The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1904-06-02

imperishable monuments in the results
OF the glorious work they died to achieve
But the nation itself needs memorial
day. Should America cease to honor
her patriot dead; should the day ever
come when the story OF heroic daring,
of noble doing, of willing sacrifice, by
which our nationality was saved and
slavery destroyed, be forgotten, then is
there danger that the nations life will
go out in the midnight of disaster. Ii
memorial day ceases to be holy day
and becomes mere holiday, then will
Americas days be numbered. She will
cease to be government of the people,
by the people and for the people, and
will deservedly go down in oblivion.
Nothing that art can do, nothing that
education can do, nothing that the
accumulation of wealth can do, will
assure perpetuity to a nation that shows
no sentiment of public respect for those
who died in defense of a great free state
with all the inestimable blessings that
a free state implies.
1t was with something of the old-time
enthusiasm that the "boys who wore
blue" and ladies of Candy W. r. c.,
gathered with patriotic citizens to cele'
brate the day which all American hero
lovers hold sacred. Though "the ranks
grow thinner" there were twenty-five
OF the old veterans present to pay tender
tribute to the memory of the brave
comrades "whose life battles all are
over"
At ten O'Clock a. m. the 6. A. r
Post and other citizens drove out tt
Idlewild, where with appropriate cere
mony they decked the graves with
lovely flowers.
At two O'Clock they gathered at the
X. P. hall, where procession was
formed, headed by the city band which
marched to Hood River bridge where
flowers were cast upon the waters il
memory of the unknown soldier dead
1t is strange how slow the mills o.
the gods do grind. There is no greater
fake or worse graft in the manipulations
OF the government than that OF free
distribution of garden seeds through
the mails by the agricultural depart
ment. We have yet to hear Of the leas
benefit haying been derived from thin
abuse Of the mails. II the distribution
was confined to rare or new varieties
there might be some excuse for it, bu
when as every one knows, the seedi
sent out are almost universally ole
standard sorts such as can be obtained
for nominal sum at any country store
and that in very many, II net mos
instances, are old discarded seeds turned
out by some scotsman who would no
sell them to his customers, that whel
planted they often do not grow, ant
when they do grow are worthless,
nuisance to the farmer upon whom the.
have been foisted 1t appears TIN
department would do well to eliminat
this branch OF its operations entirely
And, If it ls true as has been reported
that the congressman and senator
abuse this franking privilege to tn
extent of sending whole sacks OF seed
and grain to some of their friends
who use them as feed for their stock
it is time the people made a vigorou
protest and insisted upon the abolish
ment of this practice. The lawmaker
OF our government have declared, man
of them, that the cost of carrying tn
mails is so great that the rate of l6 cent
per pound cannot be reduced; yet the
are firm in their support OF the fire
seed fake. Would they not be wise t
use their influence with the department
of agriculture against this senseles
burden of the mails, and thereby max
1t possible to reduce the cost of carrying
merchandise mail2 1t would certainl
be greater benefit to a greater numbe
than this seed distribution, which benz
fits only the seedsmen who supply tn
seeds.