The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1904-06-10

The Vets Have = Big Day and are
Gwen . Gig Dinner--75 in Line to
listen 20 FerVid orstory.

listen to FerVid orstery.
IL commemoration of the birthday
of Jefferson Davis, which IL a Legal
holiday in Florida, the Daughters OF
the Dickson chapter. as is their
custom, gave the Confederate Veterans
abig dinner Friday and had splendid
commemorative exercises.
10 the forenoon the Confederate
Veterans held meeting in the city
hall at which there were seventy-five
present. The chief topic discussed
was about receiving the sons Of Gem
federate Veterans into full member
ship. Some Of the comrades favored
and Others opposed the measure.
Those who participated in the dis
cussion were Comrades Izlsr, Payne,
Aver, Long, Miller and Harris. A
resolution was finally adopted Iesv-
ing the same to a committee to draft
resolutions and have the same
presented at the reunion to be held
in Nashville this month.
At this stage Of the proceedings a
message was received from the
Daughters stating that the dinner was
in readiness and the veterans
marched in line 10 the beautiful
Gary grove on Ocklawaha avenue,
where a sumptuous dinner was served,
which elected praise from everybody
who p&rtook Of it.
At three o'clock the exercises were
begun, Rev w. c. Lindsay making
beautiful prayer.
Ho1. John G.. ReardOn, acted a.
master OF ceremonies at the COM
memerorative- exercises given under
the aupices Of the Dickson Chapter,
United Daughters Of the COnfederacy,
given in this city Friday, June 3rd.
Mr.. Reardon complimented the
Daughters on the splendid dinner;
their devotion 10 the perpetuatiOn Of
noble memories aud urged that they
continue to keep up their organization
that the generations of southern peO-
pie since the war may be impressed
with the heroism Of their fathers and
grandfathers and brothers who went
into battles and stayed 10 the end
with the deathless courage and in
spiratiOn unequaled by any soldiers
that history gives any record Of. He
said among other things that there
was too much in the Confederate war
for the southern people to be proud Of
for US TO let il 60 only as mere
incident IN the history Of the country.
That survivors Of both sides must
not complain at the small attention
that they now receive; that there
were only thirty million people in this
great country then; that half of them
are now dead, while the increase from
the new generation and from i'm
migration that had no knowledge Of
the war and what it was fought for,
and had no feeling on the subject,
left few old soldiers that have SUI
vived the conflict in unthinking and
unappreciative surroundings.
The speaker protested that the
south was loyal 10 the American flag
aud that under it southern soldiers
would fight as valiantly as the soldiers
in the north, and that the south IN
these memorial occasions only intend
ed to keep alive the memories of her
dead heroes, whose courage and
martial prOwess had challenged the
admiration of the world. The speaker
remarked on how fast the old surviv-
ing soldiers were passing away, that
there were very few present on this
occasion, and yet Marion county had
sent one thousand to the war.
Mr.. Reardon spoke of Mr.. Davis as
having been the epitCme of the
Southern Confederacy. That Mr..
Davis believed that slavery
was the cause of the north
going to war, and that he, the speak.
er, thought so too; that the northern
people envied and were jealous of the
unique social institutions and cOndi-