New-York tribune., 1901-12-19
SOUTHERN DEAD AT ARLINGTON.
SECRETARY ROOTS VIEWS MAY CAUSE
ABANDONMENT OF A RE
MOFAI, PROJECT.
Esx TELEGRAPH 70 THE rR1suNE.I J

LgE TELEGRAPH TO THE 1RIBCSE.I
Washington, Dec. Ex-senator simmons OF
North Carolina, having been requested oy ene
Daughters OF the Confederacy and various me-
mortal associations in that State to introduce
bin permitting the removal OF the bodies OF the
Confederate soldiers taken from Maryland, VIZ
gfnia and Pennsylvania battlefelds and buried
at Arlington National Cemetery and their re-
burial in North Carolina. visited the War De-
partInent recently and conferred with Secretary
Root on the subject. The Secretary mad pre-
viousIy informed the Senator that bill to erect
the purpose would be necessary, as the depart
ment had simply executed the terms of the law
providing for the removal Of the bodies or the
soldiers from the battlefelds and their reburiai
at Arlington When the Senator from North
Carolina had stated his business, the Secretary
said that the bodies had been buried as care
fully as those of the Federal dead, ana lhd'
each grave had been as honorah!y marheu Will
a marble headboard. Nothing had peen oHlltteu'
It therefore seemed TO him that nothlne thaI
mad ever occurred to denote the return OF peace
and concord had been more fitting than TINS
The fact that the bodies of the heroes u 'iI0
formerly estranged sections now lie side by side
in the national cemetery, cared Tor py the ia
tional government, to him signal eVl-
danca that not only was the Union restored oul
that the last evidence of dscord and strife hao
been blotted from the memory OF the hduoh'
This view deeply impressed the senator HUM
North Carolina. In speaking of 1t after"aro ~
a representative of The Tribune, he SAID;
These generous words do credit 10 lhe nea AZ
and heart Of Secretary Root. l shdlI repolt ~
the prime movers in the matter what ne sdiu
and it is very likely that they VIII recohslte ,
their determination to remove and renter Iie
remains Of our soldiers who are lying at [Afilis
ron If the step should be accomplished D! me
fntroductjon and passage of the bill, might II
not be said that we were ungracious and unTe-
sponsive to national sentiment? Cared for py
the entire people of the United States. ourselves
included it is true that these bodies viii not pe
in the special charge of the southern women
who so nobly desire the responsibility; ptt PEI
hans there are other considerations oL ~ Sli
greater weight than this. The ehtre supJTCI
will be canvassed when l return nome iof lle
holidays and l rather think that the we" pre-
sented by the Secretary viii prevail IN the minus
of our people.
The President received a call to-day from
Mrs. j. T HaIsey and Mrs. Ashby Blythe. Presl7
dent and secretary, respectively. Of the General
Debney A Maury Chapter Of the Daughters OF
the Confederacy Of Philadelphia. They came TO
Washington to consult the President and Secre-
tarv Root regarding the removal to Richmond OF
diers buried in the cemetery at Germantown
Penn. The President and the Secretary 90 not
have authority to order the removal, put sen
atOr Pritchard, of North Carolina VIII lhlIo-
duce a Joint resolution in Congress granting the
desired permission. The bodies of the unknown
soldiers were originally buried at Bristol Ienn-'
but were removed to Germantown.