The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-16
SOUTHERN MEN
 ADVISE MAYOR New York Has the Service of
 Strong Southerners CORPORATION COUNSEL Archibald R. Watson Was Born In Mississippi and Began Professional Life at Memphis, Tenn.-South-
 ern Notes From New York.
By ROBERT LEE CARTER.

6J nODE LEE OAh EH.
 New York, January Special. .)-There are few more important offices in the city government than corporation counsel. He Is the mayors legal conscience, and his interpretation of the law is binding on the heads of all the departments until he is overruled by the courts
 It is gratifying to New Workers of southern birth to know that a young southerner has been chosen for this most important office.
 The new corporation counsel is Archi- bald R. Watson of Mississippi, Tennessee and Virginia. He Is Missssippian by birth, was educated at the University of Virginia and began his professional life at Memphis. If that doesn't make a pretty good southerner don't know what does. MT Watson has made a name for himself at the New York bar as a sound lawyer well versed in the law as it affects muni- cipal problems and the best opinion Is that Mayor Gaynor would have had dif- hculty in selecting a more capable legal adviser.
 MT. Watson has settled down in his office in fine shape.
 An idea as to the possibilities of this of lice may be found when 1t is remembered that the late William 0. Whitney gained his first political spurs as Corporation counsel. and If there was ever an abler hand at the game than MT. Whitney would like to meet him.
 With Bob Atkinson as his personal ad- wiser and Watson as his legal mentor the new mayor is pretty apt to be kept In the straight democratic path.
 MT. and Mrs. Preston Dayie will live ih New York when they return from their honeymoon. Davie is tho young Ksntuck- ian who married Miss Emily T. Bedford, the beautiful daughter of the Standard oil magnate, and sailed with her on tho Cedric last week
 They have taken the house at No. & Fifth avenue and it will be fitted up in sumptuous style before they get back to the city. They will be prominent in society in New York
 Alumni of Harvard university who served on the Confederate side during the civil war, many of whom now are reside2ts of New York, have been taken py surprise that one of their number has been selected to deliver the annual Me morfal Day address at their alma mater. He is Maj. Benjamin M Harrod. who was graduated in 1ScA That Harvard should invite an "ex-rebel'' to be orator on such an occasion is thing SO much In contrast with some other things in connection with that ancient institution that Memorial Day is likely to see an unusual mingling of the blue and the gray in the great hall whose walls hear the names of many Harvard men who fought in the union ranks but none of her sons who ranged themselves on the side of the Confederacy. In extending the in- vitation to Major Harrod President Low ell said:
 I feel sure you will appreciate my asking one who was in Harvard before the war and fought on the southern side. ,,
 Major Harrod's appreciation will be shared by his comrades among the for mer Confederates and many of them re- siding here are planning to go to Cam bridge and make old memorial hall ring with the rebel yell" given in honor of the departed alumni who fought as 'Yanks.' Major Harrod, who is . native of New Orleans, has been a member of the isthmian canal commission and also served on the Mississippi river commis- sion. At one time he was president of the American Society of Civil Engi- neers.
 Isolated Grand Army camps continue to pass resolutions urging Congress to re- fuse to accept the stateue of General Lee offered by the state of Virginia
 Rankin post of this city is the latest to take this action. I was talking to an old "Confed" from Alabama the other day, and he remarked, What do those fellows expect. anyway? We are in the union, aint we? We are as loyal to the stars and stripes as any man in the country and more so than a good many of these fellows who are passing reso- lutions. But if they expect us to be dis loyal to the men who led us under the stars and bars they sure have another guess coming
 There was sincere sorrow here when the announcement of the death of Rep resentative James W. Grfggs of Georgia was received. The big, genial Georgian had hundreds of friends here. When he was at the head of the democratic congress sional committee business called him fre- quently to New York, and after he re- tired from that post of honor he fre- quently took trip to the big city when