The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1913-07-24
To oAmalgamate Tho Sections

To o4tnalgarnate mo Sections
After the close Of the Civil
war the United States govern
ment levied and collected a tax
of SIG a bale on all cotton raised
i'm the United States. This law
was, by the Supreme court, de-
cided to be unconstitutional.
Congress then passed a law re
turning to the states the entire
amount collected, which was
about $50, 600, 900. This fund
was set aside and still is in the
treasury. With accumulated
interest it should be nearly
double the original amount.
AS this cotton was raised in
the Southern states, by ex-Con-
federates or their widows and
children. and the tax was paid
by them. This money never
has been returned to them.
Just why, I do not know.
Whether negligence or red
tape" the fact remains, as do
the needs Of the survivors Of
the lost cause"
AS an ex-Union soldier, who
has lived with and learned to
love these old gray heads, l
have the following proposition
to make: AS a final act in
cementing the bonds of our
national union. in forever bury
ing the last spark of sectionalism !
between the North and South,
and as an act Of Justice, fratcrn-
ity and good will to a needy
and deserving element of our
citizenship, [ call upon the sur
viving members Of the Grand
Army of the Republic to use
every honorable method in Sc
curing an act Of Congress to-
pro-rate the money thus raised,
among the surviving Confed- f,
crate soldiers or their widows,
and with a clean slate and q :
thoroughly reunited citizenship r.,
regulate to the lcthc of forget I,
fulness the hardships and hor-
rors Of the greatest internecine
strife of history.
Right or wrong, they believed
in and fought for q pinciple as
only Americans can fight, and
while the God of BATTLES decid-
ed against them, that same
Deity certainly would smile in
approval Of SO gracious an
action by the men who wore
the blue. Resolve and petition
your representatives in Congress
to take action in accordance
with the above, 50 That in the
future reunions of the Blue
and the Gray the gray-headed
veterans will realize fully that
the war is oyer and tho Ratchet
forever buried w. Kincaid,
Texas, in Pennsylvania Grit.
In the above article written
by a Union soldier will be seen
tho spirit Of all true mon,
whether he be a Northerncr or
a SOutherner, Democrat or Re
publican. Why has no. the
money been returned to the
proper owners? And would it
not be a wise and gracious
thing to give it to the old Con-
federate veterans of the South
ern states from which the mon
ey was collected2 We believe
that as the war is over and
peace, blessed sweet peace,
exists between the States, that
all differences ought to be re.
moved and let the Southern
soldiers Of the War Between the
States share alike in the pen
sions from tho United States
government. We help pay the
taxes, why not share in the
benefits2 1t seems to us that all
the people would favor such a
course except a few old fire
eaters. to be found north and
south. Why not call upon our
representatives in Congress to
look after the matter for our
old soldiers7 Would it not be
the best time to attend to it at
once. Just after the great re-
union held by the Blue and the
Gray at Gettysburg, where they
buried the Ratchet, and perhaps
they sang or thought of singing
"Blest be the tie that binds"
There is a lot of talk about
M ~ re ID %xya y 1oOx IL ..-.--I