The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1877-08-25
RURDETTE ON THE STUMP.
The Wag of the West Helps Celebrate.

~ &GAFA NJ OAV ~ AA .
The Wag of the West Helps Celebrate.
Bob Burdette, of the Burlington
Hawkeye, burst out of his sanctu@ on
the Fourth and desolated a suburban
town with an grafton, from which we
quote
Why have we assembled here to-day 7
What means this vast concourse sfpeople,
these waving banners, these strains of
soul-stirring music, this gllttering array
of beauty, patriotism and intelligence?
AS | face this immense multitude, / arm
impressed with one thought, that PUSHES
upon my very soul and struggles in vail
for utterance. 1t is the thought that I
am not going to be able to make one-haIf
these people hear a word I say. 1t is Not
a grand thought. 1t is not ever a bril-
liant thought. But it is true, and the
truth is worth far more than brilliancy.
And | will tell, the truth every time I
get an opportunity. It isn't often that
| get the chance. What with trying to
reconcile Tees weather predictions and
the presidents policy, a man has to be
Vigilant, apdIie awake nights and watch
his chances, in oresskto get q.
nifty to tell a little truth, ana yet, TINS
has nothing to do with the Turkish
war,
Why then, / repeat, are we assembled
here to-day? TO rejoice that we are a
free people, endowed with the inalienable
rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness at long range. To rejoice that
the precious boon and heritage Of free
dom is ours, ~bequeathed us by the fathers
who fought, bled and died, hat / and
mine and you and yours might breathe
the air of freedom. And we rejoice
to-day, we are proud and happy and glad,
glad, glad, that our fathers died for us
instead of compelling us to die for them.
They were great, grand men. In fact.
they were, many Of them, great grands
fathers.
1t is sweet to die for ones country. Tt
seems to me that I, too, would gladly,
oh how gladly, add my name to the list
of the great and good, and die for my
country-of old age. / would die sooner
it it was thought necessary, but haven't
got time. ] am too busy. But if any
sacrifices are needed next centennial, they
may call on me, and / will either come
or send ehand.
Our fashers died for us. They died
willingly and gladly. But if they could
come bask to-day and see what kind Of q
crowd they died for, quarreling over the
presidents policy, wragling over the
currency and seme Of them trying to pay
a dollars worth Q fdebt with ninety cents
worth Of money, talking politics twenty
three hours a day and prayiGg so seldom
that our knees get rusty, drowned out by
the ram, devoured by gr~assboppers, they
would. if they had it to do over again.
live nine thousand years and only die
then when they had to.
And yet ours is a glorious country. 4
wonderful, magnificent country. 1t is
marvellous. As a high school girl would
say, it is !" nice" Look abroad over our
land, turn the pages of history, and see
what the mighty genius Of progress has
wrought. But one short century AGO
the cornerstone of this mighty fabric
laid, amid the thunder Of cannon
and the rattle Of musketry, canopied by
the smoke Of battle and cemented with
blood. A little band Of struggling.
needy patriots, half clad, poorly fed, with
only a few dollars in the national treasury.
TO day the sun of one hundred and one
years breaks upon the land-wherever it
isn't storning-and where do we stand ?
A billion dollars in debt.
Our fathers died, but they had no rail-
roads. II they had, they might have
died with less expense and trouble before
they got to the war. Our fathers never
knew The ecstatic pleasure Of leaning out
# Z car window and getting a red hot GIN
Ter as big as . pea IN their eye before they
could look at ! tree. They had no tele-
raph, and never knew what q convent
nee IL was to pay forty cents 4 message
fifty miles and then have the dispatch
tagging 4 day or two after the man
had died Of old age. They had no kero-
enc lamps, and they never knew what ii