Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-06-15
United Confederate VET
Grams Meet at Louisville.
Cheers and Tigers for Buckner,
Lee and Wheeler.
Ringing Speech Of Right Tone BY Gen. Lee
to Southern Veterans.


men and with music and flags every
where the city of Louisville, today
welcomed the thousands who hav'
come to attend the 18th annual con
vention of the United Confederate Vet
Grams. The attendance exceeds expecta
lions.
General Bennet III. Young of Louis
VILE, commander of the Kentucky df
vision, called the veterans to order, this
afternoon, in the Horse Show building
General Simon Bolivar Buckner wei.
coined the veterans on behalf of the
Confederates in the state at large. The
venerable soldier and statesman was
given ''Three cheers and a tiger
General Young was about to intro
duce General Stephen D. Lee, the COM
mander-in-chief. when General Joe
Wheeler. accompanied by his daugh-
ter, Miss Carrie Peyton Wheeler, the
sponsor for the South, and her maid OF
honor, were seen making their way to
the stage. The chairman lost control of
the convention instantly and the veter-
ans cheered themselves hOarse over the
sight of their famous leader. General
Wheeler acknowledged the greeting In
brief speech.
A remarkable demonstration greeted
the presentation of General Stephen D.
Lee, the commander-in-chi The vet
Grams rose and cheered the commander
loudly, while hats, canes and handker-
chiefs filled the air. When order was
restored Gen. Lee spoke in part as fol-
lows:
"'Out there is Appomatox,' said Hen
ry w. Grady, where the Lord God AL
mighty laid upon every ragged gray
cap the sword of His imperishable
knighthood.' Instead of the gray caps,
I see, today, only the gray heads; but
the same knightly hearts are beating
still. When we meet together we renew
these great memories, these imperisha-
BILE friendships.
1--WE go to our graves feeling that we
were right. 1t is true, we failed in MAIN
tanning the principles we fought for.
Superior numbers and resources under
the wisdom of an overriding Provi-
dence, decided against us, yet we are
sure we did cur duty: and it is our
duty to the end to preserve undimin-
ished the treasures of our devoted pat
riOtism, our mistaken faith and our I'M
alerable belief in the sacredness and
business of our cause
"One thing is certain, no Confeder-
ate soldier has ever hung his head be-
fore any human being because of his
conduct. We have all through our lives
and under every conditions maintained
our self-resrect and in our old age now.
we see we have the respect not only of
those who fought against us, but of
the whole world.
Eve have taught our children to hon.
or the flag of our reunited country. In
the Spanish war we sent our sons and
grandsons to follow the flag that our
forefathers filled with stars and to
which we now give again our unstinted
loyalty. Best of all we restored our be-
loved land as an integral living part to
the onion of our fathers. With us now,
all passions and bitterness have passed
away. We are holding only to all that
is sweetest and best and tenderest in
living.
"Our lives have been prolonged to see
our country recovered from the raw
ages and effects of war: to see peace
ard good will even now almost sup
plant the passion and strife engendered
in those bloody days and what is dear
est to us all, to see that we have the
esteem and honor and love of our de-
scendantS."