The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-24
HEAD Of FEDERAL
VETERANS SPEAKS
At JOINT MEETING
Blue and Gray Mingle at
Camp Fire" at Chamber
of Commerce
GENERAL GARDNER
PRINCIPAL SPEAKER
Commander in Chief of d. A. Il.
Makes Remarkable Address-Anson
b. Culver Chosen Department
Commander at the Election

With warm hand clasp and hearty
greetings. veterans of tthe Federal and
Confederate forces of the civil war mes
of the camp fire of the Grand Arr,v
Of the Republic held last night at the
auditorium of the Chamber of Commerce.
Hello, Johnny was the greeting oi
the Union veteran. "Howdy, Yank," wa.
the response of the Confederate and
the former foes would clasp hands and
introduce each other.
Attending the camp fire were members
of the Grand Army of the Republic.
members of Camp Hardee and Camp
Wilcox. Sons and Daughters OF Veterans
and their friends
The programme as arranged was ear-
ried out, the musical numbers adding
much to the pleasure of thte occasion
James Ashworth, commander of Geoi ge
A. Custera Post, G. A. r., presided over
the meeting and fittingly introduced the
several speakers. Commissioner James
Weatherly made the address of welcome,
extending the hospitality of the city to
the veterans. The principal speaker WIGS
Gen. WKashington Gardner or Albicn.
Mich, commander in chief of the Grand
Army of the Republic, who made re-
marSable speech in which he emphasized
united country as a result of the civil
war and urged future generations to pre-
serve the union and the traditions of the
past.
For the first time in the history of
the state the official head of the Federal
veterans visited the city in an official
capacity and General Gardner was given
a hearty welcome both by the veterans
of the blue and the gray
General Gardner prefaced his address
by stating his impression of the Birming-
ham district and it's future possibilities.
He said it was one of the most favored
sections of the country, referring to its
great mineral wealth and repeated the
words of the late Colonel Johns that the
half had not been told'' about the fu-
ture of the district.
Speaking of the city he referred to its
splendid buildings and the magnificent
residential sections and paid a high trib-
ute to the beauty and arrangement of
the rooms of the Newspaper club, which
he visited yesterday afternoon.
General Gardner in his address spoke of
the causes leading up to the great con-
flict between the states. and emphasized
the fact that states rights was the real
often quoted. He said If so that il
would have been impossible to have en-
listed 1000 men i'm Ohio. his native state, to
free slaves of the south, and that IL was
the preservation OF the union that
prompted the men of. the north to join
the army
He referred frequently to Lincoln and
said the emancipation of the slaves was
the natural result of existing conditions.
The SPEAKER said that in his opinion the
war was n necessity. and that the blood
OF the blue and the gray had cemented
the nation into an undissolvable union and
that he thanked God he had lived long
enough to see all rancour and bitterness
caused by the war passed away.
He frequently referred to the Confed-
crate veterans comrades" and paid
the nation into an undesirable union and
bloody period of the war, referring to Lee
and jackson and Gordon as makers of
the greatest history the world has known
At the close of his address he was given
a warm Grafton by Federal and Confed-
crate veterans alike.
Other speakers were: Capt John G.
Smith. commander of Camp Wilcox, and
Mai S. II. Nowln, Confederate veterans
j. N. McNeel. anc The Rev. Mr. PEBBLES
and members of the Federal Sons of vet
Grams
The programme was carried out as fol-
lows:
"Tenting on the Old Camp Ground. -
brass quartet.
Address of welcome to Birmingham and
Alabama, James Weatherly, city COM
missioner
Song, male quartet.
Address Washington Gardner, comman-
der in chief G. A. r.
Medley. brass quartet.
Address, John G. Smith commander
Wilcox camp, United Confederate vet
c-ans.
Solo. F. r. Burt
Address, s. n. McNIel. commander
George IL Thomas camp, S. of V.