The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-06-13
Honor To Federal Dead.
HERO OF THE MERRIMAC DELIVERS MEMO
RIAL ADDRESS AT DETROIT.
Tributes Paid to Men Who Wore the
Blue by Distinguished Son of the
Southland Whose Father and Kim
dred Wore the Grey-Significan
Sign of the Changes Time Has
Wrought-NOrth and South United
Forever.

Alabama, delivered the memorial
address in honor of the Federal dead
at Detroit, Michigan, May 3Oth He
says he was never more touched bv
an invitation nor responded TO one
more gladly. Following is part OF
his speech:
cit not only gives me pleasure to
meet you and get glimpse for the
first time Of a part Of the great State
OF Michigan, but it stirs my heart in
its depths to participate with YOU
in the exercises of this solemn day,
which with the Fourth of July, should
be foremost of the civic days Of our
country. The Fourth Of July marks
the beginning and the Thirticlh Of
May the perfecting and pcrpetuation
Of this glorious Union of ours.
Il am fresh from my home in the
Southland where the gracious words
Of our president have touched every
Southern heart. The time is ripe
there and | believe it is ripe in the
North and throughout the country
for rs all to come together TO rejoice
in the common Joy over the glOries Of
both Federal and Confederate armies,
ami over the self-sacriice and devo-
,i"n Of The people on both sides, and
| believe that in this | but voice the
Grams now assembled in Memphis,
Tennessee, and of the Grand Army
posts now celebrating this day.
1T touched me, Sontherner, very
deeply to be invited to the far North
. to participate in the memorial eXer-
cises for the Federal dead. wish
indeed that the States of the South
would all adopt this day for Memorial
and Decoration Day for the Confeder-
ate dead, and that the custom would
begin and become general for the
South to invite citizens of the North
to come South. and for the North to
invite citizens Of the South to come
North to join in a common memorial
celebration for the gallant dead of
both sides.
s'Indeed | believe that the time is
ripe for us to look dispassionately
even on the conditions and causes of
llit val. w mic tHC ANOi III IdS tiC
great glory of having preserved the
Union, it cannot deny the South its
Joint heritage of glory in the forma
tion of the Union and the guidance of
the Ship Of State through almost a
century. In truth study of history
convinces me that the American Civil
War was sociological necessity,
that the question of the the relation
of the States to the Union, which,
! bonds between the colonies, could not
be settled by our forefathers, even in
the wisdom and liberality that
| brought them to form and adopt that
grand bulwark of Liberty, the Consti-
tuition of the United States, that this
all important question could only be
settled by war. if it was to be settled
permanently, and the more terrible
the war, the more permanent tie set
tlement. Who now, or who in the
future, will ever dream even in de-
liriam, Of such a thing as secession? ?
Yet. before the war this thought was
a nightmare on the minds of all our
patriotic statesmen.
"Moreover, the one additional
handicap to our free institutions, the
existence of slavery, was settled by
the same war that set at rest the
question of secession. | believe that
slavery as it had existed from the
foundation of our nation was part
of divine providence to redeem por-
tion of the benighted races of Africa.
How else would natives ever have
been brought over? How else, even if
such thing as voluntary immigration
could have taken place, could the un-
happy emigrants have taken care OF
them selves when found adrift in q
new continent? How could they i'll
such condition have been brought
under the uplifting influences OF a
higher civilization? There is no an
swer except that slavery was for these
reasons necessary. And my friends,
believe me, for | have seen the old
darkcvs and have listened to theil
accounts of the times before the war
that on the whole the condition o'
slavery with the highly cultured peo.
pie of the South was indeed benef,
cient one Thus, instead of the fact
of slavery being blot, consider il
in all it. elements credit to the
South. And to it we must ascribt
: the remarkable progress made by the
cOlored population in so short time
to it we must attribute thi. re.erva
tion from the native populations o
Africa. which left to themselves art
, gradually advancing to an inevitable
determination.
.On the other hand, that the con
dition Of slavery had run it's course
that it was no longer necessary, tha
:. preparation for freedom was prac
ticallv complete and, moreover, tha
the abolition of slavery had becom
necessary to make the avenue o
freedom open for our country in it
7 advance upward with the principle
- of universal and complete human
liberty.
To my mind it is doubtful whethe
even this question of slavery coul'
, have been settled without war. Il
;. any event it was settled with tn
secession, and we have no cause 70
reproach for either side. Our oil
Constitution, an institution of ou
: forefathers had to be modified for tn
s. perfection and future unlimite
= greatness OF our country; and it coul
o only be completely and permanent
:, modified by war. Indeed our sym
y pathies must be with the South TO
y destiny decreed her the unhappy rol
of opposition in necessary war i
which we NAV say both sides wer