Action on cemetery disrespectful
August 08, 2012
The East Feliciana Police Jury recently approved a measure which discontinues the provision of upkeep for the Clinton Confederate Cemetery, a documented historical landmark. There are 29 identified Confederate veterans and over 600 unmarked Confederate graves in the cemetery.
This cemetery, of course, not only serves as the last resting place of Confederate soldiers, but it is also the final resting place of the early leading citizens of Clinton and East Feliciana Parish, some of whom likely served in the earlier wars fought by this country. It is a historic landmark that the town and parish should be proud to present as a testament to its history and the struggles of its ancestors.
Yet, while most would take steps toward increasing upkeep and preserving their proud history, the Police Jury is doing the opposite. I cannot help but think that this is some sort of divisive slap at our history and an insult to the men who took up arms to protect their state, when called upon by the state to risk their lives.
I have actually had people tell me, “history changes.” It is, of course, an absurd statement, for it most certainly does not. However, the rewriting and use of history as a tool for revisionism to aid political agendas is a fact and one that those who wish to investigate can readily see regarding the history of the South.
Such is the nature of a police jury which takes action such as this action. If the police juror’s intention was to insult and cause ill will, then they have succeeded admirably in doing so, as a number of very honorable and good people of East Feliciana Parish are offended. If their intent was to attempt to erase history, then they do not have the intellect to understand that this cannot be done and they have failed miserably.
“Those who will not fight to defend the graves of their ancestors are lost,”Â
— President Theodore Roosevelt.
Bill Rome
Retired bureau administrator
Ethel
