Omaha daily bee., 1896-02-23
SONS OF THE REVOLUTION
Annual Business Meeting and Banquet Of
Nebraska Society.
W. H. ALEXANDER REELECTED PRESIDENT
Patriotic Tonsts Responded TO by n
Number of Mcmbers-An Ad-
journed Meeting to he
Held March Fl.

] FNhSi iCdl teNOiutiOn nelQ itS annual banquet
at the Commercial club rooms last evening.
a business meeting was held in the Com
mercial club parlors in the afternoon. at
which the reports Of the president and Sec
retary were presented and routine business
| transacted, the business session concluding
with the election of officers, as follows:
w. II. Alexander, president L. ID. Richards
of Fremont, senior vice president; j. r. Web
ster, junior vice president: Thomas r. Nc
Nair, secretary; Paul w. Kuhns, treasurer;
l.. e. Ware. registrar; p. A. Crapo, historian.
| The election Of a board OF managers and dele
gates to the national society was postponed
| to an adjourned meeting, to be held March
Il. at which time new constitution and by
| laws will be voted upon.
Immediately after the business session the
| members adjourned to the dining room. The
| monu card prepared by one of the members
OF the society, was a dainty bit of work,
| bearing on its outer leaf a handsomely en-
| bossed cut Of "Old Glory"
The members of the society present were:
Champion S. Chase. Thomas A. Creigh, W.
w. Copeland, Rev. Luther M. Kuhns, p. L.
Perrine, p. w. Kuhns, w. Alexander
Thomas G. Doyle, Clement Chase, ]. C. VIII
cox w. A. Webster, J. II. Webster l.. E.
Ware, l.. Anderson, j. H. Daniels p. A.
Crapo. f. S. Brownlee. j. w. Battin, T. r.
McNatr. G. S. Huntington, all of Omaha, and
L. d. Richards and F. w. Vaughan of FIRE.
mont.
MR.. ALEXANDER'S TOAST.
After the coffee and cigars Toasmaster L.
M. Kuhns announced that as several of the
members wished to attend another meeting of
similar character the speakers would be lin
tied as to time and without any further de-
lay he called on w. H. Alexander to respond
to the toast, 1.-THE Inheritance of Liberty"
Mr.. Alexander said there were several
kinds of liberty and the subject covered so
wide scope that he was at loss to know
how he was to cover 1t in the few minutes
allotted to him. In the countries of the
old world. in the sixteenth century, religious
liberty was the issue and this was followed
by an exodus Of the Puritans who came to
this continent looking for religious liberty.
They soon discovered that religious liberty
was not the only thing necessary to their
existence and the revolution followed In
these movements of the Puritans and the
forefathers, Mr.. Alexander said, there was
much to stimulate modern ideas, but he
warned his hearers against carrying the
idea of liberty too far. In recent years, he
said, an element had been admitted to this
country which does not look at liberty In
the same way as those who have been raised
under the banner of liberty, and care should
be exercised that liberty did not come to
mean license The idea of liberty must be
accepted In it's broadest sense, he said, so
that there may be Transmitted to poster.ty
something that Is worthy of transmission.
John w. Battin was the next speaker, his
topic being 1.-THE Minute Man" Mr.. Battin
said that, to his mind, the American revo-
luton was the most somber and stern con-
fict of any Of which he had ever read.
lover no other is there so little of chivalry
and romance. OF all the characters taking
part in any war none are so impressive as
the minute man. Organized in Massachusetts,
long before the revolution was thought Of,
the minute men stood ready to rush to the
defense of the colonies. An indication OF
the propriety Of their name was the prompt |
ness with which these heroes responded to
the call for their country's defense. They |
were the men who showed to the English |
what the Americans were made Of AS they |
fought in those early battles with the Indians |
and other foes. so they fought in all the
battles of the revolution and afterward they |
returned home to perpetuate the country |
they had helped to save"
WORD FOR THE DAUGHTERS.
L. E. Ware was next on the program, his |
topic being Daughters of the American |
Revolution" Mr.. Ware carried out the the
ory of brevity by telling his hearers that |
the DAUGHTERS was society OF onsn the Sons
Clement Chase responded to the toast.
George Washington" Said he. "The name |
Washington Is the very embodiment OF lib |
erty. 1t is very gratifying to know that At
is now as greatly revered and as honestly |
esteemed in ether lands as in ours. In Eng
land today the mention of 1t excites as
much applause as that of any or their great
est generals. There Is no doubt that ne
taught England that she must allow the
same privilege to one of her sons as to an
other The heritage Of liberty handed down
to us by Washington, 1t is gratifying to
consider, is founded on his character as
man, as a father, as citizen as legis-
lator and as a president. His ancestors
were fighters, and there is no doubt he owed
his force of character to the qualities he
inherited from them. He could trace MS
ancestry back to the time OF William the
Conqueror. The descendants OF this ancestor
fought in all the wars on the continent ana
along the line are many names famous IN
the annals Of the worlds history. Wash
ngton's father was a prominent hgure IN
he early Indian wars In virginia, SO that
I is not at all strange that we see In George
he embodiment Of that stern resolve and
irmness of purpose which guided the des-
nies of the young and struggling rephphc
through the dangerous shoals which beset
is early stages" Mr. Chase cloeed WIN
flowing tribute to the sterling personal char
'cter of the immortal George and was loudly
ppauded as he sat down.
WASHINGTON'S WIFE.
F. Washington Vaughan of Fremont was
own on the program to respond to the sen
iment martha Washington" He began
is had not married George Washington she
would probably never have been heard Of {
lie had no doubt, he said, that the women
4 those days exercised just as much inhu- |
nee over their husbands as the women OF
he present exert over theirs, but as he had
ad no experience in the matrimonial line he
aid he could not say just what that infu-
nee was He then gave brief historical q
ccount of the most important events in the
areer of Martha Washington.
r.. M. Bartlett was called on to respond to
he sentiment, "Washington's Great Vic ,
ories" He said the influence of George :
Washington on posterity was not confined i
lone TO the great victories he was engaged :
, but was apparent In other ways. He re- i
arded Washingtons greatest victory In bat
e the saving of Braddock's army from utter
nnihilation when his greneralship defeated
ne of the greatest generals England had 4
reduced But the greatest victory achieved
v the Immortal Washington, in the opinion
the speaker, was his transmission to
osterity CT the energy and patriotism that
ere equal to the greatest standing army ,
any nation on the globe.
The last speaker was John X. Webster,
hose topic was "Our Society" He said c
,at few years ago II was generally be- y
eyed that the country was being swamped Z
Y foreign immigration, but now all had
! an changed Societies of the Sons Of the II
mericau revolution had been organized all
yer the country, and WaShingtOn's birth y
ay was being celebrated as 1t never had y
zen before. Even the societies composed