Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-09-07

of the people of this nation" Is 1t
possible that there is truth in this?
Is 30 years the limit of Americas
remembrance of the heroes who BLEED
and died in her defense? | cannot,
nay | will not believe it. Our peo-
pie are so busy in commercial affairs,
so busy in pushing the railroad, the
telegraph and the telephone, SO busy
in trying to calm the troubled sea
where the opposing currents of capt.
tai and labor meet, that they have
for little forgotten their duty, and
their privilege, and they only need a
bit of a reminder, and we shall see
them doing again as they have done,
and responding once more to what /
am sure is the prompting of the
American heart.
In the meantime | too, thank the
w. c. I. u. that they remembered
our soldier dead at least one year.
But let me turn to another fact
which we all too often forget. Among
those who are especially deserving of
recognition for honorable service
during our last war, are great null
titude who were noncombataRts. In
the old days when King David is
sued his army regulations, this was
one Of the articles. In case of VIC
tory, the political doctrine of our
time seems to have obtained. "To
the victors belong the spoils," but
with the farther provision that all
should share alike, whether they were
in front or rear, in action or in re-
serve. This is the way it reads:
"As his part is that goeth down to
the battle, so shall his part be that
tarricth by the stuff; they shall part
alike"
No preferred creditors under that
regulation. The guard of the bag
gage train, you see, was deemed
equally worthy of honor, with those
who fought at the front.
And this is just what | am plead
ing for. Give every man his due
You know, and | know, that the chic
quarter-master of such body of mel
as the army of the Potomac had nc
sinecure, if help in his duty, and SC
Of the chief commissary and their
respective departments, and their sub
ordinate officers in each.
No other set Of men in the whol
army were harder worked than thes,
men, and yet who ever heard of
quartermaster or commissary
being pushed to the front in any plac
where men do honor to the old sol
diers? Hurry up the clothing ant
the bareback, the tents and the haveI
. sacks, the beans and the bacon, an,
then curse him if he didn't &c
there, that was the sort of honor an,
thanks the poor fellows received.
You fellows who marched through
Virginia mud, think YOU had a tougl
time of it, but what about tn
boys who had to get your ration
and your forage to you, whereve
you were, through that same mud
To be sure they had teams, yes mules
and | do just here and now put in
special claim for the efficient mem
mers of that corps who bore the ell
phoninos VI. -. which translated int
the vernacular meant mule driver
for if ever poor fellow on earth dc
served a pension of the FIRST class,
was the chap who pushed six mul
team through the mud of the Chlcka
: hominy.
Some of the grandest successes o
the war, came about through tn
agency of those teamsters. Tire
out and disheartened, the boys la
down at night on their arms, to-
thoroughly used up, even to get on
their blankets and dog tents, if the
had any, and yet it.was of great i'm
r portance that they be forty miles fai
Their on, at daybreak But the boy
e were hungry and no rations at hand
: But bark. Just as they began {
grumble, the familiar lIc-haw! of
e distant mule breaks on the ear, an
5 the dinner bell at Delmonico's wa
never one.half so welcome, as it il
! vited men TO turtle soup and chan
. payne, as was that He-haw. whicI
told of coffee and bareback.
Old Sancho Panza cried out 600
: bless the man who first inventc