The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-05-07
EDITOR LAW HAS A WORD TO
SAY

Suppose somebody should analyze /
the situation closely, and come 10 the !
conclusion that the south does not owe
the Confederate veteran any ineXtin- |
guishable debt of gratitude, and the |
question should come up for argument. |
what would you think and say about /
it?-Tampa Times.
No one who knows the views Of the !
Times, as from time to time expressed
in it's columns. i'm regard to the va
rious Observances in honor of the '-on-
federate soldiers and the principles for
which they fought, will be surprised
at the above unjust, uncalled for, con-
temptible fling at class Of men who
by their self sacrificing devotion toI
principle and their unsdfish herolsm
in its maintenance have given the
southern states of this Union foremost
rank among the peoples of the world.
A sufficient answer to the general
course of the Times in regard to these
! Confederate ObserVNnces, is that no
people in the whole course Of history
have ever achieved their liberties or
retained them. or deserved to retain
them when they ceased to honor their
heroes. both in civil and military life.
When the south ceases TO honor hers
she will deserve and receive the CON
tempt of the world and the scorn even
lof the gallant men of the north who
fought against her; but the implied
charge in the extract which heads this
larticIe, that the Confederate veteran
lis pension hummer" is too serious
ito be answered by any mere general
statement; the author of the charge
must offer adequate proof to sustain
lit or Law himself open to the charge Of
Ignorance or grauItous misrepreacn-
Itation. The facts in the case are over
whelmingly against him.
The Confederate veterans have
never asked for pensions. The pension
laws originated in some of the older
lsouthern states. the immediate cause
lof their enactment being the fact that
some of the old soldiers suffering from
disease contracted or wounds received
during the war had been sent to the
ipoor house and died there. Florida
followed the example of the older
states. but in her present pension law
lit is the opinion of the most of the
lConfederates themselves that she has
Iexceeded the bounds of a just gener-
Iosity in pensioning those who have
sufficient means to support them
iselves. They would be glad to see our
lpensiOn laws placed upon more equi-
table basis, and thus tighten the bur
Iden upon the tax payers of the state.
AS the Times knows everything, even
before it happens, it is really amazing
that it did not know this.
If the real attitude of the Confeder-
ate veterans in regard to the matter
of pensions is to be correctly judged,
lit is by the action of its great repre-
sentative organization. the United
Confederate Veterans, and we chal-
llenge the Times to cite one single in
stance where that body has asked for
pensions or their increase. For the
sixteen years of our citizenship in
Florida we have attended every meet
ling of the state division, and the only
discussion of the pension laws we have
ever heard related to making the laws
less stringent in regard to the desti-
tute widows of deceased soldiers. Any
one who would condemn such action
p would be unworthy of the name OF
t man, much less the honorable title OF
Confederate soldier.
No. Brother Times, the true COnfed-
[ crate soldier did his simple duty. and
= has never asked payment for doing it
= He got little or no pay during the war
- yet he served on to the end, as no sol
idier in history ever served before. Il
his service were to be put on a finan'
fetal basis where you seem to wish tC
put it, all the wealth of this grea
: country could not repay him. Real pa
triOtiSm cannot be measured in dol
liars and cents.-Bartow Courier-II
Il formant.
-
Tho p;hloo uorv old hook-Sav