The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-05-04
ELOQUENT W Words
OF General Stephen D. Lee to
Ills Old Comrades.
THRILLING SPEECH

opening OF REUNION AZ VIEW OT'
leans. Words that Wrung Cheers
of Pride and Grief Prom
Battle.Scarred Soldiers
Following is the address Of Gen.
Stephen D. Leo, commandment chief
Of the United Confederate Veterans,
at the New Orleans reunion, last week
in reply to welcoming addresses. Gen.
Lea said:
"The United Confederate Veterans
are again met In the CITY Of their
origin. We are once more the guests
Of those patriotic and energetic men,
into whose labors we have entered,
and to whom the thanks Of all surviv.
ing Confederates s re due. Again and
again, WI have returned to taste of
tbs inexhaustible bounty Of your hos
pitality; to be refreshed by the patri.
otism and enthusiasm Of this generous
and beautiful CITY.
1.-THE flags Of France and Of Spain,
of the Union and OF the O~onfederacy,
have hoated over the soil upon which
we stand, but always over brave mon
and lovely women, loyal to the best
they knew, faithful alike to the living
and to the dead; a civilization trans.
planted like a rare flower of France,
b 'ossoming In the new world, and
bearing exquisite fruit. The Confed.
crate cannot forget the CITY Of the
gallant and accomplished Beauregard,
the brave and unfortunate Hood, the
city where Jefferson Davis loved to
walk and which honored him In bis
death with an outpouring of loyalty
and grief which did honor to the
Southern heart. Here is Metairie,
where Albert Sydney Johnston speaks
In imperishable bronze, and the mon.
ument to the Army Of Northern Vir.
ginta. rises tall and white, like the
soul Of It's great chieftain.
"We love you, Louisiana, where
the stern blood Of the Anglo-Saxon has
been touched with the grace and the
genius of France. Here amid the very
chtvalry Of patriotism there Is wei
come for all who prize noble and gen
o deeds, and, most Of all, a wei.
come for him who loved his country
best and bore her cross Of pain-the
Confederate soldier. We. who grieved
for this unhappy CITY In the hour of
Its capture and humiliation, rejoice
In it's -ide today, standing second
only to New York among American
ports Of export; your mighty river,
filled with the ships Of all nations,
your historic streets alive with the
commerce Of the world. We behold
with satisfaction great railroad sys.
tems struggling to enter your gates
and the merchants of 8 thousand
cities Listening for the murmurs of
your markets. We wait the cominp
Of the day when the waters Of the At
lant1o and Pacific shall mingle TO-
gether. and on both alike shall float
the commerce of this imperial city;
when the sons Of those who struggled
In vain fol- Southern supremacy shall
here behold a peaceful Victory, more
magnificent than those of their great
armies, q commercial supremacy more
splendid than their noblest visions
and here beside the Father Of Waters
shall bo realized the capital Of their
dreams.
we have lost dear friends and
comrades since we met together, none
more beloved and more honored than
the soldier who was recently laid to
rest at Arlington. Joe Wheeler won
his spurs by true and honorable ser
vice. He was q superb cavalry leader
and earned on many o hard fought
field the right to lead where brave
men follow. When the heart of our
common country yearned to express to
her Confederate son that their vel.
cOm0 homo was complete to Wheeler
1t was given to show, on our behalf,
that every star On the flag was now
dear to us and that we were ready TO
follow 1t to the very Isles of the Sea-
It was Southern hands that set star
after star In that blue field OF glory
and If any more stars are ever planted
there 1T will be strange If a Southern
or is not found assisting at the opera.
tiOn.
Comrades, there is one thing com.
mitted to our care as a peculiar trust
the memory Of the Confederate SOL
der. So far as lies In our W we
have striven that history may not
lack the evidence OF his purity OF mo-
tive, his fortitude, his heroism. I,
for one, do not fear that Justice, how
ever long delayed, will not ultimately
be done to one Of the grandest bodies
Of men who ever battled for indepen.
dence, or triumphing over defeat,
bound up the bleeding wounds Of their
country.
There are three things peculiarly
left for our concern One Of these is
the erection Of public monuments to
our Confederate dead, to our leaders,
but, above all, to those private soldi.
ors, who made our leaders immortal,
We must not overtask posterlty by ex.
peoting those who come after us to
build monuments to heroes whom
their own generation were unwilling
TO commemorate. The South has
reached q position Of material pros
perity, which justifies both State and
private beneficence to honor the faith
full dead.
"In all human lot there hasl moth
ing better been found for man than to
die for his country. II there be any
virtue, If there be any praise, this
fate is 10 DC preferred above ali others.
We feel 1t Ia we'll with those who have
thus fulfilled the highest Of all trusts,
" 49, " -