The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-04
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
Cleveland and Confederate Soldiers.

Cleveland and Confederate Soldiers. To the Editor of The Age Herald.
 In 1895 Mrs. Milner, our daughter and were included in party of Ala bamians invited to become the guest of Col. Hilary A. Herbert, then secre- tary of the navy to witness the launch ing of two gunboats at the Newport News shipyard. We went to Washing ton and were given passage on an ele- gart steamboat thence down the Poto- mac to Newport News, where the boat arrived early the next morning. some of us were awakened from our slumoer by cannonading, which we learned was the battleship Texas salutfng the sec retary of the Navy. Later in the lay we. as his guests, were provided With choice positions for witnessing the launching.
 In the afternoon we accompanied ehe secretary in his launch on a Vlslt 10 several battleships and cruisers, Wliloh had come to do honor to the occasion and were lying in the harbor. wherever we went the greatest courtesy was eN- .,aded to the secretary and homage naid to him by all the naval officers nresent. among whom were some d's- tinguished old captains and commo- dores who had fought under Farragut and Porter.
 salutes were fired and the crews and marines were assembled on the decks Of their respective ships and presented arms as the launch passed near them. The secretary was the most d1stin- guished and most honored person pres- ent. What a spectacle An old con fcderate soldier here in command or the navy of the United States, reeeiv- ing homage from and giving orders to these old veterans with whom few years before he was engaged in deadly conflict and by whom he was regarded as rebel against the government whose navy he now commanded.
 Witnessing the scene, I realized that seotionalism was no more, that l, citizen of the south, an old Confed- crate soldier, had the same right and interest in the government of my coun- ITy dS dnyOnG tiSts T oi eAio HI rfAfo since my boyhood, in 1861, felt deep down in my heart real and genuine loyalty and love for the flag. "Old Glory' was in reality my flag. l said In my heart, God bless Grover Cleve- land for enabling me to witness this scene"
 MT. Cleveland was the only President who had the courage to make no dis tinction between the soldiers who fought for the Confederacy and those who opposed them, making merit alone the standard by which their qualifica- tions were to be measured.
 During his last administration l published in one of the smaller cities of Pennsylvania. Looking over the editorials I discovered this paragraph: :
 MT. Cleveland has just appointed the rebel general, Fitzhugh Lee, first con sul to Cuba. If there are any more impecunious rebel brigadiers still out of a job, if they will send in their names to Grover Cleveland they will be provided for"
 The following are the names of a few of the most distinguished old Confed- crates and their sons who were ap- pointed by MT. Cleveland
 Gen. A. H. Garland of Arkansas, at sssippi secretary of the interior, and afterwards justice of the supreme court; Clifton R. Breckinridge of Ar kansas, ambassador to Russia; James B. Eustis of Louisiana, ambassador to France; Hannis Taylor of abama, minister to Spain; J. L. M. Curry of Alabama, minister to Spain Hilary A. Herbert of Alabama. secretary of the navy; Hoke Smith of Georgia, secre- tary of the interior; Senator White of Louisiana, justice of the supreme court Howell E. Jackson of Tennessee, justice of the supreme court; Fitzhugh Lee of Virginia, consul general to Cuba.
 When the populists came into power in South Carolina and North Carolina and turned Gen. Wade Hampton and Gen. Mat Ransom out of the Senate. MT. Cleveland recognized their worth. placed the former at the head of the interstate commerce commission and sent the latter as our minister to Mex ico.
 MT. Roosevelt. 15 years later, after the Spanish American war has had it's modifying influence on the minds of the American people, has followed in MT. Cleveland's footsteps and placed Gen Luke Wright at the head of the war department W. J. MILNER.
 Birming gham, July B. 190S