The Savannah morning news., 1901-10-25
VETERANS REUNION CLOSED.
GEN. EVANS SHOWS HIMSELF THE
OLD MAN ELOQUENT.

Justi6es the SOuth's Appeal to Arms
but Approves the Renewed
Friendship of the SectiOns-A
Glowing Tribute Paid TO the Late
| President McI<inley-The Parade
Participated I'm by 5000 Veterans.
G. A. II. Men From Fitzgerald in
Line-Macon's Hospitality Was I'm
limited.
Macon, Oct. 24.-The third annual re-
union of Georgia's Confederate Veter-
ans closed to-day. They rejected by
unanimous vote the proposition to meet
bi-ennially hereafter. instead af an
nually. Columbus gets the meeting in
1902. They asked the Legislature to
pass law requiring that pensions
shall be paid only to indigents. They
voted thanks to Macon for as hospita-
BILE entertainment as was ever given.
Condolences to the family of Judge
Reagan of Texas, the only surviving
member of the Confederate cabinet,
were telegraphed.
Gen. Clement A. Evans delivered his
annual address to-day. The Au iito-
rum was filled with 1000 veterans,
who had assembled to transact the
business of their organization. The
streets were packed outside, and many
did not try TO get into the place,
knowing the incapacity of the building
to hold them.
Gen. Evans had been unanimously
and most enthusiastically reelected
commander of the division, and the
compliment that had been paid him
caused him to rise to a very high pitch
of eloquence and to show deep feeling
in his speech. He paid glowing trib-
ute to the South's cause, fer which her
soldiers fought so valiantly during the
war, and declared that: There comes
times when expediency cannot substi-
tute principle, when life and property
cannot be willingly retained at cost of
independence and when the arm strikes
out bravely at the earnest call of the
soul from within"
He gave the Northern men credit for
loving the Union above all things, and
he said it was historically true that
1T was with ineXpressible sadness our
fathers feared that the rising sectional
SPnIL MOulu uGDIlNG our COulllIy VI lilc
safeguards of the constitution, and by
the use of power make the Union one
half oppressor and the other half the
oppressed He spoke of the fact that
the South since the war had doubled
in population and wealth. He saw the
South and North getting together again
and declared that sectional tyranny is
a hideous thing.
Gen. Evans here left general observa.
tions and expressed regret that there
were counties in Georgia with no
camps, but he said the list of unaffin-
ated counties is growing less and less
every year. He advocated plans for
gathering historical data, so that the
story of the old South and he s{rug-
giles could be truthfully pres srved. Gen.
Evans expressed much joy at the in
terest shown all over the state IN re-
building the Soldiers Home. He also
spoke encouragingly of the Battle All
hey movement and said the indications
are that the Jefferson Davis presiden-
tial home, the White House of the Con-
federacy, could be secured as a build
ing.
The speech was one of the most
scholarly, the most patriotic and yet
the most soothing speech heard in a
long time on a similar Occasion. 1t
contained perhaps the loftIest tribute
that has yet been paid TO Pr aSident Nc
Kiniey coming as it did from the first
general of the Confederacy who has
been heard to speak on the subject.
Many old soldiers express deep re-
greet at the absence of Gen. Gordon,
who has been unable to get here. The
big dining hall. with seating capacity
of 500 at a time, was kept going all of
yesterday and since O'Clock this
morning. feeding free Of charge all
veterans and their sons.
This morning the big parade was
participated in by about 5000 of the
veterans and about / 900 sons of veter-
ans. At the head of the procession
were the sponsors and maids of honor,
prominent among whom We're the At
lanta young ladies in their uniforms OF
gray. The reunion was formally closed
by a ball to-night, given compliments
ry to the sponsors and maids of honor
Prominent in the parade to-day was
a squad of Grand Army of the Repub-
lie men from Fitzgerald wearing Con-
federate badges.