The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-19
LETTER FROM
 MIR. PHELAN
ORIGIN OF THE LADIES' MEMO
 RIAL ASSOCIATION.
Facts and Arguments for Those 1n- terested in the History and Affairs of This Or
 ganization.

All persona familiar with the affairs oi the Ladies Memorial Association o' Montgomery are aware that there Has existed for a long time an unfortunate controversy as to it's origin. ilnd' now ever, that few people have looked at all into the merits of 1t, being satisfied to consider it merely personal contention Being sure that 1t is not, but desire that the truth shall go down in history as to this great association, l publish the irc1osed letter that l have written it's secretary, which clearly states our con tention end some of the facts which prove It. l alaAD append the appeal re- ferred to and the letter of Augustus.
 To any person looking to find the truth in the matter, l will gladly forward free of cost copy of Mrs. Cory's history and also The Monument on Capitol Hill. by Mrs. ockenden, if 1t is so requested.
 s. 1T. Phelan.
 Atlanta, Ga March IT, 1905. Mrs. I. M. Porter Ockenden,
 Secretary Ladies' Memorial Assn,
 Montgomery, Ala.
 Dear Madam:-I have your favor Of the 12th inst. I regret that you only choose to answer the unimportant criticisms which I make on your history of the Me morial Association, or compendium of re- ports which you prefer to call 1t. I as- sure you I did not consider the omission of Mrs. Lanier as President pro tenn a grievous error. only called attention to 1t because Mrs. NJ. D. Bibb. in her letter to me attacks Mrs. Cory's history for re- citing the fact that she did so act. And, further, to show her that if your account was in error as to this, that it might be in those more important and farther back facts.
 In order that you may not misunder- stand, I will here state the difference be- tween us. Your account says that Mrs. R. S. Bibb started the Memorial Asso- citation in 1885 and called the meeting that was held at the Methodist Church, April 18th, 1866 That the first moneys paid into the treasury was eight dollars secured by Mrs. B. s. Bibb through the instrumentality of General Swayne. In other words, you sustain the claim of Mrs. M. D. Bbb that her mother was the sole originator of the Ladies Memo rial Association. There is nothing on earth to substantiste this claim except the most vivid ina agination and tradi- ton. given color by the fact that Mrs B. S. Bibb V as the President of the As sociation for so long a time.
 We deny that there was any Memorial previous to April 16th 1866. or that there was any other Association out of which 1t grew, other than the Historical and Monumental Society. We deny that any eight dollars or other sum gotten through General Swayne ever reached the treasury, unless Mrs. B. s. Bibb held 1t for a year, and through year of the greatest opportunity to put 1t to good use if 1t was intended for char ity. We deny that Mrs. B. S BibS called the meeting at the Methodist Church April Is, 1866. or that she had anything more to do with the call than several oth- CT ladies. The call was actually issued by the Executive Committee of the Histori- cal Society.
 On the 11th of April 1s66 my father, as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Historical and Monumental Society, issued the appeal published in The Mail of that date, starting with the quotations:
 The harp that once through Tara's halls.
 Ire soul of music shed,
 Now hangs as mute on Taras walls
 As though that soul were fled"
 Can anyone read this appeal and say that my father so insulted the good wo- men of Montgomery as to issue it when there was already a society doing what he appealed to them to do? Could they think he did it ignorant of what was going on? I answer no, without fear of effort to contradict, from anyone search ing for the truth.
 In addition to this is the card of "Au- gustus, published in The Mail' April 3rd, 1866, calling attention to the deplor- able condition of that part of the ceme- tery where the soldiers were buried. Does this look like anyone had been looking after their graves? We who recollect back to that time know that they have not. I will here state that there are so many graves marked unknown" because attention to them was put" "off so long. that the names written by a dishonest contractor with lamp-black instead of paint, had been washed off by the rain.
 The facts leading up to this appeal are these: Montgomery had no battlefields near; she had no soldiers remains to look after in her immediate vicinity, except such as were already in a public ceme- tery, and all with head-boards at their graves. So, she was thinking more of preserving their memory in history and building a monument. and on the 23rd of November. 1865, an organization was formed for this purpose. The matter was carried to the Legislature, and a great deal written and said on the subject, but 1t was finally dropped because it was contended by the hest conservative opin- ion that we were only waving the red flag i0 the face of the Yankees" and it was best for all concerned to do nothing at the time. Thus it was that the whole matter was dropped, until from other places which had hattefields near and soldiers not properly buried did come the call for help. These calls were answered even before the Memorial Association was formed, hut it was certainly not done by that Association out of which you say Mrs. B. s. Bibb made the Memorial As- sociation.
 You know the bitterness that has grown