Pike County Georgia Newspapers - First Veterans Association Meeting 1890 ********************************************************************************************** USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ********************************************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Lynn Cunningham lcunnin1@bellsouth.net Table of Contents page: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/pike.htm Georgia Table of Contents: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm The Pike County Journal Zebulon, Ga., Tuesday, July 29, 1890 Pike Co. Veterans Hold Their First Annual Reunion At Concord They Organize and Celebrate the Occasion Very Appropriately Rain and sunshine alternately. But it made no difference. About 1,500 people met to enjoy themselves in a soldier’s reunion, and they did it. At 10 a.m. the meeting was called to order by G.W. Strickland, and John L. Banks lead off with that grand old song, "All hail the power of Jesus name." Prayer was offered by Rev. W.A. Brooks, and Judge Barrett was then introduced as the Alliance orator. He said that every important industry or business was organized, and that if the farmers expected to cope with them they must also organize. We have organized and it is having its good effects already. I can see in the countenances of these brothers and these sisters that they feel better. When we ask for some legislation in our behalf, we are told that it is unconstitutional. The constitution of the United States don’t recognize but one right of the farmer and that is to own a mule and a plow and use them. On account of the threatening weather the Judge’s speech was necessarily somewhat scattering. SOLDIERS ORGANIZE The following resolutions were read and approved: Whereas the county of Pike was nobly represented in our struggle for constitutional liberty in the war between the states by one thousand or more of her brave sons, many of whom sleep beneath the sod of other states, and many have since crossed over the river until comparatively few are left. From the Potomac to the Rio Grande our heros’ blood has been freely shed for the sunny land that is their resting place and the armless sleeve and the halting gait of our grey-haired veterans are monuments of the days of our bitter struggle, when southern men, encouraged and aided by the prayers of southern women, went forth to battle for God and home and native land; and Whereas, We still believe that the principles for which we fought are right, and founded deep in the constitution of our country which was then, as now, sought to be overthrown, and Whereas, We still love our country and hope that these eternal principles of justice and truth may finally prevail, bringing peace, joy and happiness to all classes of our citizens; and feeling also a strong attachment for all those who with us, with all their might opposed oppression and wrong, and still do. Now, in order that we may the better perpetuate these great principles, and the love we have for each other, and that our children and children’s children may know that their fathers were not rebels, but [soldiers] who fought as did the heroes of ‘76 for the eternal principles of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness, therefore be it Resolved 1, That we, as veteran soldiers of the war between the states, who still live in the county of Pike, do come together as a band of brothers and organize ourselves into an association to be known as, "Pike County Veteran’s Association." Resolved 2, That this association elect a president, a vice president, secretary and treasurer who shall continue in office one year, or until the next meeting of the association. Resolved 3, That the secretary make a complete list of all veterans who live in the county that will unite with the association, first of these now present, and afterwards of all who will give him their names between this and the next meeting of the association. Resolved 4, That a committee of three or more be appointed to draft by-laws for the government of the association. Wm. O. Gwyn, Sec. Hon. John F. Madden arose on the orator’s stand at this juncture and stated that before going into an election of officers he would introduce to the audience Prof. R.D. Shuptrine who would deliver an address of welcome to the old soldiers. Prof. Shuptrine responded in a graceful and elegant 10 minutes address which captured the crowd and made everybody feel comfortable and easy. At the conclusion of Prof. Shuptrine’s speech Mr. Z.L. Fryer arose and stated the for president of the Pike County Veteran’s Association he would put in nomination a man who was fearless in battle, a natural-born military officer, a valued citizen in time of peace - the Genral Gordon of Pike. No man can fill the description better than Col. John H. Baker, and I put him in nomination. {Applause} The gallant Colonel was unanimously elected. Geo. W. Strickland was elected vice-president, and W.O. Gwyn was elected secretary. Capt. Mitchell suggested that a chaplain be also elected. Rev. W.A. Brooks was elected to fill that position. In accepting the office of president, Col. Baker said that the old soldiers knew that he was no speech maker. He said that he had learned at an early age that he was not very smart and in order that the fact might not be made so conspicuous he always had little to say. He loved a good soldier as well as anybody and had as much contempt for a sorry one. He felt grateful for the honor conferred on him in being elected president of the association. A telegram from Gov. Gordon was then read announcing that he deeply deplored not being able to attend on account of sickness. DINNER Everybody was invited to dinner which was spread on tables situated in the grove between the Baptist and Methodist churches. No ne missed [t]his dinner and it was such a one as is rarely seen. Almost every substantial article of food known to the culinary talent of the country was set out, [unreadable type] with the finest sweetmeats. All scot-free and it appeared to please the noble maids and matrons who had prepared it to see it eaten or eaten at by the old soldiers. But the writer is now hungry and at home and will have to drop this part of the subject in self-defense. AFTERNOON SERVICES At 1:30 Secretary Gwyn read the following letter from Hon. R.J. Powell, which was greeted with applause: “Barnesville, Ga., July 23rd, 1890 – G.W. Strickland, Concord, Ga. “It has been the desire of my heart to be with you and the old veterans tomorrow and participate with you a nd your patriotic exercises. It has been my intention all along to be present and shake hands and mingle my voice with those who, for four years of terrible and unequal strife against fearful odds, fought for the rights of the states and for constitutional government. I regret that I find myself not well enough to come. I approve the meeting and heartily endorse its purposes as I understand them. It is not only right but important and patriotic the old soldiers should meet, revive the memories of the past, talk of the great battles fought in freedom’s name, review the sufferings and hardships of that eventful period, and upon the sacred alters of our common country pledge ourselves anew to the preservation of constitutional liberty, not out of the union as before, but in it. The time is ripe for this patriotic display of devotion to constitutional government. “From the foundation of the world, when the morning stars sang together in all ages and everywhere, there has been government of some sort, the best the people at the time knew, but it was reserved for our fathers to improve on all the models of the past and establish upon these western shores the perfection of all government the world has ever seen, pledging to the private citizen the right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; to the states, perfect autonomy and local self-government, and to the general government the right and duty of only looking after the general good under the stipulations of the constitution. [Note: at this point in the microfilm there is a tear in the newspaper and it is folded back upon itself and is very hard to decipher. I will transcribe as much as I can, but because the true meaning of the intent of the author may be misconstrued, I will refrain from trying to guess what he truly meant to say. The paragraph begins.....] “The South has always stood by the government thus established and by the constitution handed down to us, baptized in the wisdom and patriotism of the fathers; she has always been in harmony [unreadable] compact of confederation; she has always favored equal and exact justice to all, [unreadable] privileges to none; she has always opposed [unreadable] and all attachments upon the constitution; she has always been conservative, patriotic and devoted; she has always been [unreadable] defense of liberty. The north has differed from us. She has been for self, for money, for power. She has been aggressive, disregardful of the rights of others, denouncing the constitution and favoring what, in their fanaticism, and lack of common patriotism, they call a ‘Higher Law.’ They are still on this line. Never in the history of the government have they been so profligate and abandoned or so mad in their reaches for power as in the present congress. Party spirit has never been so intense, so unscrupulous, so fanatical, so wildly extravagant. Reed and Ingalls are no worse than the party that sustains them. In fact, they are simple exponents and exemplars of the intensely sectional partizan spirit that animates the mad and malignant people who put them in office. What is known as the force bill has passed one house of congress. It is now pending before the senate. It means mischief. It designs danger. It is meant to exasperate the southern people. Its purpose is to produce violence. The hour is one of extreme peril. The south must be discreet but firm. She must maintain her reputation for conservative patriotism. She must not waver in her devotion to constitutional liberty and the prosperity of the country. The spirit that animated us in the sixties must still be ours. We stood for states rights then. We must stand for them now and forever. The principles are eternal. Let us cherish them ourselves and teach them to our children [and] to the latest generation. Let there be no wavering, no variableness, nor shadow of turning. It is the same old contest that has been going on for a hundred years between the advocates of state sovereignty and the advocates of a central despotism. The South has always stood by the states, the people and the constitution. It was this that served us in the late war, where we lost our property, but saved our principles. “It is this that stimulates us still. The south is right now and has always been. Impartial history will so make the record: Should the force bill become a law we must stand together again shoulder to shoulder as we did when the ‘pomp and circumstances of glorious war’ called us to the field. This time, however, the contest must be in the Union and bloodless, but nonetheless determined and patriotic. We must stand together for the integrity of the south and the principles of the fathers. “Should the north again attempt to over ride the south with force bills, election frauds and bayonets, let us as a matter of protection simply, let us as a matter of self defense, let us as the only peaceful remedy that is left us, establish and maintain a determined [and] a irrepressible boycott against all our enemies. God, in mercy grant that we may be saved this dire experiment, but if forced upon us, may we have the manhood and the patriotism of the time ‘that tried men’s souls.’ “Again regretting my ability to be with you, and again assuring you of my interest and sympathy in the occasion, I am, Yours sincerely, “R.J. Powell” SHUPTRINE’S SPEECH Prof. Shuptrine mad one of the best impromptu addresses we have ever listened to on a similar occasion. In opening his address he said he was proud that the association had been organized – it would cultivate the ties of friendship and cement the bonds of affection between the old soldiers. He paid a glowing tribute to Lee, Jackson, Davis, Gordon, Johnston and others. Their noble deeds are ours – ours to vindicate and ours to perpetuate. He favored the idea of decorating soldiers graves. Let them be cared for, whether found in the cemetery, on the highway, or on the battlefield. And may those who fell at the first onset and were buried in some secluded spot, rest in peace. May the choicest wildflowers surround their graves, unplucked by careless hands, or trod by ruthless feet, but may they be seen blooming and basking in the beauty of heaven – worthy of the chivalric spirit that sleeps beneath them. He paid a very high compliment to the Southern women. Generous and true, they had never turned an old confederate away from their doors hungry. At all of our reunions and in southern history your praises are sung by thousands and thousands who have gone before from the battlements above would pour out blessings on your heads. Among the inspiring songs of the war none deserved a higher place than”Dixie.” It suggested home, mother, sister and, perhaps, that other dear one that many of the boys left behind. Above the din of battle the ear faintly catches the sound of Dixie. It puts iron in the musket, resolution in the soul and nerves the man for the deadliest conflict. The four years of struggle together has bound these men to each other with an indefinable tie. Let us come together while we can. And if we are called to join our comrades who have gone before and none and none is left to tell of our devotion to country, the mountains of our land will rise up as monuments to our memory and every babbling brook will be as many tongues to tell of our deeds, and the tombstones over our graves will bear silent witness to the truth of our story. What a gathering when we all meet in dress parade beyond the river in the presence of Lee and Christ our Lord! There may we all meet and receive a welcome! [Unreadable] produced the old muster roll [unreadable] A. 13th Ga. Reg’t. It was carefully made out giving the name, rank and present residence of each member of the company. It was read by the secretary. Other rolls were on hand, but on account of the rain, could not be read. Leonard Harris was 69 years old when he enlisted and C.R. Ward was 15. Secretary Gwyn invited all old soldiers to join the association and help make it a success. He is an earnest member and will make a good officer as he was a good soldier. A list may be found at The Journal office and all who wish to join the Pike County Veteran’s association are respectfully invited to hand in their names together with their company and regiment. COMMITTEES The following committee was appointed to write by-laws and a constitution for the association: J.H. Mitchell, John F. Madden and R.D. Shuptrine. The executive committee consists of J.W. Means, J.B. Matthews, Z.L. Fryer, G.W. Strickland and Jas. H. Howell. The finance committee is composed of W.F. Connally, J.D. Carriker and A.D. Riggins. NEXT MEETING On motion of Hon. J.F. Madden it was agreed to meet at Bluff Springs on Wednesday evening before the fourth Sunday in July 1891. The object in meeting on Wednesday evening being to engage in a social meeting before the public exercises to follow on Thursday. On motion, The Pike County Journal was requested to publish the proceedings of the meeting. It does so as faithfully as it knows how and trusts that the old soldiers may live to see many more pleasant reunions, and that the young men of today may prove to be as patriotic and as true to the eternal principles of justice as their sires have been. Among the first companies that left this county for war and made a lasting reputation for gallant soldiers, we note the Barnesville Blues Co. A, 13th Ga. Regt. Co. G, 27th Ga. Regt. Co. H, 44th Ga. Regt. Co. H, 53rd Ga. Regt. Gibson’s Battery Calvary from Pike in Cummings Division Infantry made up of men over age and young men commanded by Capt. Hartnett. Transcribed as written 10/7/02 Lynn Cunningham)