The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1911-01-05


An Ovation at the End Of His D,
CONTINUED fr,
Other Important Planks OF the Re-
publican Platform.
The speaker then reviewed rapidly
some of the other great progressive
issues of the Republican State plat
form, including the planks for good
roads, reformatories for young crimi-
mails, more liberal pensions for Con-
federate soldiers. an honest election
law, a non-partisan judiciary, and
the drainage of Southern swamp
lands. He expressed his regret at
not being able to discuss every plank.
in the platform, and being forced to-
refer so briefly to only some of the.
planks, because" he said, "I must
hasten along in order to get to the
real purpose for which this meeting
was specifically called"
Great Importance of Good Roads,
In discussing the plank declaring
for State cooperation with the coun-
ties in establishing and maintaining
a great system of good roads from
one end of the State to the other, he
emphasized the incalculab1e value of
good highways, not only to the far
mer, but also to the towns and cities,
and indeed for the benefit of all and
the general uplift and progress of
the whole State. This is one of the
great progressive planks of the Re-
publican State platform.
Pensions for Confederate Soldiers.
In discussing the plank declaring
for more liberal pensions for Confed-
crate soldiers, Senator Butler point
ed out how far Democratic perform
ances had fallen short of Democratic
promises in this respect as well as in
all others. He declared that the
small sums which the Confederate
soldiers are now receiving as pen
sions are only pittance of what they
need and deserve.
COnClnu1nS, ne SAID.
North Carolina is a great and rich
State, with wonderful resources, and
under the beneficent influences of Re-
publican National policies is destined
to be one of the greatest and richest
States in the Union. The State is
now able to and should do much
more for the few and fast disappear
ing heroes of the Confederacy. If
the Confederate soldier received not
only liberal State pension, but also
received a pension from the Federal
Government as large as is now being
paid to the soldiers of the North, they
would then have their feeble and de-
clining years made only fairly COM
Portable and happy, to say nothing
of a proper reward for their un-
PARALLEL patriotic valor.
eff the courage and patriotism of
the Southern soldier is equally the
heritage of this great country to-day
with the courage and heroism of the
Northern soldier, as all brave and pa
triotic men in the North, who did
real fighting, now admit, then this
great fact should be recognized in a
more substantial way than by simply
placing flowers upon their graves af-
ter they are dead. The people of the
whole country should give evidence
of recognition of this fact by tender
ing to the Southern Confederate sol
dier while yet they live equal to that
each year extended to the Union SOL
dier.
Besides, I have never thought
that it was fair and just that the peo-
pie of the whole country should be
taxed to the extent of one hundred
and fifty million dollars a year for
pensions. while not dollar for this
sum goes to the South, while, on the
other hand. the South is annually
drained to make up this enormous
sum to be annually poured out north
of Mason and Dixon's line.
"I offered an amendment to the
pension appropriations bill in the
United States Senate, providing that
the pension laws should apply to the
soldiers OF the Southern States equal
" as to the soldiers Of the Northern