The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-06-01
AN EMBLEM OF HONOR
The Southern Cross, Won on the Hat
tIefieid by James p. Taiiaferro, and
Ever Kept Unstained by Him
Gainesville SUM


beautiful shade trees and nursed in
the lap Of luxury. the subject of this
sketch was born and raised. We're
two brothers both older than he. When
joined the Confederate army. James
T.. the youngest. being a lad in his
,eens In ls67 after Appomattox had
sounded the death knell of the Confed
eracy, and the Stars and Bars of the
Lost Cause had gone down in de-
feat, hut covered with glory. James p.
estate to find. what The home in
ruins. the fields devastated, the fences
burned. the magnificent oaks and
shade trees laid low by the soldiers
aNe. al the stock, chickens, hoge and
il the provisions. even, contiscated to
the use of the army in blue. the ne
groes freed and scattered, and not a
dollar in hand to begin life anew. Both
armies had marched. countermarched.
anG fought over the entire state. There
was nothing left but the land.
When next we hear of James r.
Taliaferro we find him rafting logs on
the ST. Johns river. developing that
;gCl of mind and body which has
led hi.n step by step To wealth and
high political position. and which
eventually justly earned for him the
''Soubriuuet" Of the 'RuSinesS Senator"
Now. My Countrymen. is such rot
is being promulgated by Broward. and
his satellites to initiate against man
who has had the manhood. the grit.
and the brains to rise above the en-
vironments of the situation. and upon
find a blot When and how has Brow
are. ever shown himself any more the
poor mans friends than Taliaferro? In
the darkest days of the reconstruction
era. when bond was needed to keep
a poor man out of a I S. Jail, Talia-
ferro's name was ever ready. Can
Broward's friends claim as much for
him? When money was required to
lieve the necessities of the poor man,
either in or out of the political prison,
or the needs of his family. the pocket
book Of James p. Taliaferro. like his
heart and life, was ever open. My
Cnuutrymen." can you say as much for
Broward" The attempt is being made
to influence the poor man not to vote
for Taliaferro. because he is rich. Ev
cry dollar has been made by the hon
est toll of his own hand and brain
Which one of you, oh My Country
men, would not have been glad to
have done likewise? Let him who is
without sin cast the first stone. How
can any man vote for BrOward after
reading his replies to the questions of
The Hon. W. B. Lamar, eN-attorney-
general of Florida? How can any man
vote for Broward after reading the let
ter of Mrs. Eppes. in which she tells
g l., ,v,1 Nv
three brutal negroes. two of whom af-
er having been tried. convicted and
sentenced to be hanged. had their
necks saved by having their sentence
commuted to Imprisonment for life by
him as governor. in direct opposition
to the earnest protests of her and her.
and her husbands relatives. My
! iCountrymen." had Taliaferro. or Gil
christ been governor those brutal saw
lagos would have been hung higher
than Haman. And, now. there is an
lother powerful reason which should
appeal to the heart of every man who
wore the grey. for his vote: Taliaferro
years the southern cross of honor.
In the year 1904 Napoleon Bonaparte
organized the Legion Of Honor" ot
France. Napoleon was recognized the
/ world over as the greatest military
genius OF modern times, taking rank
with those great captains Of ancient
history. Hannibal of Carthage. Caesar
of Rome. Alexander the Great of Mace
don. and Achilles of Greece. whose
deeds of valor were sung by both Eir-
gil and Homer. Napoleon created the
icroSS of the Legion Of Honor" as
marked tribute to courage on the bat
ltlefield. and bestowed it with his owr
l. 1, :,
At the bridge Of Lodi. at Austerlitz
lat Wagram, and Leipsic. and nun.
Idred other battlefields. thousands dice
in their efforts 10 win the coveted
cross. happy in the thought that if, iI
marching up 10 the blazing cannon:
mouth they were blown 10 pieces. tha
the emperor would find a ragmen
sufficiently large TO pin upon il the
lcrosS of the Legion of Honor.
Later on the Iror Cross OF rrussis
was created by Frederic William. kins
of Prussia. as 4 reward for distin
guiShed services a soldier. Revived
in 1871. during the war with France
the Iron Cross was bestowed upoI
many a gallant soldier by William III.
who stood with him on the battlefield:
of Solferino. Sedan. and at the sieg,
land capture of Paris.
In 1856, England. by royal warrant
. established the "Tictoria Cross" 1t il
Maltese. made from cannon captured
during the Crimean war al Sebastopol
i So difficult was il to win that up Il
, the close of the Boer war in Soutf
Africa only 500 men had won II.
And yet a little later, upon the sol
Of America, the Southern Confederac,
sprung into existence. and from 1S6
TO 1865, four years. a little band o
heroes, numbering only 60o.o0o from
beginning to finish. upheld the Star
and Bars" against more than 100000
Taliaferro was one Of that littl
band.
| Years after the close of the war ant
the Lost Cause" had been buried unde,
the weight Of vastly superior numbers
the noble women of the South. Got
bless them. created from the canno,
which had been captured by thei
heroes, the Southern Cross of Honor
and the fair hands Of the Unite
Daughters of the Confederacy pinne'
upon the breast of each and ever,
survivor of the Confederate army thei
| Cross of Honor. as a distinctive tri
butte to his heroic courage and splen
did devotion 10 a cause which. thoug
lost, will live forever in history. Ev
cry man OF that devoted army OF tn
South did his duty. and won his eros