The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-06-13
SPEECH OF HON. FRANK CLARK
AT ROCKVILLE, Md, JUNE 3
Ladies and Gentlemen:

80 'ANOOu great pleasure for me
to stand upon Maryland soil. almost
within sight of the dome of the cant.
tol of this great republic. and nav NV
humble tribute TO the Confederate sol.
der My heart swells with nride
when | witness. as | have TODAY tho
unNelllng OF monument to the sol.
diers OF what is inaccuratelv termed
the Lost Cause" The failure Of the
southern COnfederacy in the annaaI
10 arms was not Lost Cause" be-
cause the great governmental princi.
pies for which we contended were
right. eternally right and so long as
constitutional government shall ex-
ist and human freedom shall find an
ABIDING place upon the earth. con
test waged in behalf of their perpetui.
~ can ever be considered Lost
Cause It is not my purpose on this
occasion TO enter upon a discussion
OF the causes which led TO the war be.
tween the states but | do desire here
ana now TO proclaim that the people
OF the south We're not actuated bv the
sordid and selfish desire to maintain
the institution of African slavery The
freeing OF the negro was a mere iuci-
dent OF. and by no means a reason
/ Tor the war The northern people.
I led by MIR. Lincoln, never entered into
the war for the purpose of abolishing
/ negro slavery, but in its progress the
proclamation of emancipation was
promulgated by him solely as a mill
tary necessity-nothing more or less.
Ever since this great republic was
born among the nations of the earth,
two schools of political thought have
contended for the mastery in govern
mental affairs. One school has stood
I for a strong centralized federal gov
eminent, while the other school advo-
/ Gated central government of dele
/ gated powers. reserving to tue sever
! al states every power and right not
expressly delegated by constitutional
I grant TO the general government. The
southern states have always stood for
I the latter form OF government We
have always contended for the SOW
ercienty of the respective states. and
( the clash OF these two opinions plung-
+ ed the country into what we know,
/ not AS the rebellion bur as the war
{ between The states" | deny that my
father was a traitor" to his coun-
4 try deny that he was a rebel" He
was patriot. willing to face shot and
/ shell and death for his native state
and for the constitutional government
which his fathers had aided to estab-
I fish In this western hemisphere.
This great war was inevitable 1t
came. and for four long years the I'M
I equal struggle ragged, ending finally at
] Appomattox. when the greatest sol
der OF all time Robert Edward Lee,
ovcrpowered. but not conquered, sur
rendered the tattered and hungry
remnant of the grandest army that
| ever went TO battle TO the victorious
legions who followed the standard of
Grant.
And then my friends, followed
throughout the southland a carnival
of crime and disagreement and hui
initiation. such as the world had never
witnessed before Every home in all
the south was a house of mourning;
the flower of southern manhood had
gone down in the shock of battle; ST
lent chmneys stood as lonely senti-
nels over the desOlation which cruel
war had wrought: our statesmen and
soldiers were disfranchised, and were
practically aliens in their native land;
millions of ignorant negro slaves were
armed with the ballot and led by
INSCRIPTIONS carpet-baggers. who,
like vultures. swept down upon us.
period of misgovernment and pillage
was inaugurated which shocked the
senses OF the civilized world. But, the
battle-sCarred survivors OF thOSe WIZ
had followed the stars and bars, re-
inforced by the young men of the
south. soon wrested from the alien
carpet -bagger ard his negro ally the
reins of government, and we were
once more at home in the land which
gave us birth. No pen can ever pic
ture. nor can brush paint the true
story of reconstruction in the south
land. For years after AppomattoX'
the south PROSTATE, helpless and
bleeding. was the theater of a satur-
MALTA of misrule and crime such as
had never been visited upon any peo-
Die since the first dawn OF civiliza-
ton among men, but the great GOD OF
the universe who guided our fathers
D.. ~, l,,,l- of batt1a did NOT desert