Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1904-06-06

our Washington legislators. 1t Is so
easy TO call the United States senate
the "milIionaires' assembly" or the
club of the old fogies." 1t is so easy to
say the house of representatives Is a
collection Of nonentities, who are ruled
for the most part by one or two men
who crack the party whip over the
backs of their fellows. But, my
friends. / believe that by such speeches
injustice is often done to able men,
We have a right TO assume that men
who have been chosen by their fellow
citizens to represent them in congress
are worthy men, and when we dispar-
age them we disparage the citizens
who elected them. The first great bat
ties are not fought out with sword and
cannon, but with tongue and pen in
legislative assembly. The civilized
word knew Spain was doomed long
before Commodore Dewey's guns spoke
i'm Manila harbor When, on June Ii,
1893. congress authorized the secretary
of the United States treasury to Issue
500. 600, 900 worth of bonds for ma
tional defense. all the ultimate outcome
of the Standardization war was de-
cided, except how the treaty Of peace
should be signed. The outcome Of the
terrific conflict of 1851 to 1866 would
never have been the maintenance of
the Union If congress had not Loyalty
supported President Lincoln during
that eventful period. Aye. there were
giants in those days. But the giants
upon Capitol hill, whose moral courage
and answering loyalty were tried and
proved, deserve our honor as much as
do the giants fighting at the front.
which Most Deserved HOnOrs
Place side by side. If you will. those
two master personalities, John Sher-
man and William T. Sherman. They
were brothers; they were both gen.
fuses. AS we look over the pages Of
history it is a very debatable question
which should be honored the more and
who did the more valiant service for
his country, John or William. One
was a giant in guiding and creating
patriotic legislation, the other giant
in military strategy, yet today in al
most every city you can see fifty pic
lures of William T. Sherman where
you will find one Of his patriotic broth
er, who was senator of the United
States from 1861 to 1877. The vital
Importance of the work done by our
national legislators can never be bet
ter illustrated than in the life of James
A. Garfield. He was one of the most
brilliant volunteer soldiers of the war.
From the presidential chair of Hiram
college in 1861 he stepped into the mil
itary camp and donned soldiers uni
form. Within two years he wore the
shoulder straps of a major general.
Yet Abraham Lincoln placed his hand
upon the brilliant chief of Rosecrans'
staff and said: Garfield, l need you
more in congress than | do in the field.
Resign your soldiers commission and
as a congressman come and help me-"
Thus today | not only honor the sol
der, but also the legislator l honor
James A Garfield the general. l also
honor James 4. Garfield the Ohio con-
gresham. In both positions he did
| valuable and heroic service.
On this Memorial day the brother
who stayed at home and worked the
farm should be praised as well as the
young man who went to the front and
was mentioned for heroic deed in the
commanders dispatch. The young
man who sank his personality in the
more common but equally needful du-
ties of home life might have been even
Drawer and more unselfsh than the
soldier boy who marched down the
main street Of his native town or city,
keeping step to the strains of martial
music, and whose train pulled out of
his home depot amid the shouts and
huzzas of admiring friends who came
to bid him goodby.
The Boys Who Stayed at Home.
Let me illustrate what | mean by
praising the boy who stayed at home
to work the farm. Some time ago
was attending soldiers reunion. 1t
was a most impressive spectacle, that
assembly of aged men. Yes, the
ranks of the old soldiers are thinning
very rapidly. We shall not have them
with us long. But, though these veter-
ans were very old when they began to
tell their campfire stories, as their mar
rative proceeded they seemed to be-
come boys again. Among the stories
told was one l shall never forget. Did
you have any brothers in the army?'
l asked an aged soldier. Eyes, one, -
was the answer There were three
boys of US. We all wanted to go, but
father and mother were getting old,
and some one had to stay at home and
look after the old folks and our youn-
ger sisters. So one night we had fam
| lily convocation. After the family talk
we three sons and mother and father
decided that two of us boys could go
to the war, but that one should stay at
home and work the farm. Who were
| to go? Who was to stay at home?
We all wanted to go and fight and so
we decided to draw lots. Mother held
the book and put in the three slips of
| paper with one marked Stay at home.