The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1908-07-23
Do We Care for the Confederate
Soldier?
Communicated.

Communicated.
Yes, that is what [ mean-do we care
for the Confederate soldier? Do we love
the Confederate soldier? We love to
fiaunt him in the eyes OF the world
know. We love to plume ourselves on
his proves. We love in imagination to
climb with him the slopes OF Gettysburg.
We love to stand at bay with him at
Petersburg. We love to stagger with
him to the sad finale of the Confederacy at
Appomattox. We love to shine by the re-
tiected light of the splendor of his deeds
In short, we love ourselves. But dow
love him? Let's see. Let's stop and look
squarely at the matter and at ourselves,
ii we can and are not afraid to-
At the State convention OF 1904 there
were two men prominently before it for
the place OF Governor, the highest office
in the gift of North Carolina. One was
Confederate soldier a Confederate
officer. A man who had served the
State gallantly valiantly in her desper-
ate struggle for independence and for
the establishment of the very essence of
Democratic principles, of home rule as
against the liberty engulfng centralsm
and imperialism OF the day. The other
was man too young to have served in
the war. He was an able and a worthy
man but not whit more So than the
veteran of the Lost Cause No one
doubted that the veteran would make
good governor, every whit as good as
the other gentleman. 1t was in our
power to compensate this veteran for
what he had done and suffered and to
compensate him in way that of all
Others would have brought the greatest
IF 70 vi
would have cost us as a people to do
this was the breath to pronounce an ex-
ira syllable, two syllables instead of one,
in naming the man for Governor-to
say Steadman instead OF Glenn. Which
did we say?
Come down to the convention of this
year Those veterans Horne, Ashe and
Roberts, men who had served the
State vallantly in war and ably in
peace, sought the suffrage of their fellow
citizens. These gentlemen besides their
war records had certainly as much to
their credit in civil services as their op-
ponents had. In ability, in worth, in
fitness for the office they sought and in
services to the State in a civil capacity
they were the peers of the gentlemen
who opposed them. No one will dispute
that No one can doubt that if the
hand OF oblivion was laid on their long
and-banorable war record that they
would have been as worthy OF office as
the other men.
What was their fate? Did their Con-
federate record turn what should have
been the evenly balanced scales in their
favor? No, there is more weight in the
politicians little finger than there would
be in the whole body OF even a Hoke
or Lee.
have not a word to say against the
gentlemen who We're nominated They
are able and upright and will serve the
State fully as well as the three veterans
| on whom North Carolina turned her
back at Charlotte, but no ADLER, no more
upright, no filter than they are.
L am not depreciating the nomination
OF the successful gentlemen. | am only
| calling attention to the fact that our
| deeds don't square with our words. If
we really care for the Confederate soldier
let's show it in our deeds. He can bet
ter spare our words now that he is get
| ting old. Better bread to-day than stone
tomorrow,
Ii we have an office to fill and two
men offer for it, one Confederate veter-
an, and the veteran is in all respects as
competent and as we'll qualified to fill it
as the other man, let's do one of two
things. Let's either give it to him or
stop prating about how well we love
MN and how anxious we are to show
him that we do. In a word, let's have
done with cant. Let's act up a little
nearer our talk or talk down nearer our
acts.
L am aware that among the nominees
there were two veterans. But as the
more prominent and deserving ones were
defeated | must think that these two got
in by chance.
0. W. BLACKNALL.
kittrell, n. C.