The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-02-24

price"
Gen. Israel w. Stone, of Lawrence,
outgoing commander of the Department
of the Potomac, G.. A. r., has closed up
his work with a report to the Grand
Army of the work which has devolved
upon him during the year. Most of his
report deals with matters which con-
cerned only the members of that organ
ization, but the conclusion, which he
calls the truth of history, is interesting
and unequivocal:
''The persistent efforts continually put
forth to obscure the facts of history in
regard to the great war for the Union
calls for a vigorous protest from those
of us who fought the war. In this To-
cality particularly, efforts are made TO
designate it as the civil war, and the
war between the states when the facts
are that it was not only a gigantic re-
bellion but the official designation is
The War of the Rebellion A pretty
good Illustration of this attempt to OBJ
scure was shown in conversation with
an old darby the other day, when an In
surance agent was soliciting the old wo-
man for a policy and in order to ascer-
tain her age tried to fix a time, asked
her if she was born before the civil
war The old woman promptly answer
ed, You means the war of the 'bellion.
don't you? Yes, 1 lived in the south
'mong the rebels, and never seed any
thing civil bout the war Did we see
much civility in those people who were
We're fighting for the Union? No; and 1t
is high time that we at least should
cease to designate it in official cores
pondence and in our converse ton other
than as the war of the rebellion. This
need not be done extensively, but it's the
truth and ought to be told. Twenty
years from now our school children will
be wondering who were right in the
civil war; while If they know it as the
war of the rebellion they will know by
intuition that there were rebels, and
there could be no question about who
were right and who were wrong Ine
BOYS in Blue saved the Union establish
ed by our fathers, and in doing this
freed q race, made this the greatest ma
ton on earth, protected our misguided
Southern brothers from themselves, and
permitted them to come back and enjoy
all the benefits and blessings we had
preserved for ourselves; but now we can
not afford to permit them or anyone else
to obscure the fact that the Union sold
Ter was eternaIly right, and that the
rebel soldier was eternally wrong"
Lieut.. Fred Alstaetter, now on duty
at Fort Leavenworth, had an unusual
experience while in the Philippines"
said Mr.. Percy H. Longley, of Topeka,
Kas Incidentally. the experience was
another proof that the world is not so
very big after all. Alstaetter was taken
prisoner by the F'ilipincs soon after the
war broke out over there He was
pretty well treated, but was closely
class ring a memento of his life at
West Point were taken away from him.
At the National Military academy the
mem bers of each class wear a class
ring instead of a class pin, as is worn
in some other educational institutions.
The cadet and later the officer always
prizes his ring highly, and it is tradi-
tiona1 that he must never allow it to go
out of his possession, except when he
lends it to his sweetheart or his wife.
''Alstaetter was kept a prisoner for
several months, and finally was ex-
changed. His possessions, in the mean
time had apparently disappeared
Last fall negro who had deserted from
the American army was captured with
a bunch of Filipinos When he was
brought into camp a heavy gold ring,
with a huge setting and a coat of arms,
was found on his finger, which had to
be cut off before the ring could be re-
moved 1t happened that young oth-
Ger recognized the ring as Alstaetter's,
who in the mean time had come back to
this country. When General Funston
started back, the ring was given him