The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1910-09-29
PENSIONS FOR CONFEDERATE
SOLDIERS.


crate soldiers. How much sincerity
there is in these loud professions
made on the stump 10 capture the
vote of the Confederate soldier can
be Judged By the fact that the Demo
cratic party In this State has done
much less than the State was able TO
do and should have done for the Con-
federate soldier. Indeed. our State
has done much less than most of the
other Southern States but even IL our
State had done as much as or more
than any other Southern State. the
truth Is that no State system OF PEN
sions for Confederate soldiers Will
ever give what the crippled. suffering.
and destitute heroes of the civil war
deserve and need for the support and
comfort of their declining years.
Recognizing this fact. Senator But
Ter offered an amendment to the
pension appropriation bill in Congress
in 1898, to extend the provisions OF
that bill equally to the soldiers who
fought on the Southern side in the
civil war. The force and business of
the arguments which he submitted in
a speech in support Of that measure
appealed so strongly to the Republi-
can Senators of the North. that it is
believed that the measure would have
become a law had it not been for the
violent and united opposition of the
Democratic Senators from the South.
A number of these Democratic Sen
ators made speeches protesting vigor-
ously against the proposition, de-
claring that the Southern soldier,
though poor and needy, was yet too
proud to accept a pension from his
Government. They even went to the
extent Of personally appealing to the
Northern Republican Senators not to
vote for Senator Buffers proposition
and telling them that they would con-
slider it an insult to be offered the
pensions, and that the Southern SOL
diers would spurn such pensions if
they were offered them, and besides,
that the Southern States were amply
able to take care of these soldiers.
In reply, Mr.. Butler showed how
meagre was the provision made by
each State for the Confederate SOL
der, and also showed that today the
taxes paid by the people of the South
went equally with the taxes of the
people of the North to pension the
Northern soldiers, and that they were
back in the Union, under the Stars
and Stripes, to stay, that every one
knew if a call was made for volun-
teers, as in the case of the Spanish
war, that no Northern State would
respond with more soldiers than
would the South for our common flag,
and that this being so, there was nc
excuse for spending a dollar to sup
port the man wounded or MANNED on
the Union side any more than to sup
port the soldier on the Southern side
Indeed, he proved that the southern
people were right in th;>t fight; tina,
is, that they had c-nsliluto-4
right to secede, and that while thai
right did not exist today, that it was
simply because the constitution has
| been amended by bayonets. He quot
ed abundant Northern authority tt
! show that the North had long held t.
that Interpretation of the constitu
ton. Besides, he quoted Presiden
Mckinley, and numerous other states
men, North and South, paying eQua
| tribute to the courage, valor ant
patriotism of the soldiers of the South
along with the soldiers of the North
all agreeing that each one fought fo1
what he conceived to be his highes
duty, and that he was as honorabl,
and patriotic in the stand he took al
the other, and that the heroism ane
valor shown in that memorable con
f1ict by the soldiers on both side
was today the common heritage o
our common country.
In spite of these facts and argu
ments, which no one could refute, tn
Southern Senators continued to vic
lently and unanimously oppose tn
proposition. This caused a numbe
of the Southern Senators who were il
favor of the proposition to go to hin
and explain that thew were Dlaced i,