The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1903-11-13

contemptuous expressions from a
certain class of people? And has it
come to pass in Tennessee that
man is to be defeated for office
because he was a Confederate
soldier, aud his humiliation made
the more bitter by electing a man
who could have been, but was not
a Confederate soldier?
The Impotence of some OF the
younger men with 1.-The old sol
der" might be understood if the
soldier element OF the country was
monopolizing the Offices of the
country. But such is not the case.
With the retirement of Maj. James
D. Richardson, Gen. Bate will be
the only man left in the delegation
from Tennessee to represent the old
soldier element.
Among the public officers at the
State Capitol there are only two out
Of dozen. All over the State most
of the county offices are held by tie
younger men. What is there in
this situation to exhaust the pa
thence of the younger men of the
party? Is it asking too much in
behalf Of those who fought and bled
for the South that one-just one
of their most heroic leaders shall
continue to represent them in one
body OF the national congress-?
Neither Gen. Bate nor his friends
have sought to force such all issue
upon the Democracy of the State.
They have neither asked that he
should be honored solely because OF
his Confederate record, nor have
they demanded that Gov. McMillin
should be defeated because he did
not enter the Confederate army. For
the last quarter of a century Gov.
McMillIn has held office continuous
ly at the hands of the people of
Tennessee. He has had the gen
erous and loyal support of many
thousands of these old soldiers, and
without their aid he would never
have held an office in this State.
He is now making strenuous and
eager efforts 10 win the soldier vote
He appears at all Confederate re-
unions, and is lavish in his eulogies
upon the Confederate soldier. He
| can find no words too strong in
praise of those who dared to
shoulder their musKets and peril
their lives in the Southern cause.
He tells US in his speeches that such
| heroes are entitled to the everlast-
ing gratitude of their cOuntrymen.
Does Gov McMillin think it the
proper way to display such gratitude
by humillating the most conspicu-
Gus living leader Tennessee gave TO
the COnfederacy, and putting in his
place a man who has contributed
nothing but glowing words to a
dead cause?
Gov. McMillin's speeches at these
Confederate reunions have invited,
indeed, they have forced comparison
between his action and that of Gen.
Bate, when the South called upon
her sons to meet the invader. Gen.
Bate became a soldier of the Con
federacy on tie day after the first
shot was fired ut Fort Sumpter.
Gov. McMillin suffered the call to
90 UNDECIDED until the war was over.
His zeal for the South was reserved
for Confederate reunions where
there are no volleys of musketry, OF
roar Of cannon to interrupt the flow
of his eloquence. Gov. McMillin
has been careful TO say in all of his
reunion speeches that but for his
youth he, too, would have been a
soldier. There are thousands of
Tennessee boys sleeping in unmark-
ed graves on the battletields OF the
South who were younger than Gov.
McMillin. Yhos. B. Turley and he
were born the same year, 1915, and
Mr.. Turley served four years, and
was twice wounded in the COnfeder-
ate army. Gov. McMillin was six
teen years old, which was full mill
tary age in both armies, when the
war was half over, and when the
fortunes Of the Confederacy were
hanging in the balance. lie was
twenty years old when the war
closed, which was the age of Gen.
Bate when he came out of the Mex
lean war. A man who was too
young to fight for the Confederacy
at eighteen and twenty, would pro
badly have considered himself as
still too young at twenty five or
thirty: The truth is that Gov. Nc
Millin was attending college pre-
pairing TO enter upon political ca
Teer as soon as the war was over.
Gen. Bate has deserved as we'll Of
his State in the Senate as he did in
the field. His ability, his integrity
of character, his Unfailing sympathy
with the masses Of people, his faith
ful adherence to the true principles
of Democracy have won for him the
respect aud confidence of all classes
of people. His worst enemies pay
tribute TO the stainlessness of his
character. When such a man as
this is presented as practically the
last representative OF the old guard
of the Confederacy, who will ever
ask for any high office from the
people of Tennessee, what answer
will the people give? For when
VIM. s. Bate passes from the scene
no sold soldier" will ever disturb