The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1900-06-29
PHILOSOPHER ARP.
Georgian Takes In the Confederate
Hand-Shake.
Says He Likes LOuisville-BartOw
Sage Declares the Veterans Are
Worth Love and Respect
of All.

1t would take a week of time and a
whole regiment of writer's to tell
about the great confederate veteran
reunion at Louisville. Nothing like it
has been witnessed since the close of
the civil war. 1t passeth comprehen-
sion. This is Thursday, the second
day, and there are now here twice as
many veterans as ever gathered any
where. For many years we were not
allowed to gather anywhere to jubi-
late, but now we go where we please
and say what we please and voice
our old confederate sentiments and
sing "Dixie" and unfurl our banners
and even the boys in blue join in the
general hilarity. / remember when
Gen. George H. Thomas was here in
1865 and l have preserved a letter
from him in which he said we Romans
must not exhibit a confederate flag
any more in public nor even keep one
in private, for it was the emblem of
treason and the punishment of trea-
son was death. Our Roman young
men and maidens had used an old tat
tered banner in a tableau exhibition
that was given in the city hall to raise
a little money to put back some pews
in the city churches, for the federals
had taken out the pews and used
them for horse troughs and used the
church for provender. That old war
stained banner was the one our boys
90
marched into the first battle of Ma
nassas with under Gen. Barlow, and
our young people thought it no harm
TO place it in a dead soldiers hand in
a tableau scene of field after the
battle. Then we were allowed to
think what we pleased but now we
ETA say what we please and do what
we please and there's no treason in it.
What good doctor old Father Time
is. Why, he was a federal soldier who
opened the ball at PheniX hall last
night and gave a welcome to the vet
Grams. Capt. Pirtle was one of the
boys in blue, but he paid tribute to
us and spoke kind and loving words
and would put us on the pension rolls
if he could. He is a great, big-hearted
gentleman. he is.
There are Al 900 veterans here now
sure enough veterans who wore the
gray, and they are the livest men in a
dead cause the world ever saw. There
are twice as many here as were in
Charleston last year. Capt. Pirtle said
in his address of welcome: "The city
is yours" and it is. Such hospitality
was never witnessed anywhere. just
read the papers and it will amaze
you. There are veterans here in bust
ness who entertain every one who is
left of their old regiments. Here is
Capt. Norton, who went out from
Rome with the light guards and has
accumulated a fortune here since the
war He wrote a letter to every sur
viving member of the Eighth Georgia
regiment, urging them to come and to
be his guests. l am proud to be one
of them, and Col. Towers is here, too,
giving orders from these headquar-
tiers. A year ago we were lamenting
the rapid passing of the confederate
veterans and we really feared we
would never more gather enough of
them to make it interesting. But
here they have doubled in number and
tribbled in life and it can't be ac-
counted for unless the states have in
creased their pensions, Money helps
to prolong life, no doubt of it. Georgia
now gives half million year to her
old soldiers and they just keep liv-
ing on and on.
Time cuts down all,
Both great and small.