The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-05-12
VETERANS OF THE SOUTH
EX-CONFEDERATEs LIsTEN TO A
SPEECH BY GEN. WHEELER.
Compromise Resolution on President
MckinIey's Atlanta Sentiment to
Be Acted on To-Day.

II 4O6 $3.50 ~1og - Vii
| federate Veterans held but one session to-
| day, which, shortly after noon, gave way
| to the Winnie Davis memorial exercises. at
the conclusion OF which an adjournment
until 10 o'clock tomorrow was taken. The
announcement that Gen. Joe Wheeler was
to speak filed the auditorium. and the hero
of two wars was given a rousing reception
by the immense audience.
The committee on resolutions, to which
was referred General Lees resolution, ac-
cepting McKinley's proposal that the fed
eral government should make provision for
the care OF the graves OF the Confederate
dead. spent several hours discussing the
matter to-day and late tonight a compro-
mise resolution was framed and will be Of
fered as a substitute tomorrow. The resolu-
ton is to the effect If the government de-
sires TO care for the graves the Confederate
| Veterans do not object to its taking charge
of those in the North and In the neighbor-
hood of the old war prison. The resolution
will state the South has voluntarily under
taken to decorate and properly preserve the
graves in the South and the association
does not feel warranted in taking from them
what they have grown to regard as a duty.
In general the resolution is along the lines
of the speech made by Mr.. Busby yesterday
| and who proposed the substitute to the COM
mittee. The modified resolution has been
submitted to General Lee and he is under
stood to have accepted it. The subcommittee
will report to the full COMMITTEES tomorrow
morning and the matter will then be laid
before the convention.
Maj. William Robbins, the Confederate
member of the Gettysburg National Park
Commission. and ex-congressman from
r @g21- $500 xA1 I--:--
which was referred:
States has undertaken and is pushing for
ward the work of permanently marking the
lines and positions of the troops of both
tie contending armies on several great bat
tlefieldS of the civil war, among them Get
tysburg. Chickamauga, Shiloh, Vicksburg
battlefelds permanent memorials Of the
prowess Of American soldiers without re-
spect of section.
Grams, sympathize with and commend this
patriotic purpose of the government and
will lend our influence and aid toward its
realization.
Resolved. That we trust the people of the
Southern States will take early and effective
steps to erect upon these battlefields suit
heroes in gray who fought and died for
what they believed to be right.
rem throughout the Union that the sectional
discord of other days Is ended and that we
are a reunited people with one country and
The following letter from Gen. Fitzhugh
Lee was read:
'I am ever so much obliged for your kind
and complimentary letter. / do not know OF
anything that would give me greater pleas
ure than to he at the reunion in Charleston,
that | fear l will not be able to leave. IL only
for a few days. Then. too, l think the quar-
antine regulations would prevent me from
getting to Charleston or any other Southern
port in May. You see, after these quaran-
tine laws are in force we Cubans are sup
posed to have yellow fever, smallpox and
not being proper persons for anybody to as
sociate with until the gray frosts 'overspread
General Gordon then introduced Gen. Joe
Wheeler. Il did not tell you," said General
Gordon. that here Is one of the widest OF
that day in Santiago. when he saw the Span
iards flying before him, and When, In the
wild enthusiasm OF the moment, ne forgot
Forward, boys. the Yankees are running,
If / should tell you any of the things |
am not going to do 1t. I am going to strike
every chord at a single stroke at once by
calling the name of Joe Wheeler"
and there were shouts of "Wheeler!" and
"Joe!' from all parts OF the haH; Every
s snnIanss OF opd ms he s I.iered I the Veter rn0s's to o q
frenzy of enthusiasm. At times 1t was inn
possible for him to proceed. He said, in
part:
pie find themselves to-day was not sought
by them, but is the logical result Of con-
of events beyond our control. If 1t be said
they were foreseen and predicted 1t must
also be admitted that, no power in our
grasp could have stayed the tide, and now
we stand before the gaze Of civilization
confronted by grave. responsibilities. The
supreme oIS r sn test ,b OF A Ameliean s sns ! of Govern vs. nm
ment is on trial. 1t is said by some that
while England, Holland, France and other
peoples and lands separated from the home
country, benefittng both the protector and
the protected. that we shall be utterly un-
init this proposition is to admit that our
system of government IS lacking In the eS-
sential qualifications which every sovereign
risen to the first place In the family OF ma
tons: to make the smallest .retrograde
we have won. To return to the starting
point Of a year ago would be to lose what
It would take a century to regain ga noI In an NJ
our forefathers forebade the extension of
territory / would point to Jefferson and the
Louisiana purchase ana mo Men rest a tnrrit raorl as.
quired from Mexico, and later to Andrew
johnson and the acquisition of Alaska.
should not permit the Island of Cuba to
become a part Of the United States and Its
people. If they desire 1t, TO enjoy all the
rights of American citizenship, ] have only
to point to the official declarations of our
great statesmen commencing with Thomas
Jefferson and running through almost the
entire period of the first half of this century.
During all that period our honored states
men and Presidents from Jefferson to
Buchanan laid down in their messages and
state the imperative necessity of
making the pearl Of the Antilles a part of
the United States.
In concluding his address General Wheel
er paid an eloquent tribute to the women
OF the South and the part they bore in the
war.
An effort is making here to bring about
a grand reunion of Confederate and Union
veterans. and the matter will be formally
presented to the Confederates tomorrow.
In the city are william Aiken, jr., mayor
of Evansville, Ind; William Field. repre-
senting the Confederate Veterans of that
city. and c. j. Murphy. representing the G..
A. r.. who are here for the purpose Of ar
ranging a joint reunion in Evansville in the
near future. They will lay the plan before
the convention and urge its fulfllment