The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1922-05-02

put some HOWGIS On lIIS OtliNl 81 aNN y
too?" Thus the ieda of an annual Me
mortal day was born, and now once
in every twelve months,
"When in spring the gentle showers
Kiss sweet rosebuds into bloom,
Then we weave fragrant garland
For the southland's cherished tomb.
Weave a garland-yes, OF memories,
Memories twined with flowers rare;
Place it DER our fearless heroes,
Bid its perfume linger there"
To the Mary Brantley chapter OF
the United Daughters of the Confed-
eracy | wish to say that you are mem
bers of a great organization Its near
" 100000 members are doing noble
work in perpetuating the memory OF
the courageous Confederate soldiers.
They are worthy of all the praise you
can give them, and in honoring them
you honor yourselves. Nor do you
confne your efforts to singing paeans
of praise to the heroes of the past,
for you expended last year in Georgia
$4,000 for the education of needy
boys and girls; you gave III schol-
iarships in Georgia schools; you are
caring for helpless veterans and wild
ows of veterans; you have dotted the
south with monuments to the mem
DRY of Confederate dead Time for
bids a detailed discussion of your no
bic services OF love, but | must say
in the words OF your devoted state
president, Mrs. Frank Harold, OF
| Americas, To be a member OF the
Daughters of the Confederacy is the
most eloquent tribute a woman can
pay to her Confederate ancestry, and
is vindication of Confederate history
before the eyes of the world When
the question is asked, Is there still a
! Dixie?' let the answer be- Look at the
vast throng of United Daughters Of
the Confederacy and doubt it il you
| dare
Let us review briefly a few of the
outstanding causes which plunged the
nation into four long years of civil
strife.
Through many years OF controversy
the southern states vainly endeavored
to secure tranquility and obtain respect
for the rights to which they were en-
titled. There was the slavery question,
which was distorted beyond the
bounds of truth and reason by an ar
rogant and partisan northern press and
! forum Southern statesmen generously
assented to the Missouri compromise,
believing they were thereby prevent
! ing a national disaster. But little did
they suspect that this same compro-
mise would prove their own undoing
| for it made it possible for their willy
! political foes to import millions OF
| foreigners and settle them on the fer
tile acres Of the middle west. So vast
| ly did the population OF the north in
crease that in 1860 the south was plac-
ed in a hopeless minority, and the
reins of government passed over to
northern factions.
| Enormously large grants OF land III
! this section were made to northern
states for their railways, schools, cor
porations and other internal improve
ments. Thus the 270,000,000 acres OF
| the finest land on the continent which
| Virginia gave to the government to
hold in trust as a common fund was
so managed as to greatly benefit the
one section at the expense OF the 9th
I er.
High or low tariff was then, as now,
a question continually in the limellght
Of public consideration. A northern
majority in congress imposed a tariff
law which allowed the New England
| farmer to land his one hundred bales
OF wool duty free; but the southern
farmer was required to leave forty
! bales of his cotton in the customs
house for the privilege of landing the
other sixty. 1t was in vain Tor the
| southerner to protest or to plead tor
the abolition of this policy Of eXacting
| tribute money from him for the bene-
fit Of northern industries.
The south, moreover, had cause
for complaint in the unequal distribu-
ton of the public expenditures. For
every mile of sea front in the north
there are four in the south, yet there
were four well-equipped DOCK yards
/ in the north to one in the south; large
SUMS Of money had been expended for
northern, small for southern defenses;
navigation of the southern coast was
, far more dangerous, yet the northern
was better lighted.
! This federal partiality discouraged
/ souehern industries, while the north
fourished and prospered as no people
! had ever done. Conse quently there
was cumulative dissatisfaction in the
: south which finally rose to such a
! pitch that notification seemed the on
! " solution. Her noble minded states
/ men poured on oil in an effort to heal
the fostering wound of the southern
mind inflicted by the arrows OF north
ern political archers. But the breaking
point came in the elections OF 1860,
which revealed the fact that the north
had determined upon policy OF force
to break down southern ambition. The
only resources was to withdraw from
an intolerable situation. The constitu-
tiona right which the north had
taught her the south exercised.
And so in the face of gathering
storm there was born nation whose
existence was destined to end with the
passing OF the storm. The noble he
roes whom we honor today were at
once compelled to defend their native
soil against such odds that it was al
most vain to contend. Bpt they stood
as one man. Jefferson Davis said in
his inaugural address, 1T is joyous in
perilous times to look around upon a
people united in heart, who are ami