The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-06
VETERANS PROTEST
AGAINST INVITATION To PREsT-
DENT TO ATTEND REUNION.
THEY SAY ITS POLITICS,
THAT INSPIRED THE INVITATION
FROM MEMPHIS COMMITTEE.

| Invitation TO the President-The
biting RESOLUTIONS Adopted by a
Nashville Camp Approved and
! Adopted by the AssOciation-Net-
| Grams Don't Want Their Organiza-
ton Used to Further AnybOdy's
Political Ends.
The Confederate Veterans Association
has Joined with some Of the other camps
! of the United Confederate Veterans in
protesting against the invitation extend
ed Pres. Mckinley to attend the Memphis
reunion. Indeed, members of the camp
stated last night that their attendance
upon the reunion was dependent upon the
! Presidents staying away.
The action taken in the mater was pre-
cipitated by the reading of circular let
ters from the commander in chief, Gen.
John B. Gordon, containing copies of res
oluuons adopted by New Orleans and
| Nashville camps of the confederation. In
sending out copies of these resolutions,
which had reached him through official
| channels, Gen. George B. Norman. ad-
| jutant general, says that 1.-THE following
! official communications received at these
| headquarters have been forwarded to the
! Memphis u. c. V. Reunion Committee,
| ana are also sent out to the u. c. V.
commanders and camps, for their infor-
nation and to keep them posted about
events transpiring within the organiza-
| ton"
The resolutions of the New Orleans
camp are as follows;
Resolved, that looking forward to the
| success of the eleventh reunion of the
Tvf# tod ,F111 h. hold
! at Memphis, Tenn, next May, and anx-
! ious that nothing may mar the pleasure
| that attending Confederate veterans an
| ticipate on that occasion and that moth
! ing may arise in the preliminary arrange
ments to create lukewarmness in the
! event or to deter Confederates from at
! tending this reunion, that marks, with
added pathos, another descending step in
the revival of glorious and sacred memo
ries and fraternal last greetings between
! old comrades of the heroic armies OF the
| South, this association hereby expresses
! the hope that in the arrangements for
the reunion the strctest adherence will
/ be kept to the sole objects of the United
! Confederate Veterans organization, as
stated and enjoined in it's constitution
and bylaws: In order that the reunion
may result to more firmly establish the
ties which already exist between them ."
! In transmitting these resolutions TO
! Gen. Norman, corresponding secretary of
the camp by which they were adopted,
| Mr.. j. A. Chalaron said: II can but eX
! press the hope that this mild word +
warning may have the effect devoted
| Confederates would wish"
The resolutions adopted by Felix K. Zol-
licoffer Camp, at Nashville on the same
| subject, were not so mild. They, o,
were included in the circular letter of the
commander-in-chef and were read at the
meeting of last night These resolutions
recite:
| Whereas The newspapers authorita-
lively states that the city of Memphis in =
tends on May q, % and 80 to enterta n
| President Mckinley, while. at the inv ia
ton of the city of Memphis, the above
dates were selected by the commanders
| of u. V. c. as the time for holding in
that city the annual reunion of the Or
| ganiza ton;
Whereas, entertaining profound re-
spect for President Mckinley and his ex-
allied station and believing his presence
on this occasion, as the guest of the city
! of Memphis, is sought by few of the
citizens of Memphis TO further their po-
litical aspirations and is therefore derog-
atory to our idea of the proper respect
due the president of this great nation and
contrary to the spirit of the U. C. V,
partisan politics and all that tends to it
being strictly forbidden in all meetings
and reunions of the u. C. V. organiza-
ton; Therefore be it resolved,
First, That we, as a camp, respect
fully request and urge Gen. John B. Cor
don to designate some other city in the
South in which to hold our reunion.
/ Second, That we decline positively to
send delegates to Memphis to represent
this camp under existing circumstances.
'Third-That we deeply deplore the
spirit that actuates the attempt to inject
political chicanery and trickery into an
organization where politics and political
discussions are eschewed
"Fourth-That we pledge ourselves, in
dividually and collectively. to prevent as
many of our comrades and friends as we
can from attending the so-called reunion,
If held in Memphis, believing 1t to be for
the best interests of the organization
that we do So"
For some minutes the members of the
Confederate Veterans Association took
only an apathetic interest in these resolu-
tons President Falligant was not pres
ent and Vice President Young was in
the chair. Gen. p. McGlashan sought to
have the resolutions tabled, or the circu-
lar letter of the commander-in-chief re-
ceived as information, but this pacific
course was abandoned at the spirited in
stigation of Mr.. T. f.. Theus.
Mr.. Theus said he had written to Mr..
Chalaron, the secretary of the New Or
leans camp that had passed resolutions
on the subject. and had been assured by
him that the invitation to President Nc
Kinley was extended in the interest of a
few Memphis politicians and was de-
signed to further their political ends Mr.
Theus said he was opposed to lending the
aid or encouragement of the United Con-
federate Veterans to any such plan. and
he moved that the resolutions passed "
Zollicoffer Camp of Nashville be adopted
by the association and made the sense
of the meeting. The resolution was car
red practically. without dissent
1t was explained that the objection as
far as the question of attendance was
concerned, was not so much to the invi-
tation being extended the President. but
to his acceptance of it. Under the an
derstanding of the meaning of the reso-
lutions finally reached II was determin d
that If the President did accept the Con-
federate Veterans Association would send
no delegates to Memphis. Whatever is
done, however, the camp will continue to
"deplore the spirit that actuates the at
tempt to inject political chicanery and
trickery into an organization where poll
tics and political discussions are es-
chewed."
The association made a donation OF $40
! for the relief of destitute Confederate
/ Veterans at Alvin, Tex, who have been
| rendered homeless by the Galveston flood
Ii was determined to revive Dractiee If