The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1909-06-16
REELECTED GEN. EVANS OVER HIS PROTEST
With Deep Emotion Aged Commander-in-Chief Bowed
to the Command of His Former Comrades

ondpr-in-cn1GI over HIS vigorous DuC
l E,tiia protest, and selecting Mobile,
Iq luz as the next place of reunion,
40 -" 1Irnited Confederate Veterans ad-
!. nU their business meetings to-
yujabr on the heels of a very stormy
dssion. The big feature of the re-
SION the parade of the veterans,
.I.ill he held tomorrow, and this pa
WIZ Jo will close the reunion of 1909.
CabelI Only Candidate.
The only candidate for comman-
aor-in-chief placed in nomination
u ros Gen. William M. Cabell, COM
,,ondpr of the trans mississippi di-
!iision. Just before nominations
wore in order General Evans read an
onnouncement to the convention in
','bich he declined reelection. He
.oid he had served in every capacity,
srom the lowest to the highest, and
hat he felt that the highest honor in
tbo veterans gift should be passed
from one ex-confederate to another
in turn.
Overwhelming for Evans.
Rut the delegates disagreed with
him and by a vote of 1,540 to 744
for Cabell reelected General Evans
n command. With tears streaming
dawn his cheeks and shaking with
emotion the stately and aged soldier
bowed to the commands of his COM
rades.
Stormy Session Follows.
His election followed one of the
stormiest sessions of the veterans
which old-time delegates can recall.
After Mobile, Houston, Nashville,
chattanooga and Oklahoma City had
henn put in nomination for the next
rnrnion some one began to intro
dnce outside speakers. Sweltering
in a temperature of over a hundred
degrees the veteran delegates OBJ
iected strongly and yelled vigorously
for vote. But the disorder was
desultory. Finally John w. Apper-
son. commander-in-chief of the Unit
ed Sons of Confederate Veterans, Sc
cured the floor and introduced Con-
gressman T. U. Sisson of Mississippi,
as the spokesman of the sons. Near
" every one thought SissOn was to
sDring a dark horse" candidate for
the next meeting place. But, as 1T
became evident that the young con-
gresham merely desired to make a
speech the delegates became noisy
and calls of "Sit down" and vote"
were insistent.
Sisson was game, however, ana
won out on a test of endurance. He
announced that he wished to repeat
his speech in congress delivered IN
answer to Congressman Calderhead
of Kansas, who charged that the
southern people were lazy. Sisson
received some encouragement and
some Kisses, but he persevered.
Finally he concluded in burst
of eloQuence, saying:
Speaker Grows Eloquent.
THE principles you fought for
were right in '61 and are right to-
day. You were not conquered then,
YOU are not conquered now, and the
greatest monuments in your honor
are the millions of pensions the fed
eral government pays to the widows
and orphans your valor made, and
the forty-six thousand graves in Ar
Tington cemetery which the federal
government decOrates each both of
May. AS long as the monuments are
perpetuated to your honor you need
erect no others.
Sisson's speech was received with
mingled cheers and Kisses, and many
confederates left the hall in disgust.
Others crowded around him ana
swamped him with congratulations.
Meantime Mrs. Moore Murdoch of
Dallas, Texas, was endeavoring to be
heard. She wanted to second the
nomination of Houston, Texas, for
the next reunion. She possesses a
very masculine voice and manner of
delivery, and she soon quoted the
assembly. The veterans listened IN
patience until she declared:
Rebels Always!
I'VE have lived as rebels, we are
still rebels, and we will die as
rebels"
Then pandemonium broke loose.
1t was difficult to tell whether the
majority favored her sentiments or
opposed them. Cheers were mingled
with catcalls and Kisses, and above
all reverberated the ear-splitting
rebel yell.
Several other speakers were intro
duced, but no one heard their names
or what they said until Governor
Haskell of Oklahoma was intro
duced Even he had stormy greet
ing, which might be construed one
way or another Finally, however,
he tired out the crowd and made a
diplomatic speech, inviting the con-
yeDtiOn IN choose Oklahoma City for
the 1910 reunion.
you will find confederate vete-
rams in most of the Offices of the state
from supreme court judges to con-
stables" he said And you will find
as hearty a welcome as you will lind
anywhere on Gods earth"
PENSION LIST OFF.