The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-08-11

prevent the inauguration of Richard COX,
az governor Of Texas. Then. when p,vin,
up the long struggle for life. his ,nw,
toned whisper Let us nave reace, ne
tered with dying breath, went forth IA h,
greeted with sympathetic response in ali
the land, "a al
Thus has the chivalric South done ,,,
measured justice to those once eo,,sIa.raa
our mortal enemies. Could 2, CHI gen.
erous people be unfaithful to those of tbei,
own household who gave all IN tueir ser.
vicey Not so. Our children and their de.
scendents will be taught 10 revere Thu
name OF Jefferson Davis as a patriot robl,
ana true, who we'll dscha,g ed his dut,
IN an the activities of life, AMI aimly
suffered himself to be made vicariou.
sacrifice for the South "whui the light o.
a nation went out and her peoples hone.
| were dead"
While we concede the greatness of Lin.
coin. we are not and never will be obi.
vlous to the fact that in the sphere OF
human activity Davis was greater Ma
more gallant soldier ever 1rew sword from
scabbard and his personal gallan;ry saved
the day for the American arms at Buena
Vista. AS secretary Of war his adnlinis-
! traitor was an Ideal one. AS an orator he
ranked with greatness; the calm dignity
and patbos of his farewell address, to II q
senate is justly considered elastic. His
| first message to the Confederate congress
was pronounced by TIE London Til es 1.-The
abest contribution of literature which Lad
ever emanated nom the Western Henri
sphere" AS chief executive of the Con-
federacy, the stainless record by him made
silences criticism as readily as he stilled
the charge of treason by demanding trial
at the hands of the authorities of the
United States. AS historian, his Rise
and Fail Of the Confederate States of
A,,.z snHrf .,,t1l "
fcnsc of the South throughout all the years
yet to come AS a private citizen he was
cavalier without fear and beyond re-
proach.
For all time those who come after us
will pernetuate his memory of that nearly
perfect man. Christian soldier and great
captain, Robert =. Lee.
Stonewall Jackson, the avalanche of bat
tie; Stuart, the Prince Rupert of Southern
beau ideal of a soldier the gallant Hamp-
ton; A. P. Hill, Jackson's right arm; the
dauntless Hood; inyincible Forrest; fear
less Tom Green, and numberless others
carved high upon the roll of fame names
to be remembered while patriotism sur
wives. The fame of their mighty deeds
rests securely upon the base that made
their greatness possible. That base was
the private soldiers of the Confederacy
who with ragged regiments and bright
muskets," oftimes barefooted, weary, hun
CRY and footsore, yet with the light of
dauntless courage in theiy eyes were ever
ready ito march and stand and die without
complaining"
The twenty-five hundred battles of the
civil war speak with silent tongues more
effective than trumpet blasts of their i'm
perishable renown.
But wonderful as was their record in
war, more wonderful still is the history
of their achievements in peace. The war
over, the brave upholders of their coun
try's cause returned to desolated homes
to face terrible ordeal. With broken
fortunes and sacrificed property, the waste
places of the South were to be builded up.
THE sword of battle was to be battered
into the plowshare of peace" The prob
lem OF reconstruction was to be faced and
solved. They were to deal with the mil
lions of erstwhile bondmen, who, unpre-
pared for citizenship, had been given the
ballot
They were to suffer the losses to their
own devastated land, and bear the bur-
dens of taxation to pay the debt incurred |
in their own subjugation. How those who
had staked their all and lost on the field
of battle, who had apparently exhausted |
every energy Of which humanity was pos
sessed in that fearful struggle, could sue
cessfully grapple with such added burdens,
is just cause for wonder.