The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1898-05-31

the car were the shot-torn remains OF
Ensign Bagley the first martyr OF tho
Spanish war. the son of man who dleG
fighting for the lost cause And as Col
umbia draped the flag about his cofin
her eyes were blinded by the fahing tears
The other day I was an eye witness to
an incident which exempllhes the south
ern spirit of today. II was in miner
! camp removed from telegraph OF rail-
| road communication, In the state OF Col
orado; mail was brought over the noun
tain from the nearest postoffice three
miles away. an old miner, too old for
/ work. drove over every day after the
mail / never heard any name for him
but "Uncle Sam" His history was
part Of the local tradition OF the camp
| lie was the son Of rich parents, living in
large southern city at the breaking out
of the war Impatient to enlist fearfui
I OF missing the first battle, he was one OF
the first TO the front In an artillery COM
pany formed OF the young blcods Of tho
town. He stayed by his guns until the
| fan OF Vicksburg, and was In many pitch
/ ed battles. The war took everything,
even the lives Of his three brothers. He
is gray and infrm now but on this day
he brought the news OF Deweys victory
I'm the Philippines. As he swept around
the curve of the mountain down to camp
his horse was in dead run at the i'm
minent danger OF breaking his neck. the
! lines flying loose, the old man standing
straight Up waivdng newspaper con
tanning the glorious news and letting
out rebel yells" that walked the solld
crags and reverberated far down the val
/ ley. Thank God we've licked EN- az
| ha nd IA
nded in me that he wished he could get
in this fight for he said he had been
licked all his life"
II the men were brave. what can be
said of the women? The noble. sef-sac-
rincing, patriotic women OF that time
the mothers. wives, sisters, sweethearts,
] daughters OF the soldiers. There Is in
history an account OF a Spartan mother,
who when her only son failed In the ex-
ecuton OF a military duty, with her own
hand slew him. And there was some
thing OF the devotion of that Spartan
mother to the state in the evlns OF every
loyal woman In the land. We cannot
forget that Il was a woman. plain Betsy
Ross, who planned and made the first
American flag: nor that on Monmouth
Fiel9 the wife OF a dying gunner took his
place and loaded and fired the piece staln-
ed with her husbands blood.
So. in the war Of the rebellion the wo-
men fought the battles at home while
the boys were at the front-contendlnB
with the grim wolf OF want-rearing little
children. too tender yet to realize the
awful fear-fghtlng the phantom which
clutched their hearts-praYng TO the Goa
Of battles to spare the life OF the dear
one in the held-but asking Him In mercy
to take II rather than permit defeat or
dishonOr. or they were the Florence
Nightingales, the ministerlng angels OF
the hospital and battlefield. Binding the
broken, smoothing the fevered brow, Civ
ing drink to parched lips. until many
poor shot-torn piece Of man In the
delirium OF death did not know when the
angels here on earth left of and the am
gels OF heaven began-the transition was
30 calm and sweet
am one of those who believe that war
Is a necessary evil In the march or pro-
gress. and therefore a good thing. Harsh
and cruel as It Is, good results some
times flow from Il. 1t Is said that In the
siege OF sebastapool, the garrison and be-
eagured inhabitants cut of from all wa
ter supply were dependant upon the cess
pools and sewerage, and were famishng
non BAN from one OF the besieging batter
les struck a ledge OF rock within the
city, and by some wonderful sorcery OF
nature from the impact a well-spring or
sweet water gushed forth, to slake the
burning thirst OF the city
/ am tired OF the canung demagogery
that seems Of late years TO have grown
in favor, which stands upon street cor
ners and In public places and assails all
those In authority IL is hut a towards
way OF aiming at the laws which they
execute and our institutions themselves.
They are the assassins Of liberty ana the
enemies Of freedom, no matter under
what name they may disguise themselves.
II takes a war now and then TO clarity
the atmosphere. Tho lightning ~ the
combat and the tread of marching armies
dispels this miasma. Our government
may not be as beautiful as the Sistine
Madonna nor az massive looking az Oh
braltar but please God Il is built to last.
We viii build II as Il needs II. IL Is not
as some would have us believe, founded
In corruption, fostered by thieves, and
Fastening 10 decay. IL is the lastnoblest'
besf make of man made in the image OF
his Maker. struggling TO be perfect ana
loving liberty as an attribute OF the Gre
ator And / believe this republic VIII
be here. cemented by the blood. conse'
Grated by the dust OF those sleeping on
its bosom, whom we honor today, until
the hills melt like wax, the stars fan and
the heavens shrivel as a scroll.
Many wars have been fought out, and
the earth will thunder with countless
others until the problem Is solved.
There have been wars Of succession, re-
ngious wars, wars Of conquest, wars OF
ambition, civil wars, but never In the
history Of the world until today has there
been "a war In the name Of humanity. An
enete and crime-stained monarchy, held
IN us lasciwous grasp, almost In sight ot
our own coast line, one Of the fairest
ports OF the universe Here nature had
layished It's caresses, and soil and climate
seemed TO vie with each other In gener-
oslty. But instead OF happy, peaceful
prosperous and contented people, We