Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-05
Memorial to the President Regarding
Confederate Graves.
said TO Be GROSSLY NEGLECTED
Mr.. Burton on Rivers and Harbors
and the Canal.
OTHER CALLERS
TODAY

confederate soldiers In Arlington cemetery
was presented to President Mckinley today
by a committee representing Charles B.
Rouss Camp of Confederate Veterans of
this city. The matter was discussed at a
meeting of the camp held several weeks
ago, and a committee was appointed to
draw up memorial for presentation TO the
President. The committee appointed con-
sisted of Col West Stever, commander; DR..
Samuel E. Lewis, first lieutenant command
er; Maj E. W. Anderson, second lieuten-
ant commander; Capt. William Broun, adj
jutant; Capt. John NJ Hickey, w. H. C.
Bailey and N. C. Munroe Col Stever could
not be present and the craftsmanship of the
committee devolved on DR.. Lewis
DR.. Lewis and the members of the COM
mittee were asked by a representative of
The Star as to their mission to the White
House. Dr. Lewis said We came here
to enter complaint about the deplorabie
condition of the confederate graves in Ar
Hngton; also as to the records pertaining to
these graves. We came here to petition for
remedial measures in view of the Presi-
dents recent statement that the graves OF
the soldiers who fought on each side should
be equally cared for by the government.
There are III graves in the cemetery, most
of them being men who died in prisons or
in hospitals in the vicinity of Washington;
ten of these graves are unknown; they are
scattered about in three main groups
throughout the cemetery-in the northeast,
middle and southwest portions.
They are intermingled at times with the
graves of United States troops, and again
with the graves of citizens, quarternasterS
employees and negro contrabands. The same
style of headstones mark alike the graves
of citizens, quartermasters' employees, ne
gro contrabands and confederate soldiers.
These headstones differ from the head
stones of the federal soldiers who lie bu-
rio IN h.A lt.lr.y 9
the graves of the federal soldiers are care
fully marked, containing the number
name, company, regiment, etc. On the
stones of the confederate soldiers there are
no marks to distinguish that they were
even soldiers or where they came from.
I'VE have requested that the graves of
the soldiers be gathered in one portion or
the cemetery-if desired, a separate por-
ton; that the graves be marked with APP
propriate headstones. and that a monu-
ment be erected to mark the site
"A number of the southern states hav-
ing dead in the cemetery removed their
dead to their respective states some time
ago: among these We're Virginia and North
Carolina The states which now have con-
federate dead in the cemetery are Georgia,
Alabama, Mississippi Louisiana, Tennessee
and Florida. Those states have taken no
action on the removal of these bodies.
Dr. Lewis stated that the President APP
peared to be ''favorably impressed with
the memorial which was presented, and
said that he would convey an answer with
in a short time
Charles r. Rouss, after whom the con-
federate camp here was named, is the
noted blind millionaire merchant Of New
York city. He has contributed many thous-
ands of dollars to confederate homes,
monuments, etc. He went to New York
soon after the close of the civil war,
where he soon established himself in a
small way in business. He almost imme-
diately became successful, and upon his
practical retirement was considered worth
several million dollars.
A River and Hnrbor Bill.
Representative Burton of Ohio. who was
chairman of the river and harhor commit
tee of the last House. called on the Presf-
dent this morning. 1t is believed that he
will be again appointed to that position
despite the reports that it was to go to
Mr. Cooper of Wisconsin. in recognition
of the early action of that state in COM
ing out for the successful candidate for the
speakersh:p. Mr.. Burton, when questioned
as to these reports, said he belieSed that
Mr.. Henderson was singularly free from
pledges of any kind. and that he would
make his committee assignments unham-
pered by political obligations.
Il think there will have to be another
river and harbor bill passed this winter"
said Mr. Burton. The ordinary rule is to
pass a bill on alternate years. but as last
winters bill was year behind this sched-
ule We shall have to restore the order by
some legislation this winter. This bill will
have to be large one. l am afraid. l do
not see much chance of any reduction in
our river and harbor expenditures for many
years to come. In the last bill New York
harbor was made the shining light as it
were, ana improvements which had been
too long delayed We're provided for Boston
harbor is also In pretty good shape, SO far
as appropriations are concerned But
there Is crying need for improvements on
the Delaware below Philadelphia and on
the PatapscO below Baltimore The great
thing In the next bill, however, vii be the
Mississippi river and its outlet, two separa e
matters. The continuing contracts on the
Mississippi, which were provided for in
1896, expire in 1900. We shall have 10 an
thorize d continuance of this work for A
great deal remains TO be done Then. the
mouth of the Mississippi river Is going to
take about S11,oD0.0W if we accent the
southwest Pass project, which seems the
0h!y way OF making a permanently salts
factory outlet"
The Nicaragua Canal.
What is the outlook for the Nicaragua
canal which your committee. with such
difficulty, kept out of the last river and
harbor bill?"
We should insist that the canal be
neutralized. The idea of making it the ex-
elusive property of the United States will
have made ii a policy to insist upon the
naturalization of canals and waterways
and to attempt exclusive owr ershp of this
one would be a reversal of our historic posi-
ton. 1t would be exceedingly unwise
Withal. In the event of war it would be
comparatively easy for an enemy to blow
up our locks and dams and do us a vast
amount of injury, which we should be
saved If it were neutraliZed. Moreover, no
country ought to be asked TO give M a
strip of its territory to another country in
this way. They tell me that any admins
tration in Nicaragua which gave the Unit
ed States such authority would be driven
out by revolution. The people there realize
that in the event of war in which we were
a party they would suffer and not US The
canal would be the object of capture by
contendinS armies. to the great injury and
suffering of the local interests / under
stand that Senators Frye and Morgan have
come around to the idea that the canal
must be neItraliZed. L wish also that a
private company might build it, Speaker
Reed, in recent magazine article, saws
that private company is willing to build
The Nicaragua canal and there is consider
able evidence that the Panama canal might
in time be bnilt in the same way provided
the NicaraGuan We're not already con-
structed.
For the United States government either