The Republican journal., 1905-05-18
Uncle Siah on
The Rebel FLAGS.

1t was evening. A sunny April day
had just closed. Siah, tired with the
labors of the day, was sitting at his
desk reading the latest news. Every
few moments he would say, "too bad;
yes, it's disgraceful, outrageous"
Amanda looked up from some work
in hand and asked, "What are you
grumbling at? You must see some
thing that you don't like very we'll"
Just then there was stamping at
the door and old Jim. the big mastiff OF
100 lbs. weight, sprang to attention
from a sound nap and challenged the
party.
For PHYS sake" someone said,
"hold ON to that dog or he will eat us
up" But Jim knew thing or two,
and when Siah said, ''it's all right,
JIM" he, with a growl of suspicion,
again lay down facing the party.
Good old Uncle John and few old
soldiers were of the party and Siah told
them he had just been reading some
thing that made him at first awful mad.
"Must have been something pretty
bad to have riled you So" said Uncle
John.
81 suppose you must have read" re-
piled Uncle Siah, chat Congress before
they adjourned voted to return all the
captured Rebel flags that have for 40
years lain in the storehouse of the
Nations Capitol. [ thought Congress
had no right to return them. But very
few Union soldiers were in Congress
the past winter, and those who were
not in the army or navy had by right
no voice in the matter. The South had
not asked for them, and why should
they have done such thing and never
asked the members of the Grand Army,
who of all others should have tine right
to say. The papers say great day in
Richmond, Va, is to be the result. All
the school children will bear miniature
flags of the Lost Cause, and all the
issues of the dead past will be revived.
Soldiers of Maine, is it right, is it just
to the surviving soldier?
This is the order: Gen. AinswOrth,
the military secretary, who was special
ly charged with that duty by the Secre-
tary of War, has completed the ship
ment of the Rebel flags captured dur
ing the War of the Rebellion, to the
governors of the various States to
which the organizations who carried
them belonged. Total number of flags
returned, 1913; divided among the States
as follows; Alabama IA, Arkansas 5,
Florida 7, Georgia "a, Kentucky l,
Louisiana s, Mississippi is, Missouri 2,
North Carolina 81, South Carolina IA,
Tennessee I, Texas 4, Virginia SO. All
of these standards were forwarded by
express to the governors of the various
States to do with them as they deemed
advisable under the circumstances.
They all bear distinctive marks sutfi-
cient to establish their Identification.
There are large number Of other cap
tured Rebel flags, still in the possession
of the War department with no means
of identifying them and they will be re-
tanned in the custody of the War de-
partment."
AS Siah finished reading the order, he
said, eyes, / was mad Then took up
another paper and it told of the grand
reception President Roosevelt was hav-
ing in the South, and, boys, he is the best
friend the surviving solder has had since
Lincoln. AS read how the boys who
wore the blue and those who wore the
grey marched elbow to elbow IN the
ranks, under the protecting folds of
Old Glory, as the President reviewed
them, could not help saying, let them
have the old flags, though it revive
memories of forty years ago. They are
Americans, we will trust to their hon
or. They will cherish the memory of
the Lost Cause another forty years be-
fore it is forgotten. No man loves the
flag as the surviving soldier. | have
known men returning from the South
ern prisons to clasp the folds of Old
Glory in their arms and press their
parched lips to its protecting folds,
while tears streamed down their cheeks.
''The State of Maine has reason to be
proud of the record of her soldier sons,
and the only stain found upon the flags
entrusted to the Maine soldiers care
was the precious life blood of her loyal
sons
The little company had sat still while
Uncle Siah was telling this story
Uncle John said: "Siah, if you started
out to preach next, | wouldn't be sur
prised." 1t has been said, many times,
that the soldiers of Maine never lost
flag, and their record was grand one.
II was said by one OF the great COM
manders of the army of the Potomac,
elf it is possible | want a Maine regi-
ment in every brigade
Siah said, perhaps having been SOL
dier he was prejudiced in favor of the
surviving comrades of that great con-
tlict, but there was spirit of fellow
ship among them as whole that moth
ing but the final muster out can sever.
But, boys, that day is fast approaching
and to the most of US may be very
near. We have reached the summit
and like the railway train are rapidly !
going down the grade. And, boys, on
the down grade there are no stations.
We are being whirled along at such a
terrific rate of speed that we pass the
yearly stations 50 quickly we hardly
catch a glimpse of one ere another is
in sight. The commissioner of pen
sions tells us the death rate averages
1000 each week or more than $4,000
each year. We thought $4,000 huge i
army in the war time, Tut the boys are
fast becoming back numbers. The
young man, educated, up-to-date, as the
term is, with muscles Of steel is climb !
ing right past the old soldier in the
battle of life. If he has ambition he
must smother it. He is told he is too
old. You must give place to the young
generation, but you may look on and
see us improve on your old system.