The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-11-10
HISTORIC SAYINGS.
Utternnces of Our Great Sen Fighters
Which VIII Live in
History.

Ever since Mr.. Mckinley exclaimed
"God forbid" when reminded that war
with Spain would make him popular,
there have been indications on the part
of men actively engaged in the strug
gle to say or write things that would
live in literature. This desire took th4
form of playing to the gallery" in the
United States senate and exploded in
storms OF eloquence in the house OF
representatives. Then the newspa-
pers had their innings of fervid
rhetoric, and gradually the epidemic
spread until now one is apt to feel
that the enemy's ships have gone down
no more surely before Dewey's guns
at Manila and SIMPSONS at Santiago
than before the melodramatic cpl
grams of the government clerk and the
village patriot. The report from Ma
Mia was, to be sure, model of what
such a dispatch should be. 1t was
characteristic of him who wrote it
simple, direct, compressed, incisive
and limited absolutely to a statement
OF fact. The report from Santiago,
while reminding us of an earlier
American soldiers fondness for pre-
senting the nation" with holiday pres
ents, was nevertheless marked by sim
plicity and strength. The world will
not soon forget the words of Capt.
Phillip: Don't cheer, boys! The
poor fellows are dying" and ii is quite
certain that the simple humility of the
same commander in acknowledging
publicly his belief in u supreme God
will outlive many other incidents Of
this war.
The frequent profanity of Capt.
Evans in criticising the enemy's mark
manship is more than atoned for by
his magnanimous spirit in refusing to
accept Capt. Eulate's sword after the
ships surrender. "No, never from
such a gallant officer!" is as fine in
spirit if not in expression. as Grants
"Keep your sword. All 1 want is
peace"
These talking fighters have. indeed,
luminous presidents for martial elo-
quence. History, and American his
tory IT. particular, is agow with the
dIutuI LlGidICES VI llltl Hu: HtN W / IL
the sense Of victory or nerved by an
ticipatior of defeat. eve have met the
enemy and they are ours" is at once
simple and sublime. 1t was the great
est uterance of truly great spirit. 1t
sprang from the heart of him who said
it. 1t was eminently natural, and Is
was also eminently restrained. In the
s = l.. h.
great Romans II came, ! saw, | con-
quered," and in self-forgetfuIness and
sober simplicity it excels Caesars dis
patch. Like Perry, the heroic Law
renee gave to the world classic
Don't give up the ship" still lives and
conquers still in the heart of every
American sailor, for the simple rea-
son that it was honest, true, and that
it sprang from and burst out of
heart kindled by patriotism to the
highest pitch of determined resist
ance.
II is said that Washington invoked
the Almighty rather abruptly on the
field of Monmouth, and critics have not
been wanting to condemn the utter
ance as indicating a lack of self-con-
trol. They forget, however, that the
occasion if it did not require, certain
ly aid excuse, the resort to an oath.
Lee was retreating, was drawing off
his troops on the fiimsy ground that
the American militiamen 'could never
face" the British "egulars. They can
and by God they shall face them!" eX-
claimed the commanding general. The
next moment the Americans turned,
charged the enemy and drove the Brit
ish from their position. The incident,
however, has this peculiar distinction
"a distinction which eloquent fighters
should recognize and appreciate. The
occasion was a crisis, the hero was
Washington! And here is the secret.
of the whole question. To be sue
cessful, to endure. eloquence in time
Of war must needs have two essential
qualities, the man and the occasion.
"Forty centuries look down upon you"
was possible only with Napoleon at the
Pyramids. Nothing less than Trafal-
gar and the mightiest spirit that ever
ruled the seas could have inspired
Ely anu AptClS 6NtIN uldu " 10 MS
duty"-the finest words perhaps ever
addressed to Englishmen by an Eng
lishman. Burn MOscow-starve back
the invader!" was Russian to the core,
just as Break down the dykes! Give
Holland back to the ocean!" was char
acterstic of William of Orange. From
anyone but Grant unconditional sur
render" would not have been "uncon-
ditional," and it is quite certain that
only Lincoln could have spoken the
address at Gettysburg or tie second
inaugural--the stern democracy of "a
government of the people, by the peo-
PIE and for the people" ard the nobly
humane spirit with malice toward
none. with charity for all."-N. Y.
Commercial Advertiser.
Singular Railroad Accident.
One of the most singular of railway
accidents was that near Genoa by
which a dozen lives were recently lost.