The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-06-07

soldiers, the fortitude Of our southern
women. the fidelity with which vi
cherish the memory Of their deed
and their sufferings are but the meas
ure of our loyalty to a reunited coun
try and to the flag that floats over i
from the lakes to the gulf and from
sea to sea. II the southern people
could so soon forget. II they were Sc
tickle and inconstsnt that they could
learn to despise the cause for which
they gave the best blood of their veins
IL they could be ashamed of a record
that is the wonder and admiration OF
the world, then indeed might they be
despised as degenerate and ignoble
race who could not be loyal to any
country or faithful to any flag.
"He is foolish, indeed, who holds
that the southerner must surrender
not only his arms but his manhood
and self-respect before he can become
q IoAehluA oOluiOi VI q WI my CAIlACH
of the republic. No, my countrymen,
the world respects us for what we are
doing this day 1t will despise us If
we ever come to despise our own
glorious history.
my countrymen, this monument is
also commemorative OF the soldiers
and the sailors of the south. What
ever else may be said no man has
the hardihood to question the splendid
valor and prowess of the south, wheth-
er by land or by sea.
That Fearful Struggle.
With a courage SO great that her
adversaries have loved to stigmatize
it as sheer folly and madness, she
the power of great ma
ton vastly superior in numbers, in
wealth, in everything that makes
ready for war. Without an army,
without navy, without money, with
put credit, without arms or ammuni
ton of war, without factories to sup
ply them, she entered upon that fear
ul struggle. Against the appalling
odds of nearly four to one they main
aimed it for four years, and for long /
ime the issue of battle hung doubtful
n the balance. Nay more--I dare as
ert that there would have been no
'ictory for the union, if the contest
lad been on land alone
1T was the fatal weakness of the
,onfederacy at sea that turned the
lde of war. Given men, the organiza-
lon of an army is matter of COM
aratively easy achievement. 1t is an
Their matter to improvise navy for
lstant service. The navy of the Uni
I'd Statee in 1861 ranked fourth
mong the navies of the world, and in I
roportion to its strength was second
, none. perhaps superior to any in
ficiency It's merchant marine was
le greatest upon the sea. A rich s
alton with all the appliances for ship I
Hiding would have been at immense a
sadvantage. The Confederacy had 9
, such appliances and was poor. G
akeshift trading craft constituted t
e bulk of the Confederate navy. Yet b
lder all these adverse conditions. the 2
,nius of the South shone with as II
UGH brilliancy by sea as by land. n
'uisers like the Alabama and the "
almost swept the mef-
ant ships of the union from the sea. "
IN clads like the Merrimac wrought
voc with the best equipped war
fps Of the enemy. To naval war n
e the Confederacy bequesthed the Il
'padn and tina irom clad ram, an WELT d
some daring and partially success 81
experiments in submarine naviga- r,
D. Ths neaard Of ths CankedeEateh h
Wy was. in short, the story of gen. HI
, energy and fertility of invention FIR
Ned by poverty OF means and nat. fr
Il resources. OF
But, my countrymen, no just tn
butte to the quality of southern man. sl'
I'd could be made that did not in LEI
de the story of its marvellous M
ievements in the redemption OF the
tn after the war.
To my mind, there Is nothing in pa
history so magnificent as the in pr
nitable and invincible spirit which ha
bled defeated people to rise in Thu
led and victorious resistance to the an
cy of the conqueror's government rei
southern people could accept TIN
It they deemed the legitimate re- pre-
s Of the war. They could give up ric
cry without sigh. They could ito
under the union and under It's
after all II was their land, and
r flag. But to be despoiled of por
r heritage, to be subject to the sou