The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-11-22
Thanksl
To the Father who heard voices pray.
Thanksl
For soldier boy home from the fray!

placed his thumb over the mouth of his
canteen, reached in far underneath.
then removed his thumb and filled his
canteen, and called it cypress tea that
had been sleeping for him hundred
years, hold up your hand. And so l
might go on and the old soldiers pres
ent would admit living for days on raw
| field corn, march NJ hundreds Of miles
in the rainy season without tent and
sleeping on the ground, awaking in the
morning and finding yourself in pool
OF water several inches deep. OF course
there were hardships in the old war,
and | do not refer to them to draw
comparisons. / only refer to them that
we may be thankful that the Spanish
war terminated so soon, and with. so
little.of hardship and so few privations.
But it must be borne in mind that our
boys would have withstood the same
hardships with the same fortitude and
with no more complaining, than their
fathers went through the last war. 1t
is we'll for us to recall the sufferngs
endured by our army in the sixties, for
we have forgotten about it almost, and
we never appreciated it. Eleven bat
ties per week, on the average for four
years quite obseured the hardships of
camp and march.
But we are told our boys were unsol-
dierly in that they asked to be dis
charged. My friends, not company
OF our four regiments. not regiment
OF Iowa troops, have either asked their
discharge or petitioned for their dis
charge. A few boys asked to be dis
charged. Some fellow would 90
through the company. would you like
to g home?" Yes y ssWouid yuu?n
Yes And they reported that from
seventy-fve to ninety-fve per cent
would like to go home. If someone had
gone through your regiment, old soldier
in that way every man would have pre-
ferred to go home; but when it come
to re-enllstment every man almost re-
enlisted, not because they preferred te
stay but because there was something
yet to be done; and our boys in the
present war would have done the same
thing. Preferred to go home? o.
course. ] remember in the old war O.
Il boy who was reported to have said il
broken accents, / wish | were baby
and girl baby at that" Another fel
low expressed his desire, Il wish wa.
in my fathers BARN" And when asked
what he would do, he said, II would g(
to the house." Who blames them,
Our boys were not unsoldierly There
never was a regiment composed OF bet
i ter blood, or better bone, or better
muscle, or better brain. OF better heart
OF better souls, or better spirit. or ac
tuated by lofiier motives OF patriotism
. than the Iowa boys in the present war
l(Applause)
Now my friends, what are you going
to do on the morrow? | suppose yol
t will do just as YOU please. would no
S have you do otherwise. do not know
t what you think of the war, nor the re
! suns ol tll5 war. 40 not KNOW YOU
g views with reference to Cuba, Port,
Rico ard the Philippine Islands. onl,
!. know that if the Philippine islands art
S acquired by this administration, nom
S inally three political parties, doins
+ business under one firm name, will de
. clare they ought not TO have been Sc
: cured. | only know that if they ar,
9 not acquired, the same three politca
I, parties will declare they ought to hav,