here again is stephen lee, former confederate general. also the president of the united confederate veterans by this point. he said " the last hateful memory that can divide our country is buried with them. about their graves we have a new nation loving all of her children everywhere." at the atlanta peace jubilee, when the peace treaty is finally signed by december of 1898, president mckinley uses this image of the dead reuniting the nation as a symbol of a reunited nation. in part, a gesture of reconciliation but also a savvy , political bid to get southern support for overseas expansion. a great many southern congressmen and senators were not on board with this. he proposed that the federal government should assist, monetarily assist in caring for graves of all civil war soldiers. sectional lines no longer marred the united states, mckinley asserted. sectional feeling no longer holds back the love that we bear each other. i want you to listen to this next passage, i read it as him invoking the union cause as much as reconciliation. he

former confederate general stephen lee.t is a source of no small pride that the country has last learned its true value, the depth and fervor of southern patriotism. indeed the lost cause was in itself in many ways a justification for fighting. white southerners reminded those from other regions that their motivation was the same motivation that had motivated them in every other war in american history. the same patriotism that prompted them to fight in 1776, in 1812, in the mexican-american war, and even in the great struggle between the states had motivated them. in each instance they had fought for the principles that were constitutional and unequivocally american. they fougt in 1861 as they did in 1898 now in the name of cubans for the principle of self-government and liberty. so the lost cause they are holding up the reason they went to fight in 1861 is the reason that they're fighting now. surely no one could argue that the lost cause was immoral when couched in such terms. by highlighting their own fight for liberty,

stephen departure. thank you very much for what you do. >>[applause] >> i also like to acknowledge many my fellow department heads, my colleagues, under mayor lee's direction. he insists and expects us to work as team members and we do. for that we've are better protected city. so, thank you to my colleagues for being here. i know of other important work you. appreciate you coming out and for your constant support. we also with us seated here today a retired chief of the apartment mike my predecessors for over 5 living chiefs are here with a circuit like to not chief ed fibs, chief fred cosell, chief robert dennis and chief paul d'amato. thank you for being us with us here today. >>[applause] >> we also always grateful for them in the middle might part sf fire reserved. there are reserves will be celebrating 75 years of service and the currently under the direction of cmdr. phil buckley. thank you for being here today. >>[applause] >> we spoke about it a little bit earlier when the sheriff, the police chief and director of emergency management. the importance of how grateful we are to have a city of many people that want to get involved him and o