The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-08-03
.1The Old Confederate Veteran. y

veteran.
''The Old Confederate Veteran"
From The New York Times we reprint
the following:
Decidedly the feature of alumni day.
Monday, June 0. at West Point, was the
speech of General e. Porter Alexander of
Virginia. It was the frst occasion on
which the Confederate army had been
officially recognized in any proceedings
at the Military Academy. Indeed, II can
not be said to have been officially recog-
nized on this occasion, since these pro-
ceedings were taken under the direction
of the associated graduates General Ru-
ger spoke of the West Pointers on the
Union side, and General Alexander for
those on the Confederate side. He was
Grief of Artillery of LonRstreet's corps.
and directed the Confederate fire in the
famous artillery duel at Gettysburg. His
speech was continually applauded, es-
pecially his reference to General Long
street, who occupied a seat on the plat
form near the speaker, and whose name
provoked an outburst of cheering that
lasted several minutes. Following is Gen
eral Alexander's speech in full:
West Point, June 0. 1902.
"Once more the light of Jackson's sword
Far flashes through the gloom,
There Hampton rides and there once more
The toss Of Stuart's plume.
"ohe life goes back through years today
And we are men once more,
And that old hill is Arlington,
And there, the allen shorel
"And over yonder on the heights
The hostile camp fires culver,
And suddenly 'twixt us and them
Flows by Potomacs river"
The Confederate veteran! with these
words does there not arise in every mind
the thought of a meteoric army which
over forty years ago sprang into exist
ence. as 1t would seem, out of space and
nothingness. and after a career of four
years, unsustained by treasury or arse
nal, but unsurpassed for brilliant fighting
and lavish outpour of blood. vanished
from earth as utterly as If 1t had been a
phantom of imagination. It had follow
ed as a banner. a starry cross. born in
the fire and smoke of it's battle line;
which had flowed over its charging col
umns on many fields, and under many
leaders. whose names proud history will
forever cherish, and then in a night 1t
also had taken its flight from earth, to
be seen no more of men. Federal his
torian. wrote of this army: who can
forget it that once looked upon IT? That
array Of tattered uniforms and bright
muskets-that body of Incompatible in
fantry. the army of Northern Virginia
which for four years carried the revolt
on its bayonets. opposing a constant front
to the mighty concentra tons of power
brought against 1t. which receiving ter
rible blows. did not fail to give the like,
and which. vital In all its parts, died only
with its humiliation"
And the whole people who had created
that annihilated army and had upheld
that vanquished flag. and in their behalf
had sacrificed its all now with one con-
sent gave to the cause for which they
had striven vainly, but so well. the title
THE Lost Cause" And this people
mourned over their lost causes as the
captive Israelites mourned over Zion: IF
l forget thee. Jerusalem! Let my right
hand forget It's cunning and my tongue
cleave to the roof of my mouth" But
they buried their grief deep in their own
hearts, and, exchanging swords and guns
for implements of industry. set them
selves to restoring their desolated homes
and rebuilding their shattered fortunes.
And now a generation has passed away
The smoke OF civil conflict has vanished
forever from the sky, and the whole coun-
try, under the new conditions evolved in
its four years struggle. finds itself unit
ed in developing its vast resources in
successful rivalry with the greatest ma
lions of the earth. Whose vision is now
so dull that he does not recognize the
blessing It Is to himself and to his chill
dren to live in, the undivided country?
Who would today relegate his own State
to the position 1t would hold in the
world were 1t declared a sovereign, as
are the States of Central and South
America? To ask these questions is TO
answer them. And the answer is the ac-
acknowledgement that it was best for the
South that the cause was lost" The
right to secede. the stake for which we
fought so desperately, were 1t now offer
ed us as a gift, we would reject as we
would a proposition of suicide. Let me
briefly review the story of this change of
sentiment
We believed, and still believe. that its
sovereignty was intended to be reserved
by each and every State when 1t ratified
the Constitution. II was universally
taught among US that in this feature
there was divinely inspired wisdom. 1t
may have been wisdom for the century
Each state was then an independent ag-
ricultural community. The railroad, the
steamship, the telegraph, were undre AIMED
of on earth. But. as in nature whenever
the climate has changed. the fauna and
fora have been forced to change and
adapt themselves to new environment,
so among mankind must modes Of gov
, 81 -. to