The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-05-21
CONfEDERATES MEET
Splendid Gathering of Vetersns In
Columbia.

Columbia, Speclal.-The convention
Of the Confederate Veterans met mere
On Tuesday night. The gathering was
large and enthusiastic. The meeting
vas presided over by Capt. Startling.
The address of welcome was made by
Mr. w. A. Clark. who said in part:
Mr. Chairman and Veterans: 1t al
lords me real pleasure. fellow veterans
5peaking for the chamber of commerce
and for the good people of this city. 10
extend to you a most cordial, welcome
and to wish you happy ana pleasant
.eunion Our Goors are throWH woe
open and by tEeir authority ana az
heir representative invite you to en-
ter and be our guest.
In extending you this invitation al
,ow me. friends and fellow veterans u
say that any community Should esteem
it q privilege 10 be your hest and We.
| assure you. 50 esteem It.
AS the surviving heroes Of the Lost
Cause you are rightfully entitled 20
cyr estC:m. admiration and gTatitude,
fer veteran indeed You are, veterans Ill
age, veterans in experience, veterans
in war and veterans in Peace.
Few of you there be WHO have NOT
already passed the siXtieth mic post
in the journey OF life and can npw
look back with experiences pregnant
with great issues. 1t has fallen to TIE
lot of few to have borne such Viclssl"
tudes as you.
You are the remnant Of war almost
without parallel in history, and YET
the peace that followed imposed trials
even more severe than the cruelties
of war itself. These trials you have
borne with more than Spartan foTti-
tude. This time has been set apart t.
celebrate the triumph OF your efforts
and | speak no idle words when say,
we esteem the honor Of the occasion.
HEROES OF A GREAT CAUSE.
You are the heroes of great cause.
You with your comrades, many u
whom gave up their lives on the fed
Of battle and many of whom have
since met the last enemy and have
come of more than conqIerors, mace
battle for The cause Of right and pm
ciple.
The great war in which you 'Eere The
actors. unlike many others which arc
called great, was altogether defensive.
fought in defense cf rights more dea"
than life itself. History records tut
few waged upon the same plane OF eX.
alted principles. In the colQuests of
Alexander the underlying principi.s
were the subjugation OF the world. III
the campaigns OF the Caesars the un-
deylying principles were new and al
d!tional territory for the Roman en-
pire and the enslaving Of entire COM
munit:cs of civilized peoples. In the
wars of the first Napoleon the under
lying principles were nothing more
elevated than a selfish purpose II
subordinate all to the indomitable VII.
of a remcrseless ambition.
, Not so with the war wagod by you.
It. like its great forerunner. the
American revolution. had higher aims
! and noblcr aspirations.
Constitutional rights and personal
liberties were the great questions at
issue and over which this great battle
was joined.
The line was drawn and the battle
waged between the two distinctive peo-
ples vino had settled in this country
and by whose intelligence, industry
and courage it soon took its place
among the foremost nations OF Inc
civilized world. Peoples. each dist!n-
| suished for their intellectual visor
| their high standard OF moral and re-
lieicrs aims. aud their unbending 10y
alty to th., cause OF truth and justice.
| The puritans OF New England on The
| one hand and the cavaliers and Scotch
/ of Virginia and the Carolinas on the
| other; each fighting for constitutional.
liberties, as they each for themselves
| read and interpreted the law.
1t was indeed battle Of principles,
waged by giants. 1t was desperate and
| it was destructive. 1t also, from the
very nature OF the case. involved the
horrors OF fratricidal war. Fratricidal
not only in the broad sense that We.
! while one people, were divided and
| fighting the one against the other. But
| true in the marrow sense. Yes, 1t not
] unfrequently happened that those 50
| near and dear as brothers enlisted up
| on different sides, each rising to dis
tinction and high rank in the army ot
| his choice. 1t was indeed the case OF
divided house
It has but recently been my privilege
to see q book of the genealogy OF one
OF the distinguished families of the
country. who grew to greatness in tie
| great State of Kentucky.
FOR THE RIGHT.
The record shows that the family
furnished to beth the federal army aiiG
Confederate army soldiers of distiuc
ton and Of unquestioued courage. The
name appears among the major gen
erals in each army. From one house
| hold alone OF the name three sons were
soldiers in the federal army and two
sons-in-law were soldiers in the Con-
federate army. Nor can either be
charged with being traitor to his coun-
try. Each fought for the cause as 1t
appeared unto him right; and as ne
saw it. it was to him right.
For these as well as other reasons II
was a desperate war. 1t was conflict
between great people and upon great
principles.
II has been aptly called an 'i.repres-