The National tribune., 1906-06-21
A MAINE COsiRaDE IN THE SOUTH.
The Fires of Loyalty Kept Burning
Brightly I'm the Land of Flowers.

]. d. Thompson, 18th Me-, st. Peters
burg, Fla, writes: Enclosed find check
for 81 to renew my subscription to The
National Tribune. / have taken ii only
one year, but if had known the paper
as know 1t now 1 would not have been
without it for the last 20 years. The
Opening of the Mississippi alone is
worth many times the subscription
price, and that is far from being the
only valuable feature. l have been In
this land of flowers since the latter part
OF January, and find the old comrades
here as thick as hops We have a
vigorous and successful Post of the G.
A. T., and in addition a very successful
Camp of United Veterans, an organiZa-
tion which is doing a good work here
in bringing together I'm brotherly love
and mutual help the veterans of both
sides, the blue and the gray And
why not? We fought for the Union, moi
only union of lands, but "a union OF
hearts and union of hands, and the
Flag of our Union forever Why not
fill up the bloody chasm? Those whom
l have met Of the ex-Confederates art
loyal citizens of the United States. old
Glory is their flag. They are now as
loyal to II as we. Some of them at any
rate. are fully convinced that the Lost
Cause was well lost. One of them said
to me the other day, What a calamity
1t would have been If we had succeeded
in dividing up the Union! We should
now have been a lot of little weak Ma
tions, the easy prey of any strong Ma
ton that wanted to conquer u.s..
1--WE had a fine celebration of Lin
coins Birthday here in the matchless
lecture of Bishop Fowler, of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church, to which a large
audience listened with almost breath
less attention. Then, on the 22d, q
celebration of Washington's Birthday
surprising all / have heretofore seer
in that line. More than 500 school
children, many of them In appropriat,
and varied costumes, were in the pro
cession. The Camp of United Veterans
was invited by the School Board to par
ticipate, and turned out with pretty
nearly full ranks and marched through
the streets. receiving salutes from the
bystanders as they passed along the
streets. st. Petersburg has a splendid
Auditorium, and IL was filled with an
audience that listened with great inter
est to the musical and literary exer-
cises, including splendid Grafton by
Judge Downey, of Indiana, one of ou:
Winter residents.9i b.i
Every old soldier to whom I have
spoken of the lmatter deprecates the
movement started BY a few 'hot-neads
to erect a monument to the Swiss mon
Ster who commanded at Andersonyille
and who seemed to delight in cruelty
The people who are urging that abomi-
nation are doing, immense mischief We
can but hope that the sober sense and
patriotism of the, wiser and better class
at the South will frown down this i'll
advised movement. 70
Capt j. F. Chase, veteran of the
5th Me. Battery, who has undoubtedly
more honorable, scars than any other
living man, for rhe received As wounds
at Gettysburg, one of them taking off
an arm, another destroying an eye, and
who had seven and a half ounces OF
iron picked out of bis wounds by the
Surgeons on the field, lives here, and Is
busy in promoting harmony and good
feeling. Shattered though his body IS
he is still fine specimen of a Maine
Yankee, and is doing a good work in
inducing infirm veterans to leave the
frosty North and come to this land OF
sunshine. Veteran City, beautiful
location on Boca Ceiga Bay. six miles
from here, was planned by him. 1t is
expected to settle II with veterans. and
its lots are being rapidly disposed of
1t will be an ideal residence for old
soldiers"