Birmingham state herald., 1897-06-24
 GORDON STILL COMMANDS His Comrades In Arms Wouldn't
 Have Another. THE VOTE WAS UNANIMOUS His Farewell Address in Full, But He Must Make Another Atlanta the Next Meet
 ing PIace-Monster Attendance.

Nashville, June 23.-+The morning trains brought several thousand people to the ely to a.ttend the annual reunion of the United Confederate Veterans. Annual reports were heard and Gen. J. B. Cor don d. hvered am address.
 Gem Gordon prefaced his remarks with an intimation of his intention to resign as commander in chief. There were cries of mo" "no,'' from all over the halS and wh.n quiet was restored Gen. Cor don proceeded vii h his address.
 It was as follows:
 ssMr. President and Comrades; Permit me with few words to return the com- mission with which you have honored me for eight years, and by unanimous vote. Within the next few hours you will elect my successor. When th.s duty is performed by you l shall gladly take my place by those untitled heroes who so gfandly bore the battles brunt in the stern work of war. Such a step volun- tarily taken ought not to be considered a strange condescension by any man. TO me it is a privilege. It was private 1 enlisted as a soldber on the first indica- tf9n of approa ching war. It is true that the partlality of my comrades, which has followed me from that hour to this, did not permit me to serve in that hon. orable and self-sacrificing position. But, MT. President through all the vicissi- tudes of war, amidst its lights and its shadows, its glorieS and its gloom, 1 never lost sight of for one hour of my obligations to the private soldiers. From first to last, in all those years of alternate victory and defeat, of hope and despair, my heart was ever paying its spontaneous tributes to the matchiess fortitude of that intrepid band, who, shoeless, half clad and hungry marched on foot, suf- folaed on picket and brayely defsd the battles carnage from the beginning to the end of that struggle without one rnumur of discomfort. Sir, if I hdd the power I would erect to the private sol oier the most splendid memorial that gratitude could suggest, genius could plan or money build. But I am tco poor for that. Or if possessed the needed gift of speech l would leave upon record tribute worthy of them and such as my own convictions and emotions prompt; but my words are too feeble for that. There is one thing, however, which l can do. I can hay at their feet the commis- sieps which they won for me in war and the lhonors with which they nave crowned my life in peace. can promptly, as shah proudly, take my place in their now tfinnlsd and rapidly dissolving ranks. MT! President Tn tnese cfue fIig nUurs of my long service as comma nding gene eral, must ask the conventi9n's indul- gence for a brief review of that official relation and, possibly, for some sugges- tions as to the future.
 s'On the 10th of June, 1889, eight years ago. while serving ss governor of my na- tive state. I received from New Orlea ms
 the wholly unexpected announcement of my election as comma nder-in-chi f of the newly organized United Confederate Veterens This new communion of ex- soldiers began it's somewhat unpromlsing
 career with the modest number of but
 ton aniZatiOnS united fOr npapofIll ard noble ends Today 1t presents the proud array of more than a thousand
 ramps answering the roll call and re-
 fiecting merlted honors upon the differ ent commanders, and esp ci1lly upon our able adjutant-general. In the next few
 hours I shall turn over to my successor
 this army of more than a thousand org 7n-
 iza tions, rapidly advancing toward the
 second thousand.
 q. said Mr. President that I would
 turn over an army. It is an army of ex-
 soldiers, ex-Confederate soldiers, at whose prowess and endurance enlghten-
 ed Christendom stood in breathless
 amazement. It Is an army still. MT Pres
 ident, but an army for the bloody work of
 war no longer It's banners no longer
 bear the flaming insignia of hattle It's
 wea pons no longer flash defiance to the ffse nor deal death to the opposing ranks. It's weapons are now the pen without
 malice the tongue without aspersion,
 II.
 It's aims are peaceful, phi'anthropic and broadly patriotic. Its sentiment is lofty, generous and just. It's mission is to re- lieve the suffering of the living cherish the memory of the dead. and to shield from the reproach the fair name of all. This now mighty organza tion. while insisting upon complete historical jus tiee to the south. will scorn to do less than complete justice to the north Proud of the souths chivalry in defending the rights of the states, they honor the hero ism of the north in defending the perpet- uity of he union Havir g submitted the south's cause to the arbitrament of bat | tie, they loyally and manfully stand by that tribunals verdict Fighting and suffe ring fer their homes and rights as men have rarely fought and suffered in the worlds history; exhibiting on hun dred fields and in thousand emergen cies heroism never excelled: yielding | from utter exhaustion and only when their prostrate section was bleeding at every pore; failing after the most desper- ate defensive struggle in human annals ID esta blish their cherished confederacy, these high-souled sors of the south offer lsthis record Of devotion as the noblest pledge cf their fealty to freedom and of readiness to defend the republic of the fathers.
 My Comrades of the United Confeder- ate Veterans. if this brief summary fairly represents your sentiments and your aims, then my cup Of joy is full indeed. I cannot doubt I do not doubt that I have caught and correctly voiced the nl- pulses and hopes of this most representa- live body of southern manhood In the first address issued by me as your com mander 1 sought to enhbody your senti- ments as I did my own. Let me read few sentences from that address. After reeiting the objects of the United Confed-
 crate Veterans as declared by your con-
 stitution, Isaii:
 |" No misjudgments can defeat your
 peaceful purposes of the future. Your as-
 piraticns have been. lifted by the rnere force and urgency of surrounding crndi-
 tions to a plane far above the paltry con
 alterations of partisan triumphs The
 honor of the American republic; the just bowers of the federal government; the equal rights of the states; the int zgr.ty of The coretitutiopaf union; the sanctions of
 law and the enforcement of order. have. no class of defenders more true and de-
 voted than the ex-sol1iers of the south fI-afr u,cr-thus d-coe pda1,fe Rnf vos1