The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1900-06-08
CONFEDERATE REUNION
Grand Annual Meeting of Those
Who Wore the Gray.
Eloquent and Patriotic Address of Gen.
John B. Observation-Disclosures Adopted.
Memphis Selected as the Next Meet
Ing PIace-Omeers Reelected.

Memphis Selected as the Next Meet
Ing Place-Omeers Reelected.
Louisville, KY, May 3O.-Surrounded by
waving banners bearing the fiery cross of
the Confederacy, listening to the cheers
from the throats of 5000 men who wore
the gray, and confronted by the waving
handkerchiefs of hundreds of ladies, Gen.
John b. Gordon, commander of the United
Confederate Veterans, today formally
opened the tenth annual reunion of the or
der, which, in point of attendance, is al
ready the largest ever held since the incep
tiOn of the organization, and which in re-
spect to its welfare and prosperity, prom
ises to be the most important it has ever
| held
For an hour previous to the time set for
the opening of the meeting, the veterans
and their friends made their way in 4
steady stream to the hall, and by ll:30 it
was we'll filled. A portion of the Georgia
delegation, headed by a drum corps, came
marching in, making the building ring
with martial music, and calling forth cheers
from those assembled in the hall. The del
egation carried large Confederate flag,
which it waved with yells and cheers. Maj
or General j. w. Poyntz, the presiding of
ficer, followed them closely and received
warm greeting The celebrities then came
in string and all of them received warm
| greetings from their comrades. A veteran
from Georgia walked the crowd to genuine
enthusiasm when he came in carrying the
Did battle flag of the Third Georgia Infant
ry. Scarcely had he taken his seat when
the band struck up Dixie ''and then came
| bp old robol IyolI nd ooVOa vrifb fro
and a vigor that never was surpassed dur
ing the days of the war. Again and again
the cheers of the crowd rang out, old men
sprang to their feet, waved their hats AMI
arms wildly, and gave the yell again and
| again. Scarcely had the first band ceased
its work when another, at the back of the
platform, struck up "The Bonnie Blue
| Flag" and then the enthusiasm came as
fresh and strong as though there had been
none that went before my Maryland"
and other songs of the war time followed,
and all of them received the same warm
reception.
At fifteen minutes after twelve, Gen.
Poyntz came to the front of the platform
accompanied by a bugler. He waved his
arm, and the assemblage arose and the
first notes of the doxology fioated out
| from the throat of the bugle The people
at once Joined in and the hymn was sung
with fervor. At the conclusion of the doX-
ology Gen. Poyntz introduced Mayor
Weaver, who welcomed the visitors in be-
half of the city of Louisville.
At the conclusion of his address Col
Young turned to Gen. Gordon and handed
him the keys to the building, which had
been. erected for the reunion, and wished
the organization a most successful and
prosperous meeting during the time that
it was in Louisville.
As Gen. Gordon stepped forward to re-
ceive the keys he received a strong evil
dence of the regard in which he is held by
his comrades of the association. They
sprang to their feet en- masse, climbed
upon the chairs, waved hats and handker-
chiefs frantically and cheered again and
again. Gen. Gordon was visibly moved by
the reception he met and for several min
utes stood bowling his thanks. When quiet
was restored again he spoke as follows:
General, Mr.. Mayor and Gentlemen of
the Reception Committees:
NO men is gifted enough, and no words
are strong enough to tell kentuckians
what we feel at this hour, and how deep
ly we feel it. Shall l say for my CON-
rades and myself that we are grateful,
profoundly gTatefulf That would be, in
the presence of such a demonstration, the
meIest commonplace, the needless state
ment of patent fact, which you already
know or can plainly read in these moist
ened eyes and quivering lips. Shall | tell
you that we are amazed, that we were un-
prepared for such display, such exuber-
ance of hospitality, such warmth and
prodigality of welcome? ] cannot say that,
for it would be untrue. We knew before
hand what to expect of this great-hearted
people.
Your distinguished fellow citizen, Col.
Bennett Young, who was the selected
mouthpiece of your delegates, had assur-
ed us at Charleston in words feTvid and
eloquent, that if we would come to Louis
vile, Kentucky's homes and hearts, Ken
tucky's wealth, the products of her unriv-
aled pastures, her tenderest lambs and
fattest beeves and the contents of her
graneries, Transmitted by Kentucky magic
into liquid corn and Tye-that all these
should be ours, the support and the sol
ace, the meat and the drink of these bat
tle-worn men.
1--WE have come to find not only that it
is true, but that the half had not been
told. What can l say, then, what can
any man say or do to represent to this
people the responsive echoes of our deep
ly stirred sensibiiitiesf If / possessed the
mystic power to catch and transmute into
burning sentences the thoughts of these
brains and the rhythm of these hearts,
might hope to give you some conception
of our appreciation of this Kentucky
greeting. Why has not some Edison or
some gifted scientist, moved by a genius
divine. invented some means of photo
graphing human emotionsf Why did not
that crafty deliver into natures secrets
who discovered the X-rays, give us a dou-
BILE X-ray, powerful enough to expose to
Kentucky's view the emotions of these
men? If such an instrument were at
your, command this morning, you would
see inscribed upon these hearts, in indel-
ible letters, the beloved name of Ken
lucky.
"The truth is, gentlemen, that your
State holds place among her sisters that
is not only unique, but decidedly pictur
esque.
''She is sui generis. As a Georgian,
feel an unspeakable pride in my native
State, in her glorious past; and / conf
IDENTIFY predict for her great and envia-
BILE future As a Southener, l glory in
the unrivaled gifts of this section to the
general government; in its illustTious
names, in the untarnished honor of its
public servants and in the brilliant
achievements of its sons in peace and
war As an American, who loves his
whole country, confidently claim for her
the foremost place among all the nations.