Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1894-10-17

the soldier has once been put upon the pension
roll of the government; that he should be sus-
fullest investigation, taken in open broad day
light, with the pensioner having the privilege
to meet his accuser face to face, and the wit
nesses who appear against him; and then if,
upon udT1io full hearing it turns Ms out that that
patriotic sentiment of the people, and the
p LI19 sentiment of every loyal soldier,
that tfnn roll of honor. (Applausel But my objec,
I1oh non 70 fbo having the presumption OF fraud
put upon these brave men. Let the government
prove that they unworthy, and not simply
put them on upon a presumption that they
that sentiment which is sometimes INDUCED in
that tne soldiers Sol of the republic enlisted for
before me tonight who, when he enlisted, ever
thought Q goice OF :! N pension 81
MANY of them didn't know anything about
pensions, and they didn't care. Their great care
was for the preservation of the freest govern
ment on earth, and keeping sacred the honor Of
from the purest and highest motives Of patriot
ism, not for the paltry pittance paid them; not
ices, however valuable, were not to be heraIaed
abroad. They entered the service moved by the
highest sense of love of country, that no harm
might come to the country. l remember in 1865,
when that splendid army, that great volunteer
army. the grandest that ever trod the earth
that fought in q cause as noble as any for which
mankind ever engaged.
A Debt That Can Never Be Paid.
81 remember when that splendid army of Grant.
of sherman. Of Sheridan, Thomas and Logan
great APPLAUSE passed down Pennsylvania av-
enue. Stretched across the great marble capitol
was an inscription in letters large enough to be
read by every passing soldier. and these the
words of the inscriptions: There is debt
which this government can never pay. and that
IS the debt it the who saved this
nation. (Applause.) That true then; it Is
true now That patriotic sentiment must never
be amended or abridged. Talk about the soldiers
OF the republic footing the treasury! Why, we
WOudn have had a treasury, a government
or q nag, If it hadn't been for them. Great
applause You know the stuff of which the
Wisconsin soldiers were made / know the metal
of which my comrades made. | recall that
which typites the volunteer soldier of the
public. | remember the incident OF the Con-
necticut regiment when the colonel one day con-
yened the regiment at his headquarters. and in
it's presence delivered to the cOlOr-bearer Of the
regiment the colors he thereafter carry,
this starry banner of the free: and he de-
lvered the flag to the color-sergeant he said to
him: .Color-bearer. take this flag. Fight for it;
hands of the enemy. (Applause.) And that
the red wine of early manhood mantling his
cheeks, and taking the flag into his hands said:
Colonel. III bring this flag back to you in
Applause) The next day his regiment went
into battle. That young color-bearer fell stricken
with death: but he fell with the flag about
him. bathed in his own blood He didn't bring
it back. He couldn't bring it back. But he gave
it the best he had the best which any has,
has own life's blood to it (applause) and
the God above him knew the why.
$50 nigh to grandeur is dust.