The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-02
NEWS OF CENTRAL CITY
ELOQUENT 1rxwo1IAE ADDRESS
 BY JOHN '. BURNS.
Colonel Reuben Chapman Dies in Livingston-Anothsr Site sug- gested for Federal Build
 ing to Be Erected.
Advertiser Bureau,

Selma May 1.
 The Memorial Day exercises passed off without hitch yesterday The program as published in The Advertiser was car ried out. The procession was formed at 3:3o o'clock at the corner of Dallas and Lauderdale Streets and marched thence to the cemetery. A touching incident took place while the old gray and grls- zled Confederate Veterans were standing in line, the remnant of the finest body of men the world ever produced. Gen eral Fitzhugh Lee came along and saw these old Confederate soldiers. some. of whom were above 30 years of age, stand ing at parade rest, waiting to march to the cemetery to pay tribute of love and affection to the dead.
 General Lee took his hat In his hand and walked down the line and shook hands with every old Confederate sol- dier. and spoke a word of cheer to each one as he pressed his hand. Every hat was doffed as he walked down the line and many a tear was seen to glitter in the eyes of these old soldiers as the dis tinguished Confederate leader and hero of the Spanish American war paid this touching tribute to those who followed the Lost Cause" from Bull Run to Ap- pomattox. General Lee was visibly af- fected himself and he presented pictu- resque figure as he met and mingled with those old soldiers.
 General Lee occupied seat on the platform and was loudly called for after the orator of the day, John Morgan Burns. had concluded his oration. He arose and made a five or six minutes talk. which was enthusiastically received by the three thousand or more people who were within the sound of his voice. At the time he was speaking the Pettus Light Artillery was booming 8 salute.
 When the procession was formed to go to the cemetery the carriage In which General Fitzhugh Lee rode headed the procession, and in 1t with him were Mrs. M. K Jones. president of the Daughters of the Confederacy. Major A. L. Mcleod, who presided over the ceremonies and Dr. E. s. Starr, one of the most eloquent and patriotic of the old Confederate veterans left here to do honor to the memory of those who are dead. Another pretty sight of the procession was line of one hundred school children, each carrying a Confederate flag. The second carriage contained Mrs. A. K. Cawthon, president of the United Daughters of the Confederacy John Morgan Burns, the orator of the day. and Revs. A. A. Lit tie and c. A. Williams. who conducted the devotional exercises of the day. Next came the old Confederate Veterans. the United Sons of Veterans. Dallas County Bar Association. Selma Guards. Dallas Light Dragons. Pettus Light Battery and the Fire Department.
 A splendid choir had been organized for the occasion under the supervision of Mrs John A. McKinnon, while Profes- sor Raymond presided at the organ. America" was first rendered by the choir. followed by an eloquent and inn pressive prayer by Rev. A. A. Little. Then came a beautiful solo and a quar- tette joined in the chorus. John Creagh sung the solo, entitled Sing me Song of the South,' while Messrs Dan Bristin, T. L. McGill and D. M. Scott joined in with him in the chorus. John Creagh has voice of wonderful scope and power and deep notes, soft and round, filled his listeners with delight.
 Hon. A. L. Mcleod then arose and tn- troduced the orator of the day. John Morgan Burns, to the audience, who de- livered an eloquent. patriotic and ap-- propriate oration upon which he has been highly complimented. He said in part:
 Confederate Veterans, Daughters ana Sons of Confederate Veterans. Ladies aad Gentlemen: It is manifestly fitting that we should choose day in April for these pathetic and inspiring memorial exer- cises; balmy day in the loveliest season of our soft and genial cline. when the revivifying tides of Spring pulsing. surg ing. through all the arteries of Nature. cause her to robe with the life. beauty. fragrance and splendor of a physical res urrection the hills and valleys of our beautiful Southland. Az such a time 1t seems to me that Nature. conscious of the laudable purpose to which we appro- prate her floral contributions. design edly yields to the eager fingers of the fair daughters of the South her rarest emblems of love and reverence, with which a grateful. faithful, womanhood decorates the haliowed mounds beneath whose turf in everlasting peace repose the ashes of their country's heroic dead.
 About one hundred and twenty-six years ago thirteen colonies. with less than three million inhabitants. inspired by the swelling anthems of Liberty sung by the restless waves of the storm tossed Att lantic, driven to resistance because of the innumerable extortions practiced upon them by England, in the majesty of their grace of God and their own strenuous ex- ertions on many hard fought battlefields they achieved their independence. At that time without cavil or contradiction the astonished world saw and recognized thirteen sovereign States standing proud and confident amid the desola tion and poverty wrought by the rude hand of war. yet, radiant with the imperishable luster of an tnalienable freedom bought with the treasurf and blood of their stur-- dy patriotic sohs. Then conscious of their fnfantile feebleness. of their inca pacity to successfully cope alone with their great and envious rivals in the sis terhood of nations. the expediency. the for some confederation of uni m | flashed it's charms across the dark hori- l zon of their gloomy and precarious ex- Istence.
 Their statesmansfiu the peer of any | that ever moulded an empire or republc. | took up the arduous task of knitting sov- sreigns in some form of efficient govern | nent which insure domestic peace and | foreign respect without imparinR the | sovereignty of any of the high contract l ng parties. The most wonderful forensic | contest ever wsged " master minds fol- lowed. Alter heated controversy and anxious deliberations the warning fac ions In that memorable, convention pat 'riotics lily bending to the increasing pres sure of the country's distressing condi- ion. adopted the Constitution of 17N as between the oligarchical the ,ries of Hamilton and the democratic doctrines of Jefferson.
 ''In that grand instrument. certainly he best and most efficient basis of CO., Ipetation that human wisdom could have procured at that fine. the mooted status ,f the State was left undetermined: ont ,f the fatal hut necessary uncertainty naturally lowed the great irrepressthle l ssuia of State rights and secession. The ,arillus of war had heen infused in the ,odv politic. not all the great phystci8ns ,f peace who apnted with jt could de- Itrov the eerv,1 of strife which had fast .nad itseIf unon the v'tais oF the gov ,rnment at its very hir46. Thus Penn ,vIvaria a- c"~lv as 17a4 imhred with he sni-it oF +he autonomy of inc State. esarting u-rot 't co-sid arAd n hn an in- -a sior of he- sovn~eiOn prerogatve. de-