Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1899-06-05


country, the strenuous duty laid on
the people of Isl, and the loyalty with
which that duty was performed. Sec
ond, The veterans of the war are les
SEEMING in numbers every year. We
find them only among the middle aged
and elderly people; the time is not SO
very far distant when the last old vet
eran will be mustered out. The price,
less legacy which the generation Of
'61 inherited from the ia theirs was not
wasted by them, but at a great cost
was preserved and improved by them.
Today they are bequeathing that in
heritance to us. With this Inheritance
there comes to us responsibility, the
magnitude of which we seldom scarce
Iy realize. The Rev. DIR. Smith Baker
says that our country is the worlds
great object lesson toward which hu-
mainly is looking for the solution of
the peoples rights and the peoples
destinies. He says we are response
BILE not only for our own government,
but we are responsible for the leader
ship of the world.
We now have apopulation of sixty
five million; it is estimated that our
country has resources to support a
population of eight hundred million.
The need of today is to maintain and
improve the quality of our citizen
ship. I apprehend these are the quail
ifications requisite to good citizen
ship, to wit: an active, intelligent,
conscientious personality. We are not
Irish, nor Scotch, English nor French,
German nor Dutch, Norwegian nor
Swede, but we are American citizens,
and he is the best citizen who pos
sesses in the highest degree the quail
tiles I have named-an active, intel
ligent, conscientious personality.
Finally, there may be dangers that
threaten our country, but the vexed
question of statesovereignty has been
settled forever in favor of national
supremacy. AS to-morrow's sun
shall rise in the eastern sky, and
throw its rays full upon the American
flag, the glittering stars and blazing
stripes of Old Glory will be displayed
to eyes of an.admiring world. And as
the ample folds float over the land
and over the sea, and in every wind
under the whole heaven, it will stand
for two great principles. 1t will stand
for the principle of American liberty,
and the principle of American unity.
1t will stand for the principle of
American liberty because of the deeds
of Washington, Wayne, Green and all
the other heroes of the Revolution; it
will stand for the principle of Amer
lean unity because of the labor Of the
men and women who toiled at home
thirty years ago to support the ma
the ability and fidelity of Lincoln,
Grant, Sherman, and Sherlden, be-
cause of the courage, perseverance,
and patriotism of the boys in blue
who fought, and bled, and many Of
whom died to preserve the sacred life
of the greatest, grandest, noblest re-
public on the face of the earth.
In the Sixteenth century the great
ness of Spain overshadowed Europe.
Her glory was Respondent. Her CO.
lonial possessions were vast indeed.
But wherever her dominion extended
there she reared her affairs to the god
of avarice and the god Of cruelty. She
sacrificed freely upon these affairs and
clouds of insence were filling the nos
trils and we'll nigh suffocating human
ity. Her greatness has departed. Her
glory vanished and her colonial pos
sessions dwindled, and yet as long as
possible she continued her sacrifices
to the gods of avarice and cruelty.
We went to war with Spain protested
ly not for conquest nor for fame but
for humanity. Our war with Spain
has caused the world to respect and
recognize our naval power. The
achievements of Dewey and others
have demonstrated the superiority of
our equipment and the ability of our
men. The war with Spain and our
recent experience in the Philippines
has proved to the world that the
American soldier of this generation is
as good fighter as was he of three
and half decades ago. With the ac-
QUESTION of Porto Rico and the Phil
ippines there seems to us an in
creased responsibility. The duty
which devolved upon Spain and which
she failed to discharge now rests upon
us. 1t is for us, if possible, to raise
these people to plane of civilization
where they can enjoy the privileges