Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1904-02-04
That Gallant Old Soldier.
While an Armed Foe Trcods Our Soil and Can Fire 4
Shot or Drow Blade will Take No Civic 1OnOrs

Well, a great many of the old sold
iers" have been put to sleep. Many
OF them are sleeping in bloody graves
on all the battlehclds of the COnfedera-
cy. But there ara still some thousands
OF them who are not asleep, and who
will not bo asleep in this campaign.
For many years they have been the
bone and sinew of the Democratic party
They not only faced the dangers of bat
tie but they bore the bruut in the ter
rible days OF reconstruction. The
Younger men, some Of whom now sneer
at them, have as little conception of
what it was To be Democrat in the
dark days that followed the close of
armed conflict, as they have Of what il
was TO bo a soldier when war WAS fla
grantin the land. Does it not seem a
little strange that the fact that man
who fought and shed his blood for the
Confederacy, should subject him to
scornful and cuntemptuous expressions
from certain class Of people? And has
it come to the pass in Tennessee thai a
man is to be defeated for office because
be was a Confederate soldier and his
humiliation made the moro bitter by
electing a man VINO could have been but
was not a Confederate soldier?
The impatienCe of some of the young
er men with The old soldier might
be understood If the soldier element OF
the country was mOnopOlizing the Of
fees of the country. But such Is not
the case. With the retirement Of Maj.
Jas. 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 Stat
Capitol there are only two out OF doz
en-. All over the state most Of tho
county offices are helu by tho younger
men. What is there in this situation
to exhaust the patience of the youngel
men of the party? Is it asking too much
in behalf Of those who fought and blec
for the South that oua-just one o
their most heroic leaders shall continue
to represent them in one body of ths
national congress?
Neither Gen. Bate nor his friend,
have sought to force such an issue upOT
the democracy Of the State. They have
neither asked that he be honored sole
~ because of his Confederate record
nor have they demanded that Gov. Nc
Mllln should DO deserted because ht
did not choose to enter the Confederate
army, For the last qnarter Of Il centu
ry Gov. McMillin has held office contin
uOusly at the hands of the people o
Tennessee. He has had the generous
and loyal support of many thousands o
these old soldiers, and without thei,
aid he would never have held an Office
in this state. He is now making siren
GUS and eager efforts to win the soldie
vote lie appears at all Confederate
reunions and is lavish in his eulogie
upon the Confederate soldier. He cal
find no words too strong in praise 0
those who dared TO shoulder their mus
kets and peril their lives in the South
ern cause. He tells US in his speeChe
that such heroes are entitled to the eV
erlasting gratitude Of their country
men. Does Gov. McMillin think it th
proper way to display such heroes a
entitled to the everlasting gratitude o
their countrymen. Does Gov. McMiI