The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-08-26
Congress Must Act on Confederate
Daughters Request.
NOW NATIONAL CUES TON.
Permission to Erect Monumont to the
Confederate Dead i'll Germantown
Cemetery Is Denied Dabuey
II. Maury Chapter.

OF the Confederdto dead would be
cared for by the National Gov
eminent, the press of the whole country
appIauded the kindly sentiment expressed
by the Chief Executive, though it was
realized that all sectional feeling could
not have faded away nor all the scars made
in the bloody conflict of the early sixties
have healed.
The opposition to the erection by the
Dabney H. Maury Chapter, Daughters Of
the Confederacy, of a monument to the
Confederate prison dead in the cemetery
at Germantown by the Grand Army posts
in Philadelphia. came as a distinct shock
to the people of the South, and to many at
the North as well. But that request to the
President of the United States, who IN
every public utterance since his Inaugural
ton has. with a smooth tongue, referred
to the reunited country, for permission
to erect a monument TO dead Confederates,
for the care OF whose graves he was 50
s0l;ci,ous in his Atlanta speech. should be
refused on the ground that there is no au
thority for such permission save by act OIL
Congress, IS truly surprising. Yet the cor
respondence printed below shows such TO
be the facts in the case.
Mrs Randolph has this to say:
! IN justice to the Richmond Chapter
Daughters OF the Confederacy and the
Philadelphia Chapter, the following CORE
sp0ndence is requested to be copied III
Southern papers. These two Chapters nave
been working faithfully and earnestly for
! the last three years to mark the graves
of the Confederate prison dead. These be-
ing in national cemeteries, and we laboring
under the idea that we belonged to the
nation (falseiy it seemsJ. had no idea that
the right to mark these graves could not be
had from the President and Secretary OF
War; especially as the President had kindly
offered that the nation should take IN
charge the graves of all Confederate SOL
diers Il now seems that a special act OF
Congress will have TO be passed We state
that the money collected is in bank, and
should Congress also be afraid OF recosniz-
ing these prison dead, we Will place IN
Richmond q monument to these Confede-
rate prison dead denied recognition by
reunited country.
THE REQUEST.
sRichmond, Va, July "a. 1900
'The President: Sir,-The General Dab
ney n. Maury Chapter. Daughters OF the
Confeieracy. desire the right 10 place
monument in the National Cemetery in
Germantown. Philadelphia, to mark the
spot where lie "our prison dead" Tender
~. had it been in their power. would they
have removed them to the place of their
birth. but having no treasury to draw from
and too poor to do It themselves. this priv
lese was denied and il is now too late. In
granting them this right l would draw It.
tention TO the fact that these men VINO
they desire to honor were the fathers OF
the soldiers of the South who fought UNI
der the flag of a reunited country in Cuba.
and are dying for this flag in the islands Of
the Pacific.
Most respectfully submitted,
JANET II. W. RANDOLPH,
'.MRS n v RANDOLPH,
Chairman committee marking the graves
of the prison dead in Northern cemetery,
L. d. c., Richmond Chapter
Executive Mansion.
'sWash;ngton d. c., July &C. 1900
Dear Madam,-I beg leave to acknoWl-
edge the receipt of your letter OF the z4'n
instant and to state that by direction OF
the President, the matter to which You re-
fer has been brought to the attention OF
the Secretary of War for his consdera-
ton.
VERY truly yours,
GEO. r. CORTELYOU,
Secretary to the President.
Mrs. n. Y. Randolph, Chairman, etc,
Richmond, Va
THE DENIAL
War Department.
Quartermaster-General Office.
Washington. August 4th, 1909.
Mrs N v Randolph, Chairman central
Committee, United Daughters Of the
Confederacy, Richmond Va:
Madam,-I have the honor to acknowl-
edge receipt of your communication Of the
oath ultimo. addressed to the President, re-
ouestins that permission he granted for
the erection in the Philadelphia, Pa, Ma
-ional Cemetery, of monument to the
memory of the Confederate dead buried
there
IN reply thereto, you are respectfully m
formed that in the case of similar re-
quest by Hon. John Lamb. NJ. c., Third
District, Va. for permission 10 erect gran
lie shafts to the memory of Confederate
daod hurled at Elmira n. Y, OWoodlawn
National Cemetery; Fort, Delaware, Del,
(I1I,7n.. Point. N j.. National Cemetery.
and Point Lookout. Nd, the Secretary OF
War under date of June Sth, 1869, replied
az follows:
Replying thereto, I beg TO say that 1t
being understood that the ground on which
If is proposed to erect the monuments be-
longs to the United States, and is part
of tho national cemeteries at the places
mentioned, it is thought by this Depart
n,a,t that Congress alone can grant the
permission requested
In view Of the above, permission for the
erection of a monument IN the Philadelphia
National Cemetery cannot be granted by
this Department.
NJ. I. LUDINGTON.
uartermaster-General U. S. Army.
A PROTEST.
Richmond, Va, August sth, 1900.
The PRESIDENT:
SRI received to-day letter from the
War Department in answer to nine. adj
dressed TO the President Of the United
States, July 2ith, requesting permission
for the right to place monument in Ger
n1antown, Philadelphia can hardly eS-
press my disappointment at the reply,
chat tha ground on which it is proposed
TO erect the monument belongs to the
United States. ana it is thought by this
Department that Congress alone can grant
the permission, requested. In view of the
above. permission for the erection of a
monument in Pht!adslpha N Sa tb n Gene
Mont )" We feel. in making this request,
thai we also belong to the United states
but it seems not. dislike Very much hay
ing to publish to the people. who have 50
l;ndl,y contributed TO this monument, that
# taxes a special act of Congress to allow