Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1916-03-24
con SCleNCE FUND NAY TILL
NAN PUTS TENSIONS 70
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two thousand persons
ieard Congressman John r. Till
nan, of Arkansas, in an address
It the City Auditorium yester-
lay afternoon. Mr.. Tillman
spoke before Confederate veter-|
ans, Sons of Veterans, the Rich
mond Grays and the Howitzers,
members of the Daughters of the
Confederacy. Boy Scouts and
citizens. He was frequently
cheered as he explained his reas-
ons for the introduction of a bill
in Congress to pay to Confeder-
ate veterans and their widows
the sum of $500 and $50 per
u,onth during their lives, as a
conscience" fund from the goy-
eminent for having illegally APP
prepriated 500, 100000 in land
condemnation and cotton taxes.
In the course of his remarks,
Mr.. Tillman paid high tribute to
the women of the South, and of
the world. He declared that a
woman was the first at the cross
and the first at the tomb Of
Christ. He urged them to aid in
his national crusade for the pas
sage of his bill in Congress in
behalf of the Confederate soldier
and his widow.
Mr.. Tillman spoke of the bill
offered by Senator Works, which
provides for a Union home for
Confederate veterans at Johnson
City, Tenn.
He declared that he would vote
for that bill or any other Dill
that would help the old Confed-
crates, but that he did not think
that the bill went far enough.
What ne asked was justice and
not a gift from the government.
He referred to the work done by
Confederate veterans after the
war, when they hunbly took up
their burden, forgetting, as far
as possible, the strife that had
ended. putting their hands to the
pillow. He pointed to the South
that has arisen from the ashes
of the past as striking example
Of what these same men have
handed to their children and their
children's children. This, he
said, is the gift of these veterans
to tile nation they have faithful
ly served since the Civil War, a
gift which entities them to re-
spect from all sections and which
justifes them in asking that they
be recompensed for the money
aud property taken from the
South through illegal action at
a time when the feeling between
North and South was unhealed.
Most striking was the state
ment that the greater part of the
money, claimed to have been H.
legally collected, was secured,
not during the war, but after the
surrender of Lee at Appomattox.
In 1868, he sum OF 1881 200
was collected iroul tie South
through All unja cotton tax, he
said. In 1864, the sum Of 81,
900. 900 was thus collected, and
in 1865. a similar amount. But
after the war ended, from 1866
to 1868, the South was thus re-
quired to pay in time Of peace
the bulk of a sum aggregating
500, ZOO, 900. In 1866 this
amount was $4,000, 900 (; in 1867
S32, 900, 900; in 1868 sos, 900. 900.
This money, he declared, was
unquestionably unconstitutional
ly collected.
The Supreme Court of the
United States, composed of four
Republicans and two Democrats.
shortly after the war. stood three
and three on the proposition to
restore this fund to the South.
The matter has since been left
undecided.
Again the sum of 325, ZOO, 600
was taken in property valua tion>
from the South under the aban-
doned property act. The total
he pointed out was at the least
the 500, 600, 900, which he asked
be restored.
Can the greatest government
in the world afford to keep this
money" asked the speaker. ut
is a time to recognize the South
as an integral part of the nation.
If war comes tomorrow the South
will do its part. Before me sit
men in the uniforms Of
their country who will respond
10 the call of the Union. They
are the sous of the South. There
is not a star in the flag of the
Union but has not been made