Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-07-06

and tried to put on smiling face. A
young lieutenant caught her in his
arms, and though couldn't hear the
words, I knew he was telling her that
he had to 60, that duty compelled him
not to desert his company. On anoth-
er seat saw mother, with her arms
about her boy who was going out as a
private. Alb ! my friends, these men
have not waited to be made a colonel
or brigadier. They are not inspired
by the hope of glory. There is no laurel
to crown the brow of'the humble pri-
vate who stood on that hill near San
tiago and defed death in the darkness
of the night. These privates 60 forth
as portions of q great machine to
act their parts in suffering, in silence
and in death. I bow to them in rev.
erence, for no warrior ever Won re-
nown except as the leader of heroic
privates.
Every man that went into Manila
with Dewey is just as much hero,
whether congress passes a resolution
of thanks, votes him $4,000 sword
or not. Not only is this one of the
most appropriate places at which to
review the events of the birth of our
republic; but there has never been an
anniversary of the Fourth of July so
fraught with lessons to the American
people. For many years the cry of
the oppressed has been heard from
the neighboring island of Cuba. En-
crossed with business and wrapped up
in the pursuit ofthe "Almighty Dollar"
we contented ourselves with the old,
old answer, Gam I my brothers keep
er?" We had a duty to perform and
did it not. Then came the culmina-
ting atrocity. The Maine was de-
stroyed and 266 of our sailors hurled
into eternity. A thrill of horror went
throughout the land. Our ears were
no longer closed to the cry of the
starving Cubans, and we demanded
that their oppressors leave this hemis-
phere. From every state, and almost
every hamlet in this broad land, came
demands that we rescue the oppressed
and avenge the death of citizens. The
congress of the United States passed,
almost unanimously, a declaration of
war; the president of the United
States issued a call for 125, 900 volun-
teers, and over 100000 responded.
The spirit of '76 had not died in the
hearts of Americans. The heroism of
Concord, of Cowpens and of Moultrie
had been handed down from father to
son, and from son to grandson. Broth
ers had, for time, become estranged;
but when first the call to arms sounded,
they forgot all that had threatened to
separate them. A Lee and Grant,
a Logan and Butler stood shoulder
to shoulder under the one flag of a
common country. This country could
not continue to exist with solid north
and solid south as it did in the latter
years of the SOS. The conflict ended
at Appomattox. We thought it then
a defeat, and defeat seemed cruel and
bitter; but when the country called
once more for the service of her sons,
we found that in defeat lay our great
est victory, and our country was
united as it had not been in half
century. We are reunited as we
never could have been without ma
tional conflict. We have not forgotten
the gallant struggle upon southern
fields; we are proud of the men who
wore the gray ; but out of that conflict
has come a better understanding than
we could have had without it.
We are proud of George Dewey, "the
Green Mountain boy" and his match
less victory in Manila we are proud of
the gallant ensign Bagley, of North
Carolina, who ran the Winslow where
duty called into harbor where it was
practically certain she could not es-
cape. We are proud of the heroism
of Richmond Pearson Hobson, whose
great grandfather was one ofthe North
Carolinians distinguished during Revo-
lutionary days. The south offered
the first sacrifice of blood to the cause
of common country, and We are
proud of it.
see before me an old woman. Her
hair is white with the frost of many
winters; care and trouble have drawn
deep lines in her face, and her hands
are hardened with toll. In 1861, her
husband went to the war and was
brought home and laid at her feet a
corpse. She lived only for her baby
boy, and toiled far into the night
that he might have fair start in the
race of life. When her work is done,
ere she retires she takes from her bu-
reau drawer an old gray uniform
with a ragged hole in the breast
of the coat, passes her hand lovingly
over it, and dampens it with her
tears. A few days ago, new
uniform came to the little cottage-it
was blue; and when the son returns
from Cuba, crowned with the laurels
of victory, the blue uniform will be
laid beside the gray and the mothers
pride in him who wore the blue, will
soften the widows grief for him who
wore the gray.
On this birthday of our republic,
we can, therefore, rejoice, not only at
tho l;barty or.pta6 ne under the de-