Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1901-01-30
A CENTURY'S PROGRESS
WASHINGTON, FRANKLIN, LINCOLN
Abe Notes the Wonderful Changes
During the Century, and EulOgizes
it's Greatest Men.

that have gone before and compare the
past with the present. If it were not
for the facts, the story would seem like
the imaginations of a diseased brain
A little more than a hundred years ago,
Washington was the hero of the world.
He had led the Continental army to
victory after seven years war without
money, without sufficient food and
clothing and against the most powerful
nation in the world.
know what am talking about for
nv grandfather was one of the soldiers
that marched to battle leaving trail
of blood i'm the snow from the effects of
frozen feet. All the bloodshed, all
these privatlons were endured for the
sake of liberty. Let the descendants of
those heroes guard well the responsible
ity left by their hands. Washington
died in 1899 and his name as man and
a soldier is matter of history, which
says. "the whole country united to do
honor to him who was first in war,
first in peace and first in the hearts of
his countrymen.'
Bonaparte ordered public mourning
for him in France, and the commander
of British fleet Of sixty men of war
ordered his flag to be lowered to half
mast. But besides Washington there
are Lafayette, Green, Gates, Marion
and scores Of others who are entitled to
great credit.
About that time one Benjamin Frank
lin in stroking the back of a cat noticed
that it sent out electric sparks and he
wondered if they were the same as seen
in thunder shower. So he resolved
to find out and sent up kite during h
shower and fastened key to the string,
land touching the key got an electric
spark from it. This convinced him
that electricity and lightning were the
same From this small starting p int,
we today light our cities, propel our
street cars, ring our fire alarms and
send our messages across continents and
under oceans by this mysterious power.
This country had its ups and downs,
sometimes one party in power and
sometimes another, but all for freedom
with different ways of expressing it..
The country prospered and grew right
along as this country will always do
on account of the intelligence of the
people, their love of freedom and the
wonderful natural resources.
In 1860 cloud arose no bigger than
a mans hand, but it soon expanded to
enormous proportions. The question
soon became, ''Shall we, a people who
boast of the land Of the free and the
home of the brave, permit the buying
fattening and selling of human beings
or not?" After a long and bloody war
perhaps the fiercest on record, this
question was decided in the negative
Space will not permit eulogizing al
the brave soldiers who fought for free
dom and the maintainence of this grea
nation. Suffice it to say they are al
honored members of the great band o
patriots whose muscle and bullets ar,
always ready to defend the honor of thi
great republic that our forefather
fought, bled and died for.
. There is one actor in the great dram,
of 1861 to 1865 that 1 cannot pass will
mere allusion, and that is Abraham
Lincoln. Washington is properly cred
tied with being the father of his coun
try, but the combined population o
the thirteen colonies was but little
any larger than the city Of New Yorl
today and Lincoln should be entitled
to the credit of being the savior of hi
country. He was at the head of 80,
600, 900 of people engaged in the great
est Civil War on record. Washington
fought for liberty; Abraham Lincoln b.
one stroke of the pen liberated 4, ,0Oo, ,OO
of human beings who had been held il
, slavery under the laws of the so-calle,
} free government, which was an abomi
; nation to the laws of God and the law
of right and justice to mankind. L be
/ lieve long after the most noted men O
the world are forgotten, the name @
Abraham Lincoln, the rail splitter, bu
with heart as tender as a woman
and a brain to match that of the great
est in the land, and above all one G
Gods noblemen, an absolutely homes
man, and 1 will add that in my opin
ion the grandest man that ever tro
t American soil will go down to notoriet
> with all the glory and reverence I
) to which he Is entitled.
ABE JONES.