The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-01-04
DOES NOT LIKE IT.
Should We Accept Federal AID in Caring
for Con- ederate Cemeteries and Con
fcderate Veterans.

Should We Accept Federal AID in Caring
for Confederate Cemeteries and Con
fcderate Veterans.
To tie Editor: AS to the first most
cmphatica,y. no. our Confederate dead
are beyond the reach of Suod or harm.
Whether their graves fare well or fare
IL. affects them not. If they are neg
lected tie harm is to rs, nor TO thait
mute occupants.
Whatever the rest of us may have
become. tloy are Ccnfcderates still.
Their Loyalty is. and. must ever r"m9in
to the flag that rejoiced their eyes closing
forever. Let reconstruction nause at
the threshold OF the tomb. Let not IFS
hateful prt sence invade the sacred citj
of the dead. or rather Of the living.
Let tie charge of the Confeder ,te
cemeteries be upon us and our children,
and the curse Of it's neglect be upon
lis and ours to the end or time. II VT
are ri; h let them be IGNORED in marble:
if poor. still have flowers. The
ms and manner is nothing. the att
tude Of the heart is everything
Not so With the living veteran. He is
not beyond the reach Of hunger and
crucl'y handicapped in the relentless bat
tie of life: they have struggled on fer
a third of u century or more. Now their
eyes are d.mming and MI their powers
are failing Most of them are in the
humber walks Of life where toll and
privation indurates the Aeart as well "a
the hand. and they get little of either
help or consideration Fer in thr hard
I,g g slo,, -t,,.,. tl,.-
numbcd, or driven ont The State
pension is a mere pittance. But are
we allie to make 1t sufficient Private
aid N tina; it wears tie guise of charity
is not without Il sense ct humiliation.
Even Of that there is comparatively 1t
tic. As people We are POOR, and the
NEST patriotic often the poorest of all,
for wealth no less than poverty makes
hard the heart of man.
Now, if the Federal government
which has hattened partly nj the eX
ptnse of the Confederate veterans should
from no other matter what motive tenicr
aid Ill The form OF Il p2psiGlf-a very I'M
likely thing yet awhile fcar--shal we.E
arrogate to ourselves the right 10 bid
these men go cold and hungry. in orde"
that wc who are neithcr may I've MP 70
4 ~eptiment be il ever so laudablc. ~
We have no such right. Let the
Individual settle IN g according to his
uer,ls and his fee ings The great bedy
of Confederate veterans will decline with
thanks any prefer OF Federal aid and
will be hanored for so declining. Bun
there are numbers for whom neither
State nor private aid haze ever kep
the Welt from the door. and Wh5-eye3
II there we're room for them in TIT
Soldiers Eome-haye attachments To
Their humble surroundings. mute bun
strong as the love Of lire-there are
numbers 81 these to whom Il Federal
pension ekiag cut their present pittance |
would mean all the difference from com
fort 10 actual suffering.
The gentleman who from the loftiAst
potives | well know. deprecated al
Federal aid cam know the G. nfederate
veteran in the poorer rural neighbol- /
hood. as | know him.
] viii give three instances that come
under my sally observation:
One. oIly half man, for as he touch |
ingly puts t, five Of lis wen5. but only
half one came back again'-with Il
hered arm caused by snot through |
Ri hou.Gcr at Cold Hartor. utterly un- |
abb No work, virtually help ess. lives |
on S nance here and there in any UNI !
tenan n cabin with only ms beggarly I
pension Of 81 80 or 81 GO Il month be |
tween him and starvation.
Another. not so poor but By no means |
far from absolute want, who, for nea.l' |
five and thirty years has carried all
ounce Of Federal lead i'll the most sensi !
tive part Of the knee joint-who since !
with e,atfd tread he entered the tiela |
OF Gettysl Crg, has never made pain I
less step.
Still another who. since 1863. has /
fought the ever hopeless, ever losing bat |
tie Of life with one arm. rearing, pro- |
viding for as best he might large |
family with rarely days food for Il !
child. and he is ut ii yet. Think Of il, /
thirty-five years, the lifetime almost of |
a middie-aged man spent futilely, help |
lessly. hop, lessly STRIVING.
And there are thousands of such in the /
State. The $4,000. the total Of State
pensions. when divided up among so
many. does little more than give temper
AIRY relief for few months of each 1
year. UnGer present circumstances
North Carolina is not able to greatly, or
at least adequately increase the annual
appropriation. In the name of humanity, |
if outside id is rendered let the batter
ed. world luffeted. old fellows, each for
himself. say yes or nay.
o. ". BLACKWELL.
Kittrcl!, =. c., Jan. :. 1899
DR. RIuI'S COyfGH SYRTrp IS 4 |