Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1899-03-03
CORRESPONDENCE.
81 y
Van Buren,. Pa.

inc OlneT htaCpS,W nen III comes to q
straight show down on length she
can lay most of them in the shade
and that, when you come to the
question of'touching other states"
she is always ready 20 stand up
and be counted, but this is not
the only conclusion | reach con-
corning her greatness.
On the question of politics Ten.
nessee is no SLOUGH, and | actual
ly believe that the thorough breo
Tennesseean has more politics to
the square inch of hide, and can
stand it better when it breaks
out than any other biped l have
ever known, but aside from being
long state full of longwinded
patriots, she has other things in
her history that are worth i'm,
mensely more to her permanent
reputation than even these.
1t was on her soil that the bat.
tie, that turned the tide of the
revolution of 1776, was fought and
it was on her soil that the battle
was fought that determined the
result OF the war Of 1861. | fire..
quently meet a man who contra.
diets this last statement. Last
summer after | had made
this assertion in a public speech
an old soldier reminded me that
the greatest battle of the war was
fought i'll the Keystone State, but
l insisted that the battle that in.
surcd the triumph of the union
was fought in the underbrush of
Hardin courtyard that the Judge.
ment of history would eventually
place this battle alongside of
Marathon, Valmy, Pultewah,
Waterloo and the other decisive
battles of the world, and when he
had heard my reasons he agreed
that the position was well taken.
Before the battle of Shiloh the
Union had but little hope. After
this battle the Confederacy had
no grounds for hope.
The man who led the American
arms to victory at New Orleans
was Il TenncsseeaD, and the boys
who shook"OldGlory"at:Chepalie
pee and Monterey, were from Ten.
nessee. "Davy Crockett,na Tenn.
esseean, led the heroic little band
through the gates of the Alamo TO
a deathless death alongside of the
three hundred who stood at the
pass of Themopylea aud the six
hundred who rode down into the
jaws of deaf at Balaklava.
The naval hero of the war of
1861 was u Tennesseean, and the
first prize of the war with Spain
was captured by the Nashville
under the command of Lieut.. or
Capt. Maynard. of Knoxville,
Tenn. In the war of 1861 Tenn.
essec sent perhaps, a greater per.
cent OF her men into the field than
any other state in the Unicn or
out of it,thOugh she was out of the
Union at one end she was in it at
the other end and while she fur.
nished her full quota of troops in
response to her Governors call
she also actually furnished more
white troops in response to the
Presidents call than was appor
toned her. Very few states that
remained in the Union furnished
as many troops as were called fol
without making a draft necessary
Then just think of the bloody
battles that were fought on hel
soil: Chattanooga, Missionary
Ridge, Lookout Mountain, Stones
River, Nashville, Fort Donelsor
Fort Henry, franklin, Shiloh, Is
land number ten, Memphis, and
other places. Count the cemete
ries and tell the number of the mer
who sleep in Tennessee soil. Ten
nessee furnished three presidents
and members of the cabinet not 6
few, and when she drifts back tC
the days of political honesty, she
no doubt finds herself still with
plenty of good presidential mate
rial on hand but no state dominat
ed by political ring deserves the
honor of furnishing president
for this country. From this dis
lance it looks now to tbs casua
observer as if the dominant party
in the old volunteer state vas wax
ing to sense Of decay and com
mon sense and that an honest eff
fott TO promote the vital iDteres
of the state is being made. Bravo
the man who have honesty ant
courage enough to demand ant
force clean methods into the par
ty of their choice are the men o
the hanor. They are the only sal
walton eff the republic. Here il
this grand old state and over II
our sister state OfOhio The people
are confronted with the very prob
lem that has vexed Tennessee fol
years. Shall the dominant party
deal honestly with the peopleY IL
the new edition of the pottica
dictionary the old sentence "Io