The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1902-05-22
Indiana's Battle Shaft Common.
crates Deeds of Soldiers
and Sailors.
JOHN W. FOSTER THE ORATOR
Fifty Thousand Attend and the Grand
Army, Gen. Lew Wallace and James
Whitcomb Riley Participate.

roster was the prlnclpal orator
here yesterday at the dedication
of the Indiana state soldiers and
sailors monument An audience
of more than so, 900 people made
the occasion a notable one.
The cornerstone of the monu-
rent was laid..in 1889 in the pres
ence of Benjamin Harrison and
his cabinet The monument
stands 2s4! feet high, in the GEN.
ter of Monument place, which is
the heart of Indianapolis. The
total cost of the monument was
1898, 31S.76.
The shaft was designed by
Bruno Schmitz of Berlin and is
constructed of Indiana oolitic
limestone. The browning feat
ure is a bronze statue of ''Victo.
ry." The shaft is decorated by
army and navy astragals IN
bronze, and by large stone groups
of peace" and "War." The
balcony, 228I feet above the
street level, is reached oy eleva-
tor and from it tourists from all
over the world view the entire
city of Indianapolis and miles of
the country surrounding.
In his Grafton former Secreta-
ry of State Foster, after dwelling
on the war history of Indiana,
said that every soldier who re-
ceived a pension should watch
with jealous care that no desert
er. no skulker. no unworthy
camp-follower, through the Gun
ming of dishonest claim agents,
should have the same badge of
honor. He referred to the cor
ruption of public and municipal
bodies as a menace to the found
alton of the government, and
commended civil-servioe as the
''only democratic method of fill
ing the offices where all appli-
cants stand upon a common lev
ell, and the only way of securing
the best results in administra-
ton"
General Lew Wallace presided
at the ceremonies and delivered
a short address marked by SIM
plicity and eloquence.
Gustavus V. Menzies of Mount
Vernon, on the part of the board
of control of the monument, de-
livered it to the state and Gov.
Durbln made the speech of &C
ceptance
James Whitcomb Riley read a
poem written for the occasion,
entitled 1.-The Soldier"
A male chorus of 200 voices
sang patriotic airs, and the dedi-
catory ritualistic service was
conducted by the department of
Indiana, Grand Army of the Re-
public, which is holding it's an
nual department encampment
here this week.
Preceding the dedication was a
historic parade of the war flags.
They are preserved in the state
museum, and the law permitted
them to be carried out only for
the dedication of the monument.
They are battle-stained, battered
and old, and were carefully
wrapped to prevent them from
blowing to pieces. Behind them
marched the survivors of the
regiments that fought in the
Mexican, civil and Spanish-Am-
erican wars. 80
Following the dedication there
YVES a general parade of the
Grand Army of the Republic and
military organizations, the escort
being the Governor and staff and
the indiana national guard. A
vesper service in the late after
noon was addressed by General
Eli Terrence, commander-in in
chief Of the Grand Army of the
Republic.
The exercises of the day closed
with torch-light procession of
German societies and patriotic
meetings in Tomlinson hall and
English's opera house, presided
over by Admiral George Brown
and Governor Durbin.
Mrs. Austin s Quick Lunch Tapioca
naakss delicious dessert, ready in a
n1inuN. No soaking required. At
all grocers.