The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-20
VETERANS ROAST UNDERWOOD
ATE MEMORIAL ASSN. EN-
CITE THEIR IRE.

| dOrsing the Action Taken by ;. A.
| Cunningham, the Editor of the
Veteran, in CriticiSinG the Man
ngement of the Movement for the
Erection of Battle Abbey of the
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Cunningham
Has Been sued by Underwood for
Libel, with Damages Fixed at
| $Jo,00O-Camps of Veterans Are
EspOusinG the Cause of the Editor.
McLaws Camp of Confederate Veterans,
at its meeting last night, endorsed the ac-
ton of Frank Cheatham Camp No So,
! of Nashville, Tenn, In upholding s. A.
| Cunningham the editor of the Confederate
| Veteran, and censurng John C. Under
wood, superintendent and secretary of the
Confederate Memorial Association, in the
violent and heated controversy now rag
ing between the two.
The action was inspired by the following
| circular letter from Frank Cheatham
camp, outlining the action and reproduc-
| ing the resolutions that had been taken by
its membership in regard to the matter:
Nashville, Tenn, Aug. TO- 1S99.-At the
regular meeting of Frank Cheatham Camp
~ 90 - - - 4tClu Oii I1AdN GNClllAAS
Aug. 4, 1899, the following preamble and
resolutions were offered and unanimously
adopted by standing vote:
Whereas, our most worthy and highly
esteemed comrade and friend S. A. Cum
nngham inspired by truly patriotic mo-
| tives, a sense of justice, a dislike for
| shams aud a love for all things sacred
to the Confederate soldier, has thought it
| necessary and proper to critcise in an
| editorial of the June number, 1899, of The
| Confederate Veteran, the report of the
| executive committee of the Confederate
i Memorial Association. and the action of
| its superintendent and secretary, John c.
| Underwood; and
! Whereas this veteran and survivor of
many notable and bloody battles of the
war between the states TALL of the names
of these battles in which he so nobly
fought being now difficult to recalD, con-
| ceiVing that he was grievously injured in
his honor and purse by this editorial,
has brought suit for $4,000 damages in the
| federal court at Nashville. Tenn. against
our comrade, s. A. Cunningham; and,
Whereas believing that the work of
! said executive committee, and of the sec
rotary and superintendent of the Memorial
| Association, directly concerns the honor
and good name of every true Confederate
| soldier, living or dead that their official
THAT no public report made by them
| contains such facts as every member of
the United Confederate Veterans Associ-
alton is entitled to be made acquainted
| with.
That our comrade has offered space in
the columns of his paper for a reply, and
a reputation of any untrue or unfair state
ments if any have been made, and that
! differences of this character should be
fought out in an official organ of the
| Confederate Veterans Association, and not
in the courts of the country; now, there
fore, be il
Resolved, That we hereby. as a Con
! federate BivOuac of Tennessee and a camp
of the United Confederate Veterans. pledge
our hearty sympathy and moral support
TO our brave comrade and brother. S. A.
Cunningham. and to his paper in his con-
test with said ]. c. Underwoos and beg
Of him to continue his work until a fun
and intelligent showing of all the acts of
said executive committee and the secre-
tary of the Memorial Association have
been made.
The foregoing was the unanimous ac-
ton of Frank Cheatham Campfire home
| camp OF Comrade S. A. Cunningham edi-
tor of "The Confederate Veteran" and
| i'm the city where John c. Underwood. sec
rotary, had his headquarters for several
! years, and the camp is, therefore famil-
lar with all the facts.
We 9l4"ult IKE LOT your camp to take
| action indorsing The Confederate Veteran
in the premises. You will please send us
the acton of your camp, should it see
proper to take any action on the subject
l'y order of the camp. F. S. Harris.
"Commandant.
When the letter was read by the ad-
| 1utant, Veteran Williamson moved that
the camp indorse the action and state
ments of the editor of the Veteran. The
| motion was seconded, put upon its pas
sage without discussion and carried with
out dissenting vote. Frank Cheatham
| Camp and Veteran Cunningham will he
| notified of the action of McI4aWs CamD.
and the latter apprised of the fact that
| ne has the support and good wishes of the
! savannah veterans in the fight he is max
| ing for a more complete revelation of The
methods adopted and the results accom-
Plished by the executive committee of the
Confederate Memorial Association. in gen
eral, and its superintendent and secretary.
! John c. Underwood. in particular
The fight that is thus brought locally to
the attention of the Savannah public has
been agitating the ranks of the United
| Confederate Veterans since their last re-
union at Charleston. Al that reunion the
report of the superintendent of the exec
utive committee of the Confederate Memo
| rial Association, was submitted. and cam
far from meeting the approval or salts
flying the expectat ions of a large nInobe-
Among the dissatisfied ones was Editor
Cunningham.
He commenced at once, in the columns
of his paper. which is the official organ
of the confederation, a bitter attack upon
| Superintendent Underwood In which tho
latter was accused of many things and
forcibly eXhorted to produce his books and
show what the committee had accomplish
| ed throughout the years of its existence
This first article provoked recriminations
from the man attacked, and since that
time most unseemly squabble has been
in progress.
The history of the association whose af-
fairs have been brought to this pass be-
gan with the inception of the movement
to erect a battle abbey Of the Confeder-
acy, in which Confederate relics were TO
be collected and preserved. 1t was pro-
! posed TO collect and keep in this building
souvenirs of the valor and bravery of the
| Confederate soldier, authentic accounts of