The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1900-10-03
4 SUGGESTION TO THE G. AR.

Il SCGObSfION ~ ihb " -. ~
THE Grand Army of the Republic
In the recent meeting in Chicago, de-
cided to have no meeting next year,
u1less the railroads would make rate
of one cent per mile to and from the
place selected. II they do, the reun-
ion will be held in Denver. IL they do
not, there will only be convention OF
delegates to transact the necessary
business Western Recorder.
If the G. A. X. will come South and
hold their reunion on the Illinois Cen
trail we will guarantee them the rates
they so much desire. The Illinois
Central, and we believe the railroads
generally throughout the South, did
transport the old Confeds to their
grand reunion at Louisville last May
at the low rate of one cent per mile
each way, and we believe they will do
the same thing to and from Memphis
next year. 1t appears that our North
ern brethren are going to allow this
little seeming Partially By the rail
roads to. break up their reunions. The
fact that it took ten men four years
to whip one Is something worthy OF
being perpetuated to the generations
to come, and really toward the last we
fought at ratio of Is to /. 1t appears
to us. if we we're getting a good thing
in the way of pension we would not
mind taking trip TO the reunion once
a year, though we had to walls. True,
the deadest of us old Rebs are getting
a pittance of pension from the State,
but we have to almost be dead four
days and rained on before we can get
that; yet about fifteen thousand OF US
found time and space to go to Louis
Vile last May An Federal soldier
remarked to us on street eae III
Louisville that "your reunion is quite
different from ours" "How so?" we
asked. because, there is not that fra
ternal feeling among our boys that
you fellows seem TO have, and every
mothers son of you seem rs haye q
dollar to spend. When the G. 4. X
met here few years ago, they wouldn't
spend dollar and very few of them
would take a street car" "Well, you
fellows have our sympathies", we re
piled. sfor we were real poor right after
the war. but we are building up aow
and are doing business at the same
old stand and if you people need any
thing in our line, you may draw on us
You Northern people are great PEG
pie to make money and we Southern
people are great people to spenc
money. so that's the difference"
We suggest that at our big reunion
at Memphis next year, that we cordial
ly invite the G. A. r. to move thei
shebang down South where they cal
get cheap rates of travel and plenty o
old fashioned grub We believe tina
| Alfred Smith and A. NJ. Summers viii
both second this motion and that Zacl
Hoskins will furnish dynamite bombs
for the occasion. If the G.. A. X. vii
come to Brookhaven, we believe tina
each of the above named gentlemen
will entertain at least ten of them fret
of charge. These gentlemen enter
tanned that number four years during
the sixties In a rather "hostile' man
ner, but owing to the many changes
that have come over us since that time
they are prepared to do business on
different line.
No, none of us want to fight eacf
other any more. May Heaven forbic
that we shall ever more hear the cries
and shrieks of our wounded and dying
fellow-mortals, and that never again
we may realize that sad and lonesome
feeling that pervades the heart of ev,
cry surviving soldier at the first roll
call after the battle. The old soldiers
North and South, are all wearing the
gray now, and soon will all be dead
and the world will move on just the
same. pray God that we may all an
swer to our names
when the roll is called up yonder."
!. As.