The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-20
FELL UPON GORDON.


Continued from First Page.
of Oblivion over the rerretful and nm
seemiy things of the past and we
Sherlsh as Americans the valor and no.
pie deeds of both armies and. of all
sections. We are satisfied with our
records, and the power that would
attempt to make us blush for 1t would
De both stupid and blind. We are
heirs' Joint heirs, with the republics
children in the inheritance of freedom
leit py our sires. We are proud of
all the past. Moreover we are now
facing future pregnant with tremen-
oous possibilities, but we face it with
strength of hope and assurance, born
Oh an answering purpose to discharge
our every duty to all races, and to the
Whole country.
We are growing old; but we still
stand firmly on the narrow strip of
land which separates us from a bound
less ocean. And as we go hence, we
Will calmly drop our mantles on the
shoulders of our sons. who will worth
lily wear them; and in no crisis of the
republic, whether in forum or field, will
they be found wanting"
Presented Mrs. jackson.
At the close of Gen. Gordon's ad-
dress he turned to greet lady gowned
in black, who had come to the front of
the rostrum during the latter portion
OF his address. Then, leading her TO
the front of the platform, he said:
1t was my fortune. and 1 will never
cease to thank God that it was my
fortune, to follow, to know well, and
to love Stonewall Jackson He is not
here, but the better half of him is here
in the person of his wife. Comrades.
7 70
son."
ITO your feet, boys; to your feet!"
was the cry of a veteran in the Ten
nessee delegation, but swift as came
his cry, it was too late. The boys"
were up, every man of them. and in
the wild cheers that swept the hall the
fair-faced lady from North Carolina
was made to know once more how
Southern love remembers.
And here's young Jackson" called
out the General, leading forward
very pretty girl, Miss Julia jackson
Christian, the granddaughter of the
famous soldier. AS he spoke he kissed
her, and the cheers were redoubled for
the General and the girl.
Judge John Reagan, the sole sur
viving member of the Davis cabinet,
then spoke from one portion of the ros-
trum, while numbers of old soldiers
threw themselves upon Gen. Gordon at
the other end. The reception was
smothering Mr.. Reagans voice and
Gen. Gordon at the same time, when
Gen. S. D. Lee interfered with the
gavel, beseeching the crowd to be silent
and to allow Gen. Gordon to rest.
Mr.. Reagan spoke but briefly after
this, and an adjournment was taken
until afternoon. Immediately the mob
bling of Gen. Gordon was resumed, with
shIA hi
toXicated by his enthusiasm, sank on
his knees before the General, and would
have Rugged him had not the bystand-
ers interfered.
The grafton of Judge Rogers con-
sumed the, entire afternoon session
His address, which was remarkably
well delivered, was a brilliant success.
He spoke in part as follows:
Are Among SepuIchers.
Whenever and wherever these re-
unions occur, we are standing amid
the sepulchers of our dead. Every foot
of our beloved Southland is distinguish
ed by their courage, their sublime for
titude, their self -denial, their unwav-
ering devotion and patriotism, and
sanctified by the shedding of their
blood. Time and nature have had their
course in diminishing the numbers of
those who surrendered at the close of
the great Civil War, but neither time
nor nature can relieve those who sur
vive of the duties they owe to the
memory of our unrecorded dead, to our
posterity. to our beloved Southland,
and to ourselves. We are here to-day
. to discharge as we may, those duties,
and to renew old friendships forged
in the white heat of common sufferings
and hallowed and sanctified by the con-
scious conviction that in the hour of
trial and peril we were true to the
constitution as 1t was framed and
handed down to us by Washington
and his compatriots. We are here also
Southern women-the mothers and
daughters of the Confederacy.
IF we would not have our children
in the near future, If not ashamed and
apologizing for us, then unable to de-
fend us, we must not be idle in pre-
serving, recording and teaching the
real facts upon which the righteous
ness of our actions must depend.
Defense of the South.
"The South is reproached for disun-
ion-Secession. 1t is the basis for the
charge of treason, of disrupting the
Union, of violating the constitution, of
rebellion, of making war on the United
States. 1t must not be forgotten that
there is a wide difference between Sc
ceSSion and rebellion. The South made
no war on the states remaining in the
Union. Secession meant disunion so
far as the seeding states were con-
cerned, but it neither meant war nor
rebellion. 1t meant a union intact so
far as all the states were concerned
which did not secede, and a union, too,
under the constitution. AS the states
entered the Union each under acts of
ratification of its own, SO secession
meant the resumption by each state of
its delegated powers, by repeating the
acts under which each seeding state
entered the compact; but the repeal of
such acts did not and could not affect
the acts by which the remaining states
entered into the Confederacy.
Il affirm, if odium is to attach TO
the South for the act of secession, it