozen officers Of the I'd cavalry, and