The Washington herald., 1919-01-21
CRAY VETERANS
Line THINS OUT
IN PAST Year
ConfederatesC Commemorate
Birthdays Of Robert E. Lee
and Stonewau Jackson.
ADDRESSED BY CLARK
Speaker Urges Speedy Re.
turn Of Soldiers Now on
Duty Overseas.

Confederate gray and the gray OF
time mingled together last night as the
aged veterans of the Army OF the
South met at Vermont Avenue Chris
tian Church to honor the birthdays OF
Robert E. Lee and "Stonewalf' Jack
son.
We are but a remant of what was
once the Army Of the Confederacy,
the presiding officer. Capt Fred Beall,
commander Camp III, u. c. ", de-
clared. Those of us, who. as boys
and men fought with Lee and jackson,
are now old and feeble; during the
past year we have buried twenty-three
out of our membership OF 15o and when
We meet again TO celebrate the birth
day of our chief some of those who
gather here tonight will be missing.
THE Confederate veteran is passing
away, but as we go down the Western
hills and look back over the days be-
tween 81 and IS we feel not one pang
OF sorrow or regret"
Introduces Speaker Clark.
Capt. BeaIl introduced Speaker
Champ Clark, who declared that of
the great leaders produced by the
civil war, the greatest and best be-
loved had been Robert Z. Lee and
Abraham Lincoln.
The whole nation is proud of these
men, he said, "and OF the boys who
fought under them. II was not
Southern valor or Northern valor but
American valor They were Ameri-
can soldiers, whether they wore the
blue or the gray. patriots according
to their light and as such we are
proud of them."
The Speaker, referring to the Amer
/ lean soldiers overseas, said he De-
llevcd they should. be brought home
as soon as possible. He said that
every minute these men spend unnec-
essarily in the army, is subtracted
from their lives.
There are those" he said. who
believe the boys should be kept
abroad to police Europe. We licked
the Germans for the people of Europe
and now it's UP to them to keep them
/ licked. They say they want the boys
TO fix things up for them take down
wire fences. etc. but our boys didn't
put the fences up and am for letting
those who did. take them down, or
| letting them stay"
Honor Crosses Awarded.
Honor crosses, in recognition of
distinguished service and merit,
were conferred on veterans or their
descendants as follows:
William D. Swan, Company B,
Fifty-second Virginia Infantry; Capt.
Jesse H. Burke, son of Jesse H.
Burke. Company G, Ninth Kentucky
] Infantry. and Mrs. Goodwin D. Ellis
worth, daughter of David Henry
! Williams, of Maj. Harris Battalion.
North Carolina Infantry.
The following program was pre-
sented: Invocation, Rev. John E
Briggs. Fifth Baptist Church; song
Carry Me Back to Old Virginia, "
Miss Evelyn Payne; tribute to Miss
Mary Custis Lee. Gen. Charles B.
Howry; song, sword OF Robert
Lee" Mrs. Mealette Spengler; ad
dress. Hon. Champ Clark. Speaker
House of Representatives; song,
Face to Face" Mrs. Frank Noske;
presentation of crosses Of honor
Mrs. Gustavus Werber; solo. Dixie" d"
Mrs. B. S. Gantz; accompanist. Mrs
Ida Offut Trenis; benediction. Rev
Earle Wiley.
The committee in charge Of the
celebration was composed of Mag
nus S. Thompson, J. NJ. Hickey. F.
NJ. Angelo, Joseph Baumer and J
a. Brown.