The Savannah morning news., 1904-06-16
HENRY WATTERS0N
WAS ORATOR OF DAY.
At the Laying of n Cornerstone TO
Private SOlfiers.

Private SOtfiers.
Nashville, Tenn, June 15s-At Cen
tennial Park to-day the corner stone
of a monument to the private soldiers
of the Confederacy, the tribute of the
Nashville veterans to the enlisted men,
was laid with impressive ceremonies
under the direction of the Masonic fra
ternity. The orator of the day was
Hon. Henry Watterson of Louisville,
Ky. Mr.. Watterson said in part:
1--WE are here to-day to lay the foun-
dation-stone of monument to the Con-
fedeI'ate dead. That monument, when
1T is completed will forever mark, will
keep forever watch and guard, over the
memory of brave men, who died nght-
ing against the National Government.
In the thoughts which crowd our minds,
in the emotions which fill our hearts, In
the words which we shall utter, we are
to make no paltry admissions, no mean
confessions, no dishonoIable renuncia-
tions; but standing uncovered in the
presence of Almighty God, proclaiming
to the world the integrity of the dead,
signalling the cause for which they
died, renewing our fidelity to the sacred
compact of brotherhood and soldiershtp,
we are to reconcile this act of pious
homage with perfect loyalty to the
union, to the flag, and to those of our
countrymen who successfully fought
against us.
VIII Remain n Mystery.
"It will never be known-nor Muse
of History, nor Genius of Philosophy,
will ever be able to tell us--whether
the War of Sections could have been
averted. Two conflicting schools of
thought, two antagonistic systems Of
labor, slowly but surely erected them
selves within certain too-well- defined
geographic partitions. Seventy and
one years that which was in the be-
ginning built upon compromise was
held together by compromise. The last
thirty years of the struggle between
irreconcilable conditions, between OPP
posing ideas which would down at no
mans bidding. an eVer-increasing in
tensity of feeling, an overwhelming
area of conviction, revealed, in what
had become, long before the guns Of
Beauregard opened fire upon Fort
Sumter, little other than two hostile
camps. The battlefield seemed the
only court of last resort. Into that
dread tribunal each litigant brought
the best that was in him. All minor
differences, all doubts and all fears
were sunk in the single issue of the
Union, on the one side, the Confeder-
acy on the other. The law of force
against force alone was to decide. 1t
did decide, and the decision, which
was equally complete and final, left
nothing to wish for by the North,
nothing to hope for by the South.
The Position of Tennessee.
Tennessee, more than any other Of
the slave-holding states--more even
than Virginia-was unprepared for the
crisis of 1861. Her dearest aspirations
had been for half a century poured out
as rich libations upon the altar of the
Union, her fondest traditions, radiating
from the Hermitage, inspired and sus-
tanned the thorough Conservatism of
her people. The 9Th of February, 1861,
by an overwhelming majority, they vot-
ed down a proposition to assemble
state convention. They would not even
consider secession. The Path of the
following June. by still more over
whelming majority, they gave their
assent to the Proclamation OF the Gov
ernor dissolving their relations with
the Union and casting in their lot with
the Confederacy. Why a change CT
public sentiment and opinion so sud
den and startling I'm a people, so stead
fast and patriotic?
Needs no Explanation or Defense.
"The reason needs no diagram TO ex-
plain ~. no casuistry 10 defend Il. II
involved no regeneration. II implied
no lack OF intelligence, or OF stability,
or Of good faith. The debate was end
ed. They had done their best 70 pre-
contincsd on Ninth Page.