Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1923-04-19
HALDEMAN HEAD OF CONFEDE.
RATE VETERANS; NEXT
MEETING AT MEMPHIS


MEETING AT MEMPHIS
New Orleans, April 12.-(By the
Associated Press William
b. Halderman, of Louisville, KY, wa.
elected commander-in-chief of the
United Confederate Veterans at the
closing business session of the annua
reunion here late today, and Memphis
Tenn, was selected as the 1924 re.
union city.
Three names were offered for the
post commander in-chief when nom.
nations were called for, those OF
General William A Collier, of Mem.
phis, and General E. w. Kirkpatrick
of Mckinney, Texas. The name OF
General Collier was withdrawn be-
fore the voting began, leaving the
field to the Kentuckian and the
Texan. General Haldeman polled
I'll and General kirkpatrick 368
votes.
Memphis WINS.
Only Memphis and Dallas were in
the contest for the next reunion and
the Memphis speakers were rein
forced with a petition more than 100
yards in length and bearing the sig
natures of thousands of Memphians
asking that the veterans come there.
The document contained the names
of 10000 school children alone. 1t
was nip and tuck race between the
two as the balloting progressed but
Memphis always kept jump in the
lead and whwen the roll call had been
completed had polled 629 votes to
512 for Dallas.
A number of the veterans had
argued that the reunions, because of
the age of the delegates, always
should be held in central city of the
South nj order that the journey might
not be too hadr on those residing in
the more distant states.
Harding's Father Talks.
DR.. George Harding, of Marion,
Ohio, father of President Harding,
spoke to the veterans twice today.
He declared he considered Robert E.
Lee the greatest of American gene
rails and Jefferson Davis one Of
the countrys greatest statesmen.
Ec said he solt y..rys:lfindly tow ard
the South in as much as his grand
mother was a cousin of the mother
of Jefferson Davis.
After thanking the veterans for
the manner in which he had been re-
ceived he added: 81 want to thank
the southern people, too, for the
kindness with which they have treat
ed my son. The South never had a
better friend than Warren G. Hard
ing.
DR. Harding was called to the plat
form again later when daughter
of the confederacy, bearing huge
silk Confederate flag announced
that he had expressed a desire for
one. The emblem, the "Stars and
Bars" was presented to him and in
expressing his thanks he told the
veterans he knew they had stood by
it and that eff l had been down here
I suppose 1, too, would hav ebeen
loyal to it."
1t was featured this afternoon that
the Ku Klux Klan would be inject
ed into the proceedings as an issue.
All week there had been vague
rumors that how over the khan
was simmering and that it would
break out in full force at the least
provocation.
Carr A Klansman.
General Julian S. Carr, of Durham,
N. c., commander-in-chief at the
forenoon session during a discussion
Of the term "rebel" as applied to
Confederate soldiers shouted at one
point: 81 am a rebel, and a KuKlux,
too." At the afternoon he loudly re-
peated the phrase and this time
shouts of 81 am, too, came from all
quarters of the auditorium.
j. M. Trout, of jackson, Tenn,
leaped to his feeet and waving his
hands wildly by way of emphasis,
fairly screamed that he was Opposed
t oanything but law and order" and
unalterably opposed to 'lugging any
thing Of that kind into the discus
sion" He did not mention the khan
by name and the incident was over
almost as soon as it arose.
CSC C'fI Iii lufd mfwypAOILDRD
The discussion of the term "John-
ny Reb" and "rebel' arose with the
reading Of a telegram by General
Carr from The Columbia Is. c.
State, asking if the veterans regard
ed such terms as proper when ap-
Piled to the soldiers of the confed-
eracy. "Do not these expressions, if
used by southerners, concede the
northern contention that secession
was rebellion?" it asked.
General Carr in reply to the
newspaper declared the terms are
pervasions of history when applied
to confederate soldiers because his.
tory has proved they were moi
rebels" The commander-in-chief's
message was endorsed unanimously.
General haldeman, as chairman
of the jefferson Davis memorial as