The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1896-11-12
1eetinq of Waldo Veteran Association.

met with Freeman McGilvery post, Sears
mort. Friday, Nov 9th, the meeting having
been postponed from Thursday on account
of the storm, and by noon goodly number
of veterans and their ladies from the ad-
| Joining towns were present. The towns rep
resented were Winterport, Swanville, Mon
roe, Belfast, North Searsport, Searsport,
Frankfort and Waldo. The meeting was
called to order at II d. IN. by president
Stnson, and the secretary being absent he
appointed H. R. Dawson secretary pro tenn.
The committee on time and place OF next
meeting was comrades II. r. Dawson of
Monroe, A. E. Nickerson of Swanville and
N, S. Piper of Belfast. They reported as
follows: Time, Thursday Jan. 2S, 1897 !;
place, Town House, Swanville. g..
The dinner call sounded and the veter-
ans sat down to a fine dinner of beans,
brown bread, clam pie and coffee. 1t
was noticed that the veterans from
the country towns paid their respects
more especially to the clam pies, but there
was plenty and to spare and the CLAIMS that
were left over were given TO the vets to
carry home After dinner the boys were
invited to the upper hall, where cigars were
provided and a smoke talk followed The
people of Searsport did all they could to
make our visit pleasant and right we'll they
succeeded We heard the sound of cannon
every few minutes through the day and
knew some one was celebrating some event,
and we took it for granted it was in honor of
the veterans visit to Searsport but the
writer enquired and was told it was to cele-
brate the election of Mckinley. Itwas quite
punishment for the vets not to talk poll
tics as it is not allowed at our meetings, but
you could notice broad smile on the faces
| of most of them when they shook hands. At
two o'clock the meeting was again called to
order and the following program carried out
After the singing of America by the Asso-
citation, Rev. o. H. Fernald delivered the
following address of welcome:
Comm ander of the G. A. r., Comrades
La dies Relief Corps, Sons of Veterans
| citizens, greeting:
We meet you here to-day to greet you
with words of welcome. In behalf of the
| Henry McGilvery Post of the G. A. R., of
the wives and sons of its veterans and of the
citizens of our town, | bid you thrice well
| come.
| America is our theme; may it be our
theme till we die. America is only another
| name for opportunity. Hidden from the
| gaze of civilized man for fifteen hundred
| years it gave promise of rest, opportunity
| for wealth and domiciles and empire for
| thousands Of men. A student of history in
| the study of America is reminded of the
| drama. The shuttle of time is weaving a
| mixed web. New and then the loom shifts
and we catch a glimpse of the other side,
and the beauties of the cloth are seen.
| 1t is government of the people, for the
! people and by the people. 1t is the home of
the down-trodden and oppressed Of all ma
| tIons. No one can dispute that our Repub-
lie was dlyinely planted, amid the groans
and tears, hardships and privatioDs of the
| Pilgrim Fathers, on the sterile soil of our be-
| loved New England. That they could have
succeeded amid such adverse circum-
| stances and privat1ons was little short of
miraculous. Our Republic has also been
divinely kept, 1t has had perils within and
| perils without. England was not satisfied
with the Revolution and we tiogged her
| second time before she would be civil. The
disease of slavery was preying on our vitals
| like a cancer and it required heroic treat
| ment to eXpel the plague. You broke the
| shackles of four million Of slaves, and Ell
| forced the doctrine of the declaration of
| independence, that call men born free
| and equal" Two hundred ana fifty thousand
| heroes sleepi in southern graves ami as many
|
northern cemeteries, to enforce the doctrine
| of equal rights and TO disprove the heresy Of
| State sovereignty. To-day we meet to honor
! your heroism, bow TO your greatness.
We stand in the presence of our nations
heroes and welcome you to our homes to-
| day. 1t is m re betittng that we should
keep silent than attempt to recount the
| trials and privations, long marches and
weary haltS, your stress OF heat and eX-
tremes of cold, your wounds and imprison-
ment, endured to save your native land.
All hail, We noble men. We bare our heads
to do you honor. Such men never die The
human frame may shrink and waste, but
| your manly virtues, your deeds of vaor,
| your victories won and triumphs achieved
can never die 'Tis these that make the
man.
| Said Secretary Stanton, standing with his
peers in the presence of the dying Lincoln,
as he addressed a noted Divine, SAY some
thing; the silence is unbearable.' Said the
worthy man, "It is not the time to talk to
men let us talk to God" In the presence
OF our nations heroes we turn reverently to
| our Heavenly Father and thank him again
for the valorous deeds of the G. A. r. that
| saved our nation in its peril
| We fondly fancy that no heroic act is ever
lost. Like the pebble thrown into yonder
pond it starts ripple which speeds on and
| history.
Said young Greek 1000 years ago, "The
| trophies of Miltiades have robbed me Of my
| slumber." So we read the battles of the
war, recall the hardships and trials of that
contest, and meet the fast failing ranks of
the G. A R., and wonder if ever our coun-
| try may need our help in the hour of some
| coming emergency.
| Oh! how we honor the brave. The heart
instinctively eXalts the hero At the battle
Of Gettysburg an old soldier of 1872. John
Burns, offered himself He came in the old
continental coat and vest and corduroy
pants. A hero Of the war of 1872. And the
officer said, "Let the old soldier pass He
went into that battle on the first day. A
ball hit his old-fashioned spectacles and
glanced away half spent ball entered a
truss he wore, another pierced his arm and
still another his leg, and the wounded man
was found by neighbor and carried to his
own home, happy that in his old age he
| could fight for his native land
Heroes of the civil war, friends of youth,
and peers of our age, we welcome you again
to our own fair town.
Response by II. r. Dawson.
Recitation The Veterans Courtship,
Com. Wentworth
| Remarks, j. W. Black
Poem, The Dead at Arlington,
Mrs. n S. Piper
Song, Riding Jack Horse with Papa,
Ethel Savery
Remarks, A. E. Nickerson
Song, Dollars do the business every time,
Albert Cain