The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1909-06-13

Vicksburg. Miss. June l2-. Upon
taking the chair as presiding officer,
MIR. Wdttcrson said
Standing by the Father of Waters,
let me first give thanks 10 God,
that. from the Falls of St Anthony
To the Gulf of Mexico, It flows
through an unbroken succession of
American states. az once a chain
and an emblem Of perpetual union
between the north and the south.
II was to gain this outlet to the
sea that we acquired the Louisianas
that the yeomen of the great north
west took the field. The purpose to
close 1t proved an error of far
reaching magnitude. but II IL be
true. as Gibbon tells us. that Ills
tory is little more than the register
of the crimes. follies and misfor-
tunes Of mankind" what must not
all of us have to answer for when
reason comes To the final disposi-
tion OF the facts of a conflict which
eevn now battles philosophy; be-
cause the south, forc-doomed to de.
feat risked all and had everything
to lose; the wonder being. and the
glory, that against such odds the
self.confident but vanquishcd and
vanished Confedcracy was able TO
hold out so long.
Those OF us who survive that
dread ordeal. are old men now and
each annual roll-call brings yet
fewer OF us together Presently
there will remain among the living
not one who fought on either side.
/ Happy those who have been spared
to loo upon a land never again
To be wet by fraternal blood and a
| people reunited forever In hand and
| heart The mystic chords of mem.
ory stretching from every battle.
field and patriotic grave To every
/ living heart and hcarthstone," touch.
/ ed long ago by the angels OF our
better nature" swell at last the
! universal chorus Of the union: the
memory Of deeds OF kindness and
and race; for. impossible as the
line OF fire seemed. We were one
! people then and we are one people
now, the war Of sections mutual
/ and a blessed heritage.
This Is why We are assembled
in a national cemetery to rear a
memorial TO a Confederate general
He was of the best the south has
to offer upon the affairs of American
manhood. all that the north could
wish an American TO be. | have rid
den TO battle with him, and knelt
by his side in prayer, and can truly
say that what his great kinsman
was to Virginia he was to Mississ
ippi
so prompt and capable and yet
SO calm. He nothing lack'd I'm sol
dicrship, except good fortune"
II will be for another to dwell
upon his many and surprising vlr
tues, his skill and prowess in the
field, his ervice to the arts of peace
his simply. kindly. sturdy manfulness
In the presence Of life's duties. hi,
Christian resignation in the presence
Of death, Lee In every drop o'
his blood. In every inch Of his
stature. in every thought and fibcl
Of his splendid intellect and delight
ful personality.
Let me end. where | began, for W,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~N
lawyer, whose real grievence is ou
state constitution.
/. Capital for investment is coming I,
Oklahoma more rapidly than TO an,
other state in the Union and will con
tinue To come No doubt the specu
lative element would like to amen,
the constitution SO that they coulC
get three dollars instead of one. bu
! il is our opinion that as long as the.
: continue to come for one dollar tha
/ the producers of our state are EMIT
. led To retain the other two dollars
It will be time enough for us I,
send our state constitution to Wal
| street to be revised and amende,
, when time has developed that tn
! wheels of progress will not roll with
out such amendment, but today. tn
4 people Of Oklahoma are so busy keeT
ing track of our wonderful progres
i and development that We certainl
Q have no time to surrender the cor
a stitution that IS looked upon by tn
e honest people of every state in tn
g Union as prize which they woul
I be glad to inherit"