The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1897-11-30

such a body would not hesitate to
do the gallant act to such a patrio-
ito body of women"
To the assoc q ion, composed of
tho most prominent citizens Of Ten
nessee, tho State donated the Her
mitage building and grounds, undor
a perpetual charter, 1t has expended
large sums in extending and beauti-
flying the Same and in procuring and
preserving tho furniture and person
al effects and relics of the old hero.
1t will be remembered that the
vase was donated by ladies Of South
Carolina to General Jackson soon
after and in honor of the victory at
New Orleans in 1916. BY his will
(therein styling South Carolina "my
native State" ho bequoated tho vase
not, as is generally thought, to the
bravost man from South Carolina in
the first foreign war, but - DO re-
turned by his EXECUTORS to tho ladies
of Sor:cn Carolina to bo by them
given "to the patriot of that State
most velIant in dofenso in his coun-
try's rights" The words arc from
memory, but believed to be correct,
having read the will carefully last
summer.
In 1848 the executors sont tho
vase to the Governor Of this State,
who turned it over to tho Palmetto
Survivors association to he disposed
Of as they should deem best. The
association decided to hold it aub.
ject to tho future disposition Of the
survivors, and If none be made by
them, then for. the last survivor.
Doubt may arise whether tho execu
tors carried out properly their trust
by delivering the vase to the Cover
nor instead Of to the ladies Of South
Carolina to determine who was "tho
patriot of the State most valiant in
dcfence Of his country's honor and
his country's rights" But both the
executora and tho Governor were mot
by tho unsolvable problems, who
were the ladies entrusted to decide,
and how to get their decision; and
as difficult it would have been for tho
ladies to decide who was the most
valiant patriot. But they tried to
untangle tho tagle by assuming that
some one of the $50 survivors must
be the most valiant, patriot, and
threw upon tl,om to decide who WAS
the man. They could not untangle
it, so cut the Gortlian knot by say
ing "the last SURVIVOR" which will
not be carrying out the trust, and be
as false in fact as impracticable of
ascertainment. But, again, thorc
has been, and still is decided differ
enco Of opinion whether any Moxi
can veteran was engaged Gin defencC
Of his country's honor and his coun-
tly's rights" Mr.. Calhoun thought
Dot 30; what old Hickory might have
tho ught had ho lived, mono can toll
However, wo had nothing to do with
deciding this question; our country
called and wo answered tho call. As
suming that the 80 octogenarian
survivors moro or less in numbol
and years are entitled to final dis
position Of the vase, tho question re-.
mains; what shall be dono with iti
My chance of supervisorship, human.
ly speaking, is possibly as good MS
that Of any other; but I cannot be-
lieve that any ono will cvor clam
this historic relic as his private prop.
erty.
My judgment is that it should be
donated either to the Ladies' Her
mitage Association Of tho United
States in compliance with their peti
ton, or to the State of South Caro-
lima, The objection to the latter
course ls that the State has noitho,
officer nor proper place for keeping
such relics. 1t was once placed un
der the care Of Gov. Simpson in the
capitol, but he knew not what to dc
with it, 80 returned it to Presiden,
Stanley. Certainly the flag and re
cords of the Palmetto regiment nov
in my possession, should bo turned
over to the State, but it would seen
more appropriate that now unde
new conditions" the vase be donated