The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-09-25

Dry; the world knows it by heart. The
past, at least, is secure. There Is Bos-
ton and Concord, and Lexington and
Bunker Hill-and there they will re-
main forever" All this, we may all say
of our country and much more. In adj
dition to all that Webster said, we can
point to later glories, achieved by our
country. We can say, also, "There is her
Vicksburg, her Lookout Mountain and
Missionary Ridge, her Gettysburg, her
Atlanta, and her Appomatox, -and there
they will stand forever" And the means
which have become famous since the
days of Webster, are as great as those
which grace the pages of the worlds
history. And even the graves of the
unknown" in our national cemeteries,
and scattered over the sunny south,
contain the bones of as brave men as
ever fought and fell in any cause. We
read the history of the deeds of the he
roes of the Revolution, and of the Rebel
lion,- and we give an equal need of
praise to each. For each exhibited the
highest type of American patriotism.
You may ask if | refer to but the he
roes of one side of the Rebellion. l wish
to be fair, and have no desire to revive
bitter memories. In bravery, and love
of home, community and of local state,
the heroes of thesNorth and South were
equal. But in that nobler, broader pa
triotism, which places our country above
our community and local interest, the
northern soldier far eXcelled. And L
have not yet arrived at that stage of
philanthrophy where [ am willing to put
the patriotism of those who fought and
died to save the Union, on an equality
with that of those who fought to destroy
it. But even the latter have come to see
the moral weakness of the old Southern
Cause" and in II late war with Spain,
and in the Philippines, the fire of pa
triotism has burned alike, both North
and South. And never had a government
a more united support than ours has
had from all sections. True, there are
NAL contents, and have ever been. Some
OF them being men whose opinions are
entitled to respect, and all of them in
earnest. But some of them making ut
terances far from discreet. At a meet
ing of good men in our own state, a
prominent minister asked the Almighty,
in his prayer, that the Union soldiers in
the Philippines might not be successful.
/ know that minister personally, and
know something of his unquestioned
ability and of his life of conservation
as a pastor. But from no standpoint
can | Justify his utterances just quoted.
In my opinion, it is the duty of the
American sailor and soldier to take the
flag of our nation wherever the civil
power of the government sends it, and if
necessary give their lives in its de-
tense, there, whether the administration
be Republican or Democratic. And it is
your duty and mine, to pray for the
success of that soldier and sailor in
such undertaking, leaving it to the voices
and ballots of u people and to legis-
lative and diplomatic bodies to pass upon
the right or the wrong of the policy or
position Of the administration. When
such crisis arise in our country, the
politician and partisan should merge into
the patriot, and every able bodied man
should be willing to give his best effort,
his life, if need be in defense OF the
honor of our country, and the majesty
of it's DEGREES.
And such as a rule, has been the his
tory of our people. We have fought our
battles at the polls, and abided the re-
suits. We Republicans, 1.-THE most of
us). opposed Grover Cleveland's election,
with might and main. But when the
ballots had been cast and counted, and
the result declared, he was just as much
our president as he was that OF the
democratic party, and entitled to the
same support from us, in every worthy
undertaking. And when he exercised his
power and authority to quell riots and
the wanton destruction of property, he