The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-05-01

Pine Crest Villa, Maitland. Fla, May
1.-The controversy over the origin of
Confederate Decoration Day." now
called Memorial Day" seems to have
been renewed by DR.. Raines in his re-
ply to Mrs. George w. Lan1ar's ar
ticle in the Morning News. AS l
lived in Columbus in the early seventies,
and was an editor of one of its daily
newspaper. / know something beyond
mere rumors as to this matter. Mrs.
Mary Ann Williams and Miss Lizzie
Rutherford, and her later husband,
Mai. Roswell Ellis, were all my per-
Eonal friends Mrs. Lamar, in the main,
is correct, but it is also true that Miss
Rutherford shared in the Inauguration
of the first Decoration Day" in Co.
lunTbus. Credit. however, was more
generally given to Mrs. Williams, but
after her death. when her voice was
silent in the grave. the movement
started to give the whole credit to
AIRS. Rutherford Ellis. But all the
monuments and all the resolutions
and tributes, formal and informal, to
Mrs Ellis. can never convince the
friends of Mrs Williams that her
claims are not valid. To say the least
OF it, the whole matter reflects dis
credit upon a cause too sacred for such
controversy.
I see that Editor Dan B. Sweat, late
of the Waycross, Ca, Journal and
now of the Courier-Informant, of Bar
tow, Fla, has joined the Methodist
Conference, and is to enter the minis
try. And why not? An editor of
Sweat's high moral character and liter
AIRY culture should make a most eX-
cellent pastor, and an able preacher.
The editorial fraternity of Georgia has
given the pulpit some of its most zeal
Gus and successful preachers. There
is my genial and versatile old associate,
Rev. Alex. w. Bealer, of the Thomas
VILE Baptist Church, and Rev. Julian
S. Rogers, and Rev. l.. L. Knight, just
entering the Presbyterian ministry,
which Editor John Temple Graves
started to enter. but backed out. /
see that Rev. r J. Burdette, our
humorous Bob" has given up Journal
ism, and is now a preacher in califor-
MIA 1t is much to the credit of our
noble profession that many of the alb
lest and best bishops of the Methodist
church, were preacher-editors, before
they became bishops. Journalism in
its best condition is a fine school TO
III IlItu lOI lllllilSNCi ldil Ae1DNAB ohA AiA'
testimony is that of one who has had
a half-century of experience in the
former and a quarter of century IN
the latter profession.
The Daughters of the American Rev
olution are given more than three
pages Of illustrated matter In the June
number of the Woman's Home Com
panion. One of the illustrations is the
Mt fsAHaoz1vr OF
Ga, kept up by the d. A. r. II was the
home of George Walton, one of the
three signers OF the Declaration of In
and who entertained
Gen. Washington there in 1891. The
article gives a very comprehensive
sketch of the patriotic work of the
d. A r. in all sections of our coun-
try. They may be the best dressed
women" in the land, and "cackle like
geese" in their sometimes stormy con-
ventions, but their works do follow
them" wherever such comments are
made, TO show that they are a noble
band of seh-sacrihcins. patriotic wom-
en-. Let them dress and caclSle to their
hearts content, for they have we'll
earned the right TO do so. The
Times-Union of Jacksonville prints a
photo engraving of the locomotive
General of the old Western and At
AdLbLAC INtA4HNaes CdRluICQ QuIlHk the
Civil War, but er-rs in stating that
that leader of the raid. Capt. Andrews
and six of his companions were
hung" in Atlanta There were seven
of his companions hung with Andrews,
and eight escaped from Atlanta, while
the remaining six, including the now
Rev. William Pittinger of California,
were exchanged from Libby prison.
y = II
the record and pension Office at Wash
ington, informs Congressman Henry d.
Clayton of Alabama that the fights at
West Point and Columbus, Ga, on
April 16, 1865, were not the last bat
ties of the war, and that they have
never been officially recognized as bat
ties. This may be true in a qualified
sense, but West Point is recorded as a
combat and Columbus as "the cap
ture,' and both are under the head
of Engagements and Battles" AS /
have before stated in these letters
there were several skirmishes after
that date, but no serious fatalities
The last skirmish was at Palmetto
Ranch. in Texas. on May 10, but Gen.
Z. Kirby Smith, c. S. A., did not
make the last surrender of Confederate
troops until May 26. Brig. Gen. r. C.
Tyler, c. s. A, was killed at West
~ =.
A, at Columbus. If any field officer
of high rank was killed in any later
engagements have Tailed to see the
record. With all due respect to Gen.
Ainsworth, 1t is safe to claim the hon
ors that belong to West Point and
Columbus.
Here's richness. and it is from a lead
ing Georgia daily, in an announcement
from Washington, D. c., that the ID.
A. r. is to agitate a memorial to
Matthews Fontaine Murray Revolu-
tionary hero! Now, who ever heard
of this hero" before? suppose it
should be Matthew Fontaine Maury,
an eminent Virginia scientist and a
officer in both the United
States navy and the Confederate States
navy. AS he was not born until 1906
and did not join the navy until 1925,
this claim that he was Revolution
airy hero" is rather thin. Carelessness
and ignorance are making our news