The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-06-22
a DISAPPEARING HOST.
Let Us Honor the Old Confederate
Heroes While We May.

gfeeLlngs, Speecc-nak1lgS receptions,
parades and music, the prevailing
feeling OF every reunion of our Veter-
ans, whether it be at the State con-
ventions, OF at the larger reunions
where the survivors from every part
OF the South meet together yearly, Is
one OF sadness, says the News and
Courier. Each year familiar. faces
are missing, and well known voices
fail to answer the roll-call; and al
though the thinning ranks elise up,
and those who remain march bravely,
with gray heads as erect and shoul-
ders as square as in the brave old
days OF long ago, yet we cannot help
seeing how the host is disappearing be-
fore the assaults of Time, that most
relentless Of all foes. Nor Is it al
ways the oldest Confederate soldiers
who fall out Of the ranks and rest
under the shade OF the trees; for
many Of those still In line must have
reached maturity before the war, and
have brayely borne their part in many
a battle; and yet they have lived to
see their sons, and other men, who
were but striplings in those times,
called away before them.
Mt having pension roll, like that
OF the Union army, from which to
gather statistic, We cannot accurate.
ly compute the yearly d crease Of num-
bers. We saw recently some figures
from a trustworthy source with re-
gard to the Northern army, In which
it was stated that in 1895 one.half OF
the men who had been in the Federal
army were still living; and that it was
probable when 1915, the semi-cen-
tennial Of the close OF the war, ar
rived, there would still, be one hun
ired thousand veterans to celebrate
the occasion; and this nOtwithstand-
Ing the fact that the percentage or
deaths steadily increased with each
year. The writer did. not allude to
the strong inducement the Northern
veterans have to 90 on living, and to
transmit the gift OF longevity to their
families; but be did not hesitate to
compare the feeling with which they
are regarded by their neighbors with
the sentiment OF the South as to it's
old soldiers.
He said: ''It is probably true that
the place which the Southern vet-
eraus hold in the affections Of the
Southern people is a more exalted
position than that which is held BY
the Northern veterans il tie affection
Of the people in thia Section Of the
country, and this because OF reasons
which we wilt Briefly try to explain.
We believe there was more patriotism
shown in the defence of the Union
than in the efforts to dissolve it; and
that the enthusiasm with which oLf
men rushed to the defence Ct. the
country in the early period Of the war
was all that the most devoted patriot
could desire. Later on, it is true, we
had our system Of drafts and bounties,
but these were parallelsd in the South
by the most rigorous form CT enforced
enlistment, which was said to spare
neither the cradle nor the 9rave.'''
at the close Of the war the vet
lerans Of the Confederacy represented
not only lost cause, but they and
theiS families we're financially ruined.
Those who during the war had suffer-
led physical impairment, and the fanf-.
lies OF those who had lost their lives,
could look hardly anywhere for sup
port except to those who were almost
as destitute as themselves. As they
could not count upon aid, there. was
encouraged in them that adnirah BILE
spirit Of self dependency and self
suficiency which tended to draw to-
wards them the sympathy Of. their
friends and neaghhors, and to inspire
in these latter high regard and rever-
Eence for them. The contrast between
these sentiments and those entertain
ed by so many OF our Northern sol
diers is what has led to the difference
IN popular es nation; especially
among the great mass of our citizens
who have come to mans estate since
the close of the Civil war. From the
very first large number OF the North
ern veterans have made arrogant de-
mands for special consideration, and
these demands have tended to In
crease as time has gone on. They
have swelled our enormous pension
list, so that last year 1t was nearly
one hundred and fifty million dollars;
they have corrupted our civil service
by having it decreed that a veteran,
even when unfit for public work, must
be preferred to a thoroughly quail
fed citizen who has not served in
the war. This has chilled the feel
Iings Of sympathy and reverence which
] would otherwise have been engenger-
ed"
So true is all that which is said in
the above quotation that the whole
country was stirred to admiration by
a report in a Northern paper lately Of
the finding OF needy veteran who
had steadfastly refused to accept a
pension. though one had frequently
been offered to him. It will probably
result in the erection Of monument
to him when he finally passes to the
other side Of the river. Be 1t well un-
derstood, however, that in spite OF.
the immense size Of the pension list,
there were many brave soldiers OF the
Northern army who were just ASSN
cere and disinterested In their S,r-
vice to their country as were our own
brave men, and who holda very high
place in the estimation not only OF
their neighbors, out OF all Southern
soldiers who have met them since the
war. Only these are the sort OF men
on both sides who never come before
the public with demands that their
services in the past be rewarded by
remuneratiye positionSSaassvyzsesent.
It is rather remarkable that, while
many old veterans continue te attend
the reunions, nearly all the distin-
| puiShed officers Of the Southern armies