Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-04-25
LEGISLATIVE. DOINGS. i
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last Tuesday to see the old battle
flags of the civil war returned
from the building of the State
Historical society to their old
place in the rotunda of the Capt.
toll. Many of the visitor were
old soldiers who came a long dis
lance to march once more under
the old banners they followed in
the days of the war.
It was great disappointment
to them that the day should be
rainy that Governor La Toilette
would not allow the flags to be
taken from under cover. Though
they were so disappointed they
agreed that the Governor was
right, and SO they made the best
of the matter and turned the af-
fair into a kind Of reunion. All
the day long the corridors and the
rotunda of the capitol were crowd
ed with groups of old comrades
who were talking about the days
when they marched and fought
together.
At two O'Clock in the afternoon
the hour set for the return of the
flags, the crowd gathered in the
assembly room for an i'm promptu
campfire. Governor La Toilette
came up from the executive cham
Der and bright talk in which he
assured the old veterans of his
sympathy for them in their dis
appointment, but said that he re-
garded the old banners as far too
sacred to be subjected to any
treatment that might injure them.
/ Senator O'Neil was called up
lon and he gave one Of his chara-
acteristic speeches in which he
kept the audience in continual
state of merriment. Senator
IO'Neil's campfire talks are made
up considerably of jokes on him
self as soldier. Commander
Jones, Of the G. A. r. headquar-
tiers, added his rail to the camp
fire and it made the sparks fly,
and then some others threw on
I dry sticks, after which Capt.
Rawson Of Madison, with three
others, sang a beautiful song, the
words and music he had himself
written as tribute to our flag.
[ One of the pleasing features of
! the program was the martial
music contributed by Messrs.
Nichols and Chittenden. 1t was
mentioned as a fct that just 40
years ago that day the two men
played for the recruiting and
drilling of the first company that
went went from Madison to the
civil war. Mr.. Nichols told me
that on the day following that
18th of April, 81, he himself en-
listed in the company. Both boys
then, they are now gray-haired
veterans; but during all the years
since they have kept their fife and
drum in working order. 1t is
not often that so good martial
music as theirs is heard, and it is
not surprising that they should
set the old boys nearly crazy with
delight over the old time tunes.
The next morning the fair
weather made the removal of the
flags practicable and they were
brought to the capitol and put in
their old places in the rotunda.
Since then they have attracted
much atten ton. They will soon
be placed into alright cases with
plate glass fronts, where they will
permanently remain.
For whole week the primary
election matter has had a rest,
excepting in the assembly com
mittee. The Hagemeister sub
stitute sent oyer from the Senate
week ago is in the hands of that
committee. Two members of
the committee have just told me
that they will be likely to report
next week substitute for Senator
Hagemeister' $ substitute, hut that
they are not settled upon every
particular of its provisions. One
thing is certain the Hagemeister
bill will never become law.