The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-09
CLARION CALL IS
 ISSUED ID VETERANS
Trans-MiSsiSsippi Department
 Urged to Attend
CABELL WRITES ADDRESS
Lieutenant General Points Out Pros porous condition of His Depart ment and Urges Comrades
 To Keep Up Work.

'NS~F " ''S' '>'
 A call has been issued to the United Confederate Veterans of the Trans-Mis- sissippi department by Lieutenant General w. L. Cabell and Adjutant General and Chief of Staff Milton Park, calling upon them to attend the reunion in Birming- ham next June. The call is especially urgent, saying let Us not forget that We are like the leaves of the forest, fall ing out of this great column of gray, and one by one crossing the river to the great beyond. As stated by one of our our comrades there are no recruits, no volun- teers to fill our ranks, and no man is numbered among us but received his bap- tism in blood and fire over 40 years ago. No human power can replace a single are the lines of gray fading away, and but few short years must intervene be- fore those that now remain must look their last time upon the comrades face '
 The call reads as follows
 Headquarters Trans Mississippi Depart ment United Confederate Veterans.
 Dallas, Tex. February l. 1908 Comrades of the Trans Mississippi De-
 partment:
 A happy new year to you, my old com rades and all dear to you. The old year. with its pleasures, it's joys, as well as its sorrows and disappointed hopes, has passed away, never to return. AS time passes our comrades are growing older and more feeble; our ranks are growing thinner, and during the last year many of our noblest and best have crossed to the Great Beyond, and have answered to the last roll call Let us thank God that the death roll is no greater and that our comrades enfeebled by old age, who are incapacitated by wounds, disease and sick ness and unable to make a living, have been properly cared for by the great states of Texas, Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma by furnishing good shelter, good and ample food, good clothing and good medical attention and nursing where the heroes, the unpaid soldiers of immor- tai principle, can spend the remainder of their lives In comfort and ease.
 1 would again call your attention to the growth of our noble order of United Confederate Veterans Our adjutant gen. eral, William E. Mickle, reports over 16O0 camps. 1 am proud to say that more than one-third of this number are in the Trans Mississippi department. Continue this good work Let me appeal to you by the memory of the brave men who died on the battlefield and in prison-from
 
 ito enroll. l appeal to you by the mem ory of the suffering and hardshps borne by the noble women of the south-your mothers, your wives, your sisters and daughters-who, with tears streaming down their cheeks, will tell you with pride of the heroism of their noble sons husbands or brothers, to enroll, to join some camp and keep in touch with each other the few years you have to live. and where you can be attended to in case of sickness or other misfortunes by your old comrades.
 1 therefore call on the division and brigade commanders of our states and territories to give the necessary orders to increase the number of camps as well as the membership of each camp, so that at the reunion to be held in Birmingham, Ala June g, 10 and Il, 1908. you will have more camps and more Confederates than have been gathered at any former re- union. I would earnestly request every division and brigade commander to urge every camp to meet at least once each month or oftener if necessary and ar range for sending delegates and the necessary per capita to Gen. William E. Mickle by April 1. The committee on transportation, consisting of Gems. Oliver Steel and Mendez and Co.'s B. F. Wathen and T. B. Trotman, will do all in their power to secure rates on all railroads leading to Birmingham for this depart ment.
 Then my old comrades of the Trans Mississippi department, consisting of the great states of Texas, Arkansas, Mis- souri, California. Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Nebraska, North and South Dakota and Wyoming, and Indian Territory, Oklahoma New Mexico anI Arizona, who were unable to attend past reunions, can now join us in our grand reunion at Birmingham, Ala. The people of Birmingham will welcome you with open arms, and will extend to you that hospitality which they have already shown to the brave Confederates who have visited them in the past. Then, old comrades of the Trans Mississippi depart ment, Sons of Confederate Veterans and Daughters of the Confectionery, come and bring with you your wives, your sons and beautiful daughters. Let the three days be a grand love feast Let us renew old