The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-21
VETERANS HAVE BIG
TIME At BESSEMER
Nearly 200 of Old Soldiers At
tend Reunion
SPEECH BY UNDERWOOD
ent-Bessemer and Y. NJ. C. A.
Play ScoreIess TTe-Person-
nj and General

Bessemer, August 20.-(Special) THE
Confederate veterans of Jefferson county
gathered In Bessemer this morning al
most 200 strong. They poured into the
city with their families and 1t was neces-
commodate the crowds. Promptly at Il
o'clock, Capt J. NJ. Huey, chairman
of the county executive committee, called
the meeting to order and with a few
preliminary remarks introduced Gardner
F. Goodwin of Bessemer, who delivered
the address of welcome. He spoke feel
ingly Of the love and respect that every
man, woman and child in the southland
felt for the men in gray" and ex-
pressed the sentiment of the city in these
words: "A formal welcome to the Con-
federate veterans is unnecessary, for
there is no place In this fair southland
of ours that the men who wore the gray
are not welcome"
Senator Johnston was unable to be pres
ent on account of a confusion in dates
and Congressman Oscar Underwood de-
livered the principal address of the day.
He paid a magnificent tribute to the
veterans and showed the conditions I'M
der which they fought and the principle
for which they strove. His address, In
part, was as follows:
1T is pleasure for me to speak to
Confederate veterans said he. THE Sec
ond and third generations from the Con-
federacy owe duty to you to keep alive
the deeds of the past, to let the coming
generations know for what and why you
half century has passed since It's close.
We owe nothing to the past. 1t is not
necessary to have such meetings to keep
up the past issues, but to keep alive
the cause for which you fought The
American colonies justified the deciara-
ton of Independence in ITS by over
throwing a government that ceased to
govern. There was no more cause for
the colonies to rebel against Great Brit
ain than for the south to fight against
the north. William l.. Yancey said in
Washington in 1860, He is a union man
who believes In maintaining the consti-
tuition In all It's integrity: disunion who
would alter one single letter.
What was the issue for which you
fought? Many children believe both In
the north and south that you fought to
maintain slavery. This is not true. Thou
sands of men In the Confederate army
did not believe in slavery. Statesmen
believed in the gradual emancipation of
the slaves. Thomas Jefferson was tho
first to oppose the further Importation
of slaves into the United States and
the northern states opposed it. I be-
lieve that If the Civil war had not oc-
CURED that slavery would have been abol
ished by the present date. We are the
only country that has abolished slavery
at the point of the bayonet. Since the
Civil war Brazil, Russia and Cuba have
abolished slavery without war
THE principle for which you fought
was the maintenance of the doctrine of
the constitution of the United States In
1t sinteg11ty.'
After drawing a parallel between the
conditions at the north and the south and
showing the hardships undergone by Con-
federate soldiers, Mr.. Underwood brought
his address to a close by paying grace
full tribute in verse to the men who fol-
lowed Lee.
Mr.. Underwood was followed by several
speakers from among the veterans who
recalled old times and told stories of the
stirring times of the war. At the con-
clusion of Mr.. Underwood's speech the
band played Dixie and the crowd went
wild. The veterans raised the famous
rebel yell' that once struck terror to
the hearts of their foes and the crowd
cheered heartily in sympathy with the
old men.
Dinner was served by the ladies on ia
bles in the park and the dainty repast
was greatly enjoyed by the veterans.
After the dinner the veterans transacted
some business and after period of gen.
real handshaking went home to await the
next reunion. The same county executive
committee was elected. The committee
is as follows: ]. NJ Huey, chairman; j.
L. Darby, secretary; I. T. Guy, ]. F. Nc
Laughlin. w. A. Williams, w. e. Ross
and w. T. Huffman.