Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-06-03

who did the more valiant service for
his country, John or William. one
was a giant in guiding aud creating
patriotic legislation, the other a 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
err, 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 I'm 1861 he stepped into the mil
itary camp ana 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. I need you
more in congress than do in the field
Resign your soldiers commission and
as q congressman come and help me-"
Thus today / not only honor the sol.
der. but also the legislator. l honor
James A. Garfield the general. | also
honor James A. 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 unselfish 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 81 Home,
Let me illustrate what | mean by
praising the boy who stayed at home
TO work the farm. Some time ago l
was attending a soldiers reunion. II
was q 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 shall never forget did
you have any brothers in the armyT'
II ID a. ~
was the answer. There were three
boys OF us. We all wanted 10 go. but
father and mother were getting Old.
and some one had 20 stay at home and
look after the old folks and our youn-
ger sisters. SO one night we had a fam
fly convocatiop. After the family talk
we three sons and mother and father
decided that two OF us boys could go
10 the war, but that one should stay st
home and work the farm. Who were
TO go1 Who was to stay ut homer
We all wanted TO go and fight and so
we decided 20 draw lots. Mother held
the book and put in the three slips OF
paper with one marked Stay at home
We drew. John and myself went 20
the front. Harry stayed at home"
Did your brother regret that be had
TO stayr ''Oh. yes. But some one had
TO stay. and so he simply swallowed
his disappointment. Yes, we two boys
could never have gone TO the front but
for Harry's faithfulness TO the old
folks" Was he not just as patriotic
as the two who went forth TO battle
Let us, then. place n flower over his
grave as we'll rs upon the graves OF
those who went to the war. Let US
realize that the stay at homes some
times evlnced greater moral courage
made more heroic self sacrifice and en-
dured greater disappointment than
the ones who went to the front
In this Memorial address we would
sccord praise to all who did the coun-
try service-the contractors who fur
nished the blankets and the shoes and
the tents and the food and the guns.
the patriotic bankers. the railroad men,
like Thomas Alexander Scott who did
such valuable service In rushing the
troops TO their ultimate destinations
We would praise the newspaper ed
itors. who nodded public opinion so
that the right men were elected 10 con-
gress, and the newspaper reporters.
who risked life and limb TO carry back
the news from the front OF what hus.
bands and fathers and brothers had
suffered under the tornadoes OF shot
and shell in the last battle. We would
praise such men as A. X. Mcclure
OF the Philadelphia Press. with whom
Lincoln was in closest contact, and
Joseph Medill OF the Chicago Tribune.
and James Gordon Bennett of the New
York Herald. These men never were
able TO wear q Grand Army button.
They could tell no campfire stories at
the Grand Army reunions. but they
had their part in the great struggle.
But for their enterprise, their daring
and their patriotic devotion we should
never have had the records OF yalor
which are now our priceless possession.
Services OF Charles A. Dana.
1t Is very grave question whether
Abraham Lincoln could not better have
parted with almost any one OF his
major generals than he could have lost
that genius OF railroad organizing.
Thomas Alexander Scott. Ii IS a very
grave question whether II. s. Grant |
would not have been deposed from his |
command and sent back home In dis |
grace had II not been for Charles A. |
Dana, who, as the personal representa- |
tive OF Lincoln. went 10 the front and |
exposed and denounced the false scan
dals which were being circulated about |
the silent warrior Of the west. IL |
Is very grave question whether Sal |
mon T.. Chase could have ever success
fully financiered the United States
bonds which paid the running expenses
or the war government. costing at that
time millions upon millions OF dolla RS
each month, unless he had been backed |
up by Jay Cooke. the Philadelphia CAP
italist who was to Lincoln what Rob-
ert Morris was to George Washington
In the Revolution. So today 1 Impair
TALLY praise the patriotic soldier. the
patriotic railroad man. the patriotic
editor. the patriotic fnapcier, the pa
triotic contractor-McClurs and Dana
and Scott and Jay Cooke. as well as