Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-20
ATLANTA REUNIONILA GUASIMAS FIGHT
ce,.u ~, ~ Al, b,, Not an Ambuseade for the Rough
Son. Hobson. i0i''
TREMENDOUS OVATION 10 GORDON CAel HOhhS ibLS III lhb bbilLb
-. III NJ D. ctJtAd for Enemy Was Known TO Be Ahead
r.. k,+ Before the Firing
SCENES INCIDENTS
ConfederateV CheerAlabama's
Son, Hobson.
TREMENDOUS OVATION 70 GORDON
Audience Could Not Be StIIled for
Five Minutes.
aIs ELOQUENT ADDRESS


three thousand people. veterans and their
friends. reached the city up to midnight,
and the congested condition of the down
town streets this morning gave indications
that today's crowd would double that of
YESTERDAY Not a room was TO be had at
any hotel last night. and but for the ar
rangements made by the committee, which
furnished sleeping guar for 1000 vet
Grams al the park, many of the old fighters
would have been compelled to walk the
streets.
The interest of the day centered in the
convention at Piedmont Park. The Ken
lucky delegation was early at work among
the delegates in their efforts to secure the
next encampment for Louisville. The dele
CATION from the Louisville board of trade
has had its lines out for some time, and
the delegation already sees good results.
Charleston's Claims.
Charleston is putting up a strong fight.
The claims Of the South Carolinians are
that their state furnished more men for
the civil war than Kentucky. an6 that
Louisville is out of the way South Caro-
IiEa has the support of Texas in the con-
test. and claims that that state holds the
deciding vote.
Among those who arrived early and took
seats on the stand were Gen. Charles F.
cay: Gov Atkinson of Georgia: Gen. Dick
ersOn, commander of the Florida division,
and Gen stephen d. Lee. looked upon by
snme as 4 candidate for commanderin
chief.
Before the gathering was called to orGer
three cheers were giver for the gallant
son of Alabama" Lieut.. Hobson. follow ed
moment later by three more for the IA
nous cavalry officer now at the front, Gen.
Joe Wheeler.
Gen. John B. Gordon, the commauder-in-
-F.H
tremendous ovation Cheer after cheer
swept through the hall. and the audience
COULD not be stilled fer five minutes. Gen.
Clement A Evans, the commander of the
Georgia division, called the convention to
order a 1f:3O, ard prayer was offered by
Rev. J. William JoI es of Virginia, the
chaplain general of the United Confederate
Veterans.
GEN. GOrdOn's Words.
General Gerdon's eloquent address. in
part, follows:
mo other convention of ex-soldiers in all
the earth are so free from self-seeking. so
mtsinted by passion or prejudice, so pure
ly philanthropic, nor more broadly pat
riOtic. No disbanded and defeated SOL
diery has ever been for long d period
the special objects of unique and uni
versal appreciation and affection by peo-
pie for whose cause that Soldiery contend
ed unsuccessrully.
In every other age, in every other lard
popular plaudits have been but the echoes
of the shouts and martial paeans of vic
tory. Nor do our own brave countrymen,
the brave veterans of the Union army, fur
niSh any parallel to the conditions which
surround US When they returned from the
horrors OF war it was to homes of increased
comfort, TO augmented wealth and with
arms in their hands and victory their
banners They returned to an established
and grateful government.
The return of the disarmed and dis
rYa1,
made poor; to land made desolats, COW
cred with blackened ruins, where every
home was in mourning, every breath was a
sigh and every breeze a messenger of woe.
And yet. after a third Of century has
passed, after the remnant of those armies
have grown gray. and the government for
which they fought lives only as a memory.
these grim southern warriors gather IN an
pual reunions and are the recipients of a
boundless hospitality dispensed by this
Gently impoverished but grateful people.
In conclusion, let me inquire what it all
means? Simple justice to these brave and
patriotic men, who yielded at last TO over
whelming numbers and resources; justice
to the southern people. whose devotion to
their cause must be measured by the count
less sacrifices they made for it; justice to
their present attitude toward the Ameri-
can republic, whose honor and freedom and
flag they are always ready to defend; JUS
tice to the self-respect and manhood of
southern youth, who are 10 stand for all
time with northern youth, in defense of
popular liberty: justice to the past and jus
tee to the future, all demand that our own
posterfty and all mankind shall know the
meaning of these phenomenal demonstra
tons over the thinned ranks of a broken,
but proud and once resistless army.
Victory Itself vindicatcs.
''Our heroic brothers of the Union army
need no such care in guarding themselves
from MISREPRESENTATION; and for the reason
that they are. so to speak, the special
wards Of this great nation. All of its ener-
giles. ali of its influence and large share
of ats taxing power are subject, when re-
quired. to their demands Besides, as
rule. it is true the world over that victory
itself indicates. while defeat dooms to
Misrepresentation the cause of the van
quished.
Let Us hope, however. that impartial
history, secured through the labors of our
broadmtnded and able historical committee
will avert from our people such a wrong.
Again, and finally. / press the question:
what Is the inUOst meaning of these con-
federate pageants? Are they due to any
covert or sinister aims, or, in the remotest
degree to self-seeking? Their open sessions
and published proceedings. which all the
world is challenged to inspect, furnish the
answer. Do these reunions and popular
demonstrations which attend them draw
their insc.I alton from any suggestion of
disloyalty 10 either of the tremendous re-
suits o. the wharf.-the freedom of The slave
and the etei nal unity OF the republic? The
protection OF the negro by southern courts
his reliance for security upon southern SEN
ttment and his education through white
taxation in southern schools, furnish the
south's answer as to the first. To the sec
ond: loyalty to a perpetual union of the
states and to the honor and glory of the
republic-the south has been continually
answering since the close OF our civil war
and she is answering today by the presence
and Prowess OF her heroic sons at the front
in the war with Spain.
Her Lee. her Wheeler, her 3dgley her
Blue. her Hobson and her thousands Of vol
unteers who sprang to arms at their coun-
trys call. are answering from their camps
in the Philippines and from the jungles
OF Cuba.
You. my confederate comrades would be
there tns country needed you. Many of
you assembled here would have been there
but for impaired health and failing
strength But our sons and grandsons are
there. With our prayers and blessings they
enlisted in this war for high and hoiy
purposes. Among the great ends 20 no at
tanned in this conflict with Spain the s-ee
dom OF oppressed islands in both oceans
the wider influence of America IN the coun-
ellis of the nations, the incre used respect
fOr her power on land and sea- thars is stilI
another achievement to De attained no
less glorious and far reaching; namely ;he
obliteration Of all traces of distrust among