Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1899-11-01
HOW THE BOYS FEEL.
FRED WHITES CHARGES AGAINST
THEM ANSWERED..

I
Pushed-ColoneI Lopez Says "we Are
! Flag"
The return of the Fifty-frst regi-
ment from the Philippines and the
heartfelt welcome which goes out to
them from every loyal citizen of Iowa
is in marked contrast with the Ian
guage that has been used during the
campaign by Candidate Fred White
and by General Weaver and others
who are supporting the Democratic
ticket by assailing the administration
and branding the boys who have been
unfolding the hands of the president
as ''tyrants."
1t is well, in these closing days of
the campaign, to remember that Fred
| White used the following expressions
| in nearly every public speech he has
made since the campaign commenced:
''In the long list of bloody deeds that
| disgrace humankind, none, it seems to
me, is so entirely black and dastardly
| as the awful drama that we are now
| enaeting-the carrying on of war by
fire and sword into the devoted homes
of an innocent people who never did
us the slightest wrong and who bat
tied for their freedom centuries before
the American colonies raised the ban.
ner of revolt against George III. To
heed not the holy inspirations of a
people who are striving to secure only
their God given heritage of freedom is
worthy of the barbarian. To slaughter
such people and apply the torch to
their homes ARE acts that define the
tyrant.'
81 care not from whom this sicken.
ing gush of the infallibility Of the flag
may come, whether from the tempo
rary occupant of the presidential chair
or from some obscure layman. This
doctrine that the flag is always in
vested with a peculiar sanctity, and
that 1T must be defended with the last
life, whether it floats from Independ-
ence hall, from the top of Bunker Hill
monument, or from the newly acquired
harems of voluptuous Sulu chiefs; this
doctrine that the flag is as holy an
emblem in the one place as in the 9TH
er is at once downright childish and
intensely vicious incapable of being
invoked in any other than a desperate,
unholy cause"
In this connection ii is well to call
attention to the fact that the treaty Of
Paris which put an end to the Spanish
war, was ratified by the senate of the
United States Feb. g. 1899. BY this
ratification, ending the war for which
our boys enlisted, their terms of en-
listment expired and they could have
at once demanded their muster out.
Did they do it? No, they were not
that sort of soldiers. They had been
ordered to the Philippines to assist i'm
putting down an instruction against
the authority which the United States
had acquired in those islands as a
result of the war, and they did not
propose to turn their backs on the
flag.
Up to the time when the treaty of
Paris was ratified the Iowa troops
had not participated in a single en-
gagement, nor had they been assigned
to duty. In fact, they had but three
days before disembarked from the
transport upon which they had spent
ninety-three days. They might have
demanded that the transport put about
and carry them back to San Francisco,
but they did not. On Feb. 8 they took
part in the capture of San Rogue and
not until April Is, when they were sent
to Malolos, did they begin that active
duty on the firing line that has won
them so many laurels for bravery.
April 70, seventy-siX days after the
ratification of the peace treaty and the
termination of the war for which they
had enlisted, they participated in their
first battle at Quingua, where twelve
men OF the gallant regiment felt the
sting Of Filipino bullets. From that
time until Sept. %, at which time they
were ordered to Manila to return home,
the Fffty-first were almost continual
ly on the firing line. Concerning them
the Manila Times, in it's issue, printed
the day after the Iowa boys arrived
from the front, says:
What record! Few can boast a
better, and indeed Iowa need &c proud.
with all the suffering and hard
ships, sickness and tribulations atten-
dant upon campaign, these sturdy
volunteers bore all like true soldiers,
without a single murmur.
Yesterday, when the regiment ar
rived, one cOmpany-G of Creston-
consisted of four privates and two
non-commissioned officers, In command
Of the first sergeant, as they had no
officer. Others mustered eight or ten
to company. The original strength
of the regiment was 1854 officers and
men at present there are S06 and of
these when they left the line but 226
were able to do duty. Heroes is too
an expression for these no.
BILE lads"
Remember all these gallant deeds
were performed after the terms of en-
listment of the Fifty-first had, strictly
speaking, expired, and our boys were
solely actuated by love Of the flag and
were not compelled to remain in the
service of their country. Also remem-
Der that Fred White says that by per-
these deeds of valor our boys
were engaged in acts (which define the
tyrant."
The people of Iowa who glory in the
achievements Of the Fifty-first should
see to it that Fred White receives
most emphatic answer In disapproval
Of his TRADES against the boys and |
the flag on election day.
The boys themselves are answering |
the Democratic campaigners. Colonel |
Lopez said at San Francisco, after the |
arrival of the regiment:
81 have many Democrats In my COM |
mand, but not single one will tell |
you anything else but that he wants to |