The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-05-11
RIVERS BRIDGE MEMORIAL.
Exercises Attended by Thousands.
Address by Hon. j. F. Byrnes.

i
Rivers Bridge were held at the me
| mortal grounds last Thursday. A
usual, a large crowd, estimated al
about two thousand, attended the an
nual occasion. Hon. James F
Byrnes, congressman from the second
district, was the orator of the day
Mr.. Byrnes, as usual, made very in
teresting, entertaining, and instruct
i've address, and was listened to with
rapt attention. The Apollo Music
club, of Bamberg, and an orchestra
composed of DR.. o. D. Faust, Prof
Paul Whitaker. Mr.. Clarence Black
and Miss Mary Motion, rendered de
lightful music during the day.
The exercises were held under the
auspices of the Rivers Bridge Memo
rial association. The venerable pres.
| ident, DR.. N. F. Kirkland, presided
DIR. Kirkland has been president OF
| the association for many years, TAX
| ing the keenest interest in the memo
rial exercises. The secretary of the
association, Mr.. J. w. Jenny, was al
so present. 1t is largely due to their
indefatigable work in the interest OF
the association that the annual meet
ings are so popular and successfully
held.
After music by the orchestra and
the music club, DR.. E. O. Watson
made a short address. He discussed
the meaning of memorial day in an
interesting and instructive manner,
and paid a beautiful tribute to the
women of the South, especially the
mothers, who suffered the severest
test of loyalty, yet never faltered in
their duty and their answering de-
votion to the cause of the South. DR..
Watson then introduced Congress-
man Byrnes, who made the annual
memorial address.
Mr.. Byrnes discussed at some
length the sectional differences in
congress, and the relation of these
differences to some of the matters
now pending or being discussed in
congress. He said that very often he
was impelled to retain his composure
and remain silent in congress, be-
cause it was to the best interests OF
the South for Southern representa-
tives to do so; but that he was now
in the South, among his own people,
and he proposed to tell them plainly
the status of some of the things they
were interested in.
Mr.. Byrnes then went into detail
in regard to the pensioning of Con-
federate soldiers by the United States
government, the refunding of the
cotton tax, and the payment for cot
ton confscated during the civil war.
These are matters now either before
congress or being widely discussed
and advocated. The speaker scored
the North for the ever-increasing
pension rolls, despite the fact that
the old soldiers are fast departing.
He frankly told his audience that he
thought it utterly useless to ever
hope for federal pensions for Con-
federate veterans, and he deprecated
the efforts of Congressman Tillman,
of Arkansas, and others In this di-
rection, as it could only serve to
arouse in the old Southern veterans
a hope which would eventually fail.
The Northern Democrats and Repub-
licans, alike, are opposed to the fed
eral government giving pensions to
Southern veterans. These efforts
place the Confederate veterans in a
wrong light, and give the Northern
people an excuse to believe that the
South was wrong and that the South,
by asking help of the Yankees for
the old veterans, acknowledges that
they were wrong. And, further than
this, the bill could never hope for
passage, because sentiment in con-
gress is largely against it; that is,
the majority of the Northern and
Western Representatives are opposed
to the measure, and it must, there
fore, fail.
Congressman Byrnes told of his
experiences while acting chairman OF
the war claims committee of the
national house. He had endeavored
to have the committee allow belated
| claims for cotton confiscated during
the war go before the court of claims
that, he said, was voted down by the
committee, on account of the sec
tional feeling prevailing. The North
ern Democrats, as we'll as the North
ern Republicans, stood against him.
With reference to the refund o1
the cotton tax, Mr.. Byrnes stated
| that after investigating the mat