The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1898-08-18

federate cavalry leader glorious oa
Wheeler. They may beat him "a
gress ia Alabama. bnt we win ras
him q monument whose founda
shah be laid broad and deep Is
hearts Of orr whole people. and beaMs
bis h0noTed name we win place
simple inscription.
He wore the gray, he wore ae b8s
But was ever a soldier brave and
This Is not the first time in the KS
tory ,of the English-speaking pp
when the war OF words had eulmin
in the wage Of battle, When the ma
and uncultured Baronss met on
banks Of the Runnemede they extor
from King Johnfalse e his lou-hearsd
brother, Richard, and the English pso
ple-the Magma Charter Of human Hb
erty. Thence we come down Is M
time when the red and the white poa
struggled for pre-emineace and yet
little later on, when our English spss
ing ancestors, made the declaration
rights, and yet a little later On when
they passed the bill Of rights, and Meta
little later down the stream Of history
we come to the time when our own I'M
mediate English ancestors met at I'll.
dependence bal, IN the city Of Phia
delphia, and declared that these colo.
MES are and Of right ought to be flee
and independent states
And they made them so.
"Our confederate people thought
that their lives, property and sacred
homes were endangered and they t.
sorted to the remedy which they be
neved was rightly theirs,
When assailed ia their own homes
and on their " soil, they defended
themselves, as their English speaking
people were wont to do.
"Of the men who led us in the terri
Bile conflict Of four years, the English
language furnishes no terms that can
express our love. have already Incl
dentally spoken Of our great civil lead
er, Jefferson Davis u was my fortune
to stand close to him from my earliest
manhood He gave me, while still
member Of the lower house Of congress
my first letters Of introduction to hs
friends in Mississippi He was jealous
Of the rights Of the people under The
constitution and the laws made in pur
suance thereof; and always mindful Of
them himself When advised by hs
friends that his plantation and property
was about to be swept away by the en-
envy, and to send troops to defend them,
his reply was, ''The president Of the
~confederacy cannot afford to use public
means to protect private interests
Ellis aid, Gov. Lubbuck, Of Texas
taid Of him From the day I took SET
vice with him to the moment we part
cd, / witnessed his unseldshness He
forgot himself, and displayed more self
~abnegation than any other human be
ing / have ever known. oa
When he was about to bring suit Cor
the recovery Of his plantation, Brier
field, he came to my home to consult
me, and I said to him. why do you not
allow Benjamin Montgomery dhe conf
Dental servant OF his brother, Joseph
2. Dayisl to attom to You, which he is
more than willing to do his reply was
"I cannot afford to do this. I am
made one Of the executors under my
brothers win, and this would be unjust
TO the legatees under the will
When be learned that his friends in
Louisiana and Mississippi were creating
! committee to raise a fund Of $500, 900
upon the interest Of which he might
live while writing the history Of the
confederacy, he wrote to the committee
to suspend their work, for he would not
receive the money If it was raised, ac-
h comparing it with the remark My
. people are poor and 4 cannot consent
that they shall tax themselves for my
benefit, even by their own voluntary
action.
/ He achieved distinction as q mill
! taTy leader, a statesman and an orator
I Such a man cannot die, but win live al-
\ ways in the hearts Of the people who
knew him best aud loved him most.
/ The confederate flag gathered
around it a galaxy Of great military
! leaders-Robert E Lee, Albert Sydney
! Johnston, Joseph E Johnston, Bragg
Polk Ewsll, Harden, breckenridge
+ Pat Cleburne, Dick TBylor, Hood, Me-
Cullough, Price, semmes, D. ri and A.
? Hill, Stuart, Bedford Forrest, Nor
gan, Ashby, Edward q. WalthalL Ben.
iamin Humphreys, Wade Hampton,
Matthew Butler stephen D.. Lee Joe
! Wheeler and Pickett.
Il Neither Tins nor space viii admit
y Of naming a host Of others equally en-
h titled to their niche in the temple Of
fame.
General Lees touching and simple
\ letter 81 resignation to his superior Of
Y acer, Gen Scott shows how strong was
his love for the government Be bad
Il served with such fidelity, and chat he
"a yielded only IN obedience to that guild
Il ing star Of his hfe-dnty, the noblesf
word il the English language he felt
n that Ills allegiance was due to his moth
er Virginia Where she led. it was bis
duty to follow.
TT IS natural we should look to the