The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-22
ny SAMUEL T.. LEWIS.
eh"irmnp Monumental Committee,
CnlteJ Confederate Veterans

'uHtu Nbu'cucrftc Veterans.
On he 9th al March, 1906, there was
enactment NJ lag tPub!ic IS approved
March 9, i9oSD for the honorable care
OF the graves OF the Confederate prison.
dead lying in the Northern Statss. H.,
brief, this law provides for ascertain.
ing the locations ana conditions Of tho
EThves Of the soldiers and sailors OF thu
Confederate army and navy who died
In Federal prisons and hospitals IN tho
North. who were buried near Their
places OF confinement: the acquisition
and control over all grounds where
'ai1 prison dead arc buried. not now
possessed or under the control OF tho
United SUITES government: the prepara-
son cf accurate registers OF tho piaces
oil burial, tho number OF the grave. tho
name. company. regiment or vessel and
state OF each Confederate soldier and
sailor go buried. 10y vcrifcat!on with
the Confederate archives IN the <Ar
Department at Wash!rSton: tho cree
ton over said graves OF white marbL.
Neads'ones similar 20 those recently
placed over tho Confederate graves IN
Arlington Cemetery. the nu,iding Of
proper fencing Cor the preservation OF
said burial grounds and tho care O,
said burial grounds IN all PROPER re-
$prcts not spccldcally mentioned, the
said work to be complete within two
years, AT the end OF which time . re.
S:ess. Tho Secretary OF War is au-
iho:i2cd and directed 20 appoint some
coinpctcnt person as commissioner 10
carry out the provisions q, the law
II has recently been currently report.
ca that since the enactment OF the law
until tho present time there has bcci,
no repor; made 10 Congress In detail
al the extent and manner In which the
provisions Of .the law have received at
iontion. II is reported ilnt up 10 this
time 90 per cent. OF tho appropriation
las been expended. Including existing
contracts-that is TO say. 500, 900. that
Il .g stated 20 be Impossible or din.
cult to locate the individual grave.
and therefore a departure from the let
ter and spirit OF tho law ms originally
enacted haa been made, by erection OF
monuments OF mn sonry AT Firms Point.
y. j.; Alton, H.. and possibly othe.
places. and that one Is contracted FOR
AT Point Lookout. Nd, all bearing
metal tablets OF names. In lieu OF en-
during headstoncs over the Individual
graves. as provided In the law; that
departure from the law has been made
in marking the $500 graves located in
national cemeteries, in whole or In
part. by utilization of the ancient. thin
dctcriorated hcadstoncs OF nearly forty
years ago. instead OF the new. substan-
,ial white marble headstoncs provided
in the law (the use OF such ancient
hcad3toncs having been specifically OBJ
lected to before President Mckinley at
the time the petition was before him
IS99l looking TO the bcttermcnt Of the
conditions OF the Eravcs OF Confederate
soldiers In tho National Cemetery at
Arlington
IT now appears that bill has been
passed by the Congress authorizing the
Secretary of War to GAUGE TO be erect
cd central masonry constructions Or
monuments. upon which tablets shall
lie placed. containing the names OF tho
deceased Confederate prisoners OF war;
and where contracts have been entered
into for the erection OF said central
masonry constructions or monuments
md have been executed In good faith,
tho Secretary of War is authorized TO
cause payments 10 be made in liuuidu
ton of such obligations. Thus IL secms
TO appear that arbitrarily and without
warrant these tablet monuments have
been erected in ono or more blria:
grounds. the payment for which has
hecn refused by the officers of tho
Treasury Department, and now need
to be ratified by Congress.
These several reports. and the Dill
just passed By Congress, have greatly
alarmed and distressed the comrades
and friends of those dead prisoners o:-
war, and they fear that these delar-
tilics apprehension that other oepar
lures and violations OF the law have
been made which as yet have not be
come known to them; in addition to
which the absence of detailed reports
for public information (and disscmina-
tion) regarding the extent and manner
of attention bestowed upon tho work
thus far, nearly five years after enact
mcnt of tho law. has aroused great
concern as to the conduct OF mat
ter in which tho people of the south
arc profoundly Interested
Tho erection Of monuments u The
Confederate soldiers was not Intended
or even contemplated, by Congress in
tho enactment of the law. 1t is hold
That tho Southern people do not expect
or wish the United States government:
to erect such monuments, but they do
expect that what Is justly due shall be
accorded those prison dead in the
North; that their Wish and expectation
is that these graves shall BIO main
tanned In their separate individual der
tity. and that they shall be given hon
orable care hereafter, in like manner
MS Is given the graves of the solu,ers
OF the Union army. Such desire upon
their part te natural and proper. ana
Justly to be demanded; and was 50
made known to Congress at the time
the bill for' tho appropriation was
under consideration.
1t is held that no monuments OIL
whatever character can satisfactory
he substituted for tho provision Of tho
law, which requires the marking OF
the Individual graves. Certainly not
legally under tho law OF 1906; and 7iot
satisfactorily In any case, if they heav
tAblets Of metal. whether proper {rcal)
hfonzc. or whito metal zinc bronco Gao
--,alied>. from tho circumstance OF con-