The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-02-16
DRAV|RET APPEAL
A Plea For the Old Confeder-
ate Veterans.
THE WAY TO HELP THEM
A PLAN SUGGESTED BY CoUN-
TIES AND TOWNSHIPS.
THE DOCTOR BEWAILs lNGRATITUOE
When Peace Has Come and Things are Right
ed, God is Forgot and Soldier
SIighted--A Stirring up Of
the Memories,

the Memories.
Rev. DR.. James Battle Avirett, of
| Kittrell, has interested himself much
| touching the welfare of the old Confed-
crate veterans homed in this city as will
be seen by the following article called
forth by suggestion of friends:
10 the Editor:-The Delhi poet has
said
when war is rife and danger nigh,
, God and the soldier is the peoples cry;
When peace has come and things are
righted,
God is forgot and the soldier sighted
While it is true that there are sins,
both of omission and commission, which
are ranker and fouler than ingratitude,
there is none more common. Eaten
bread is soon forgot" Favors conferred
and enjoyed, high services rendered, pa
triotic pledges met and discharged
bloody wounds contracted, pass out of
the minds of the people and are soon
forgot by the masses. 1t is very true
that a few persons in North Carolina
evince, in a very practical way, their
deep interest in the comfort of the old
soldiers who from wounds or old age,
are incapacitated from taking care Of
themselves. Notably so is this the case
with few men and women living in
Raleigh and other portions of the State.
.Iamentably true is it that the great
mass of our people in North Carolina
are singularly, severely. and in some in
stances servilely derelict to those men
who took their lives in their hands and
with the army of Northern Virginia and
elsewhere from 1861 to 1863 "stOod III
the deadly breach" In sad derogation
Of the highest type of healthy citizenship,
men there are and many too who under
the accused greed for gold and under
the first touches of the first appearance
of mongreism among us, without one
single generous thought of the old sol
der who perilled everything for consti-
tutional liberty make themselves merit
able to the sharpest criticisms. To my
mind one of the saddest pictures that
presents itself at the close OF the 10Th
century in North Carolina amid the
electric restlessness of our unnatural
and unhealthy make of living is the sin
of ingratitude. Towards those who fol-
lowed to the close at Appomattox the
cause which General Lee loved. and for
which StOnewaH Jackson died, we
cannot think upon second sober thought
that this neglect is either a conscious
dereliction of duty or that it is INDUCED
by the greater number intentionally. We
are equally free TO assert that there are
many more applicants for bed and
board at the old soldiers home than can
be accommodated. This is a fact from
the absence of properly organized effort
over the State at large to meet the cry
of these broken down men who are no
longer able to support themselves. No
one expects under the present admins
tration of affairs in North Carolina, a.
lien to the very core to the highest type
of our best citizenship and best inter
ests, that a bill could be passed by our
State Legislature as at present organ
lied, making an appropriation to enlarge
and maintain the Old Soldiers Home
The men, for the most part, who control
affairs in North Carolina to-day, under
the decision that nothing is so success
full as success. are far too closely occu-
pied with plans and purposes serving
their own personal ends. We can hope
for no succor from that quarter. With
tl1tm il is n sad and demoralizng fact
that gratitude for patriotic devotion is
at low ebb. Then we must look to
another quarter and to other means TO
carry out the purposes which actuate
every true North Carolinian, man and
woman, in the maintenance of honor and
in the performance of high duty. Let
us see what can be done. Organization
is the condition paramount in the field
of high achievement. Let us organize
all over the State for two purposes
first, to relieve pressure upon Il patriot
nc few by personal appeal to the
many. How can this be done? In no
way better at first than this. There are
twelve judicial districts in North Caro-
lima. There are twelve calendar months
in year Let General William l..
De Rossett, of Wilmington, who is the
commander of the Confederate camps in
North Carolina appoint some suitable
person to have charge of judicial dis
triet No. l in all its counties. Let this
officer be empowered to appoint in each
county his efficient representative, who
shall in turn appoint his agent in each
township in that county. Make it the
duty on some one given day, say the
10th of the month which has been as
signed him, through his county and
township agents and sub-agents TO gath
er in supplies of various kinds, bacon.
lard, meal, flour, poultry, beans, peas,
potatoes and such like, and forward
them from his county to the officer in
command Of the Confederate Home in
Raleigh. The railroads will gladly con-
tribute the transportation, and this plan
of organization, applied TO all the judi
eial districts of the commonwealth, each
taking it's month in turn until the whole
State has been canvassed and the wants
Of each receiving month and day reliev-
ed, will leave the money now used in the
purchase of supplies as a nest egg for
the buildings. Let few such men as
Col. Thomas Mason, of Northampton.
Col. J cplt Parker, of Halifax, and
Captain Charles Cook, of Franklin, men
who have not bowed the knee to Raar
be appointed TO speak in the cities and
larger towns of our State in behalf of a
building fund in the enlargement and in.
creased comfort of quarters. Under an
appeal from such men as these money