Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-06-01


| or biz hearted brotherhood.
Having seen how the Grand Army
OF the Republic was started. we natu-
rally take step forward and see how
1t became the greatest political factor
OF this country for over Q quarter of
century after the war was ended. II
you go to one OF the old soldiers and
ask him what are the politics Of the
Grand Army of the Republic he will
vehemently deny that the Grand Army
OF the Republic has any political af.
finities. But again and again It
elected its representatives to the White
House. Grant. Hayes. Garfield. Nc
kinley, all wore soldiers uniform.
The senatorial halls were crowded
with its leaders. The gubernatorial
chairs were filed with them. 1t was
said that all John Il. Gordon had to
do when he was running for Office was
to throw back his long hair and show
the saber cut which he received in that
awful civil strife and the boys In
gray" would rally to his support.
Now. my friends. is there no mighty
lesson for you and me to learn from
this organization OF the Grand Army
OF the Republic2 Does IL not teach A
lesson to be helpful to your old friends
when they are in distress? Is there
not a lesson also to be true to the
friends Of your youth and to stick to
them through your middle life and also
through old age? 1t Is q nob!etchar
acteristic, that OF fide.itya to !. our.
friends. Would that In ,thesehpFeh, q nd
social ufs it was more cQ@pQp, A
ttpe hero Is man who lie. braxe before
the attacks Of an eneqays He a also
the man who is steadsaxt and faithful
In hiss-allegiance to spS old friend.
fraternity. charity, ioyaIty,"T are the
watchwords OF the Grand Army of the
Republic. May they be the watch
words OF the church. the home and the
state. May we be true TO our friends.
always true, and never willing TO turn
our backs upon our friends nor upon
our foes.
But as I see the long line of the
"blueceats" called the Grand Army of
the Republic file past am struck with
another fact. There, is not grander
set OF men on earth living than these
men, take them as n whole. I was
talking with one OF the chief officers of
one of our large soldiers homes some
time ago. He said, Some OF the finest.
noblest men / have ever met are here"
But though that be true, yet on account
or the prominence OF the organization
and also on account OF the grand men
who compose this organization impos-
tors have crept in and have been the
mQ0nc fnf No
10 some extent in the eyes OF many
who want TO be Just False heroes have
multiplied almost as rapidly since the
war closed as have the numbers of
people who trace their ancestry to
some man who crossed the Atlantic in
the Maynower. IN 1920. The American
who cannot find one OF his ancestors in
the cabins Of the pilgrims boat has no
ancestral ingenuity. Why. IL we count
the number OF descendants of the nil
! grims now living we must conclude
that those pious refugees were the
most prolific race that ever descended
from Adam. What Is true in reference
to the Mayfower pilgrims Is true to a
less extent Of many who have paraded
under the noble uniform OF the Grand
Army. Sometimes feel that the war
heroes can be manufactured 10 order In
our day almost rs readily as the guides
can pick up, the bullets and the rusty
hintlocks upon the battlefield OF Wa
terloo, which those same guides buried
only few days before they led the
gullible tourists to the places where
they could find them.
Shame, shame. we say when 80 many
noble men have fought and BLEED and
| sacrificed for their country that impos-
tors and deceivers should parade about
| as heroes. And because these impos.
tors have crept in upon the pension
rolls, the country has become suspi-
cious. At the same time there are hun
oreds and thousands OF noble veterans
deserving or better treatment who are
being allowed TO suffer and who have
no adequate provision made for them
and the support OF their dear ones.
! We ind ourselves In a similar posI-
tion TO that OF General Taylor after
his elevation to the White House. No
sooner was he Installed than a great
number Of men came TO him and said
Give as position. We fought with
you at Buena Vista. Give us q posi-.
tionr One day, after listening pa
1 tiently TO candidate who wanted to
be, postmaster In q Missouri town on
the ground that he had fought under
the president In the Mexican war. Cen
eral Taylor said. .'L used to think that
j \ .w9e ut the battle OF Buena Vista
1tmyxe4. but since i have come to Wash
1900 have heazd Of a many. things
cohy4nced I was n4 6Se a sIi" So
~i@fzs lmpsstpepS OK IT, cfsi war.
We sometimes tura oar backs upon the
true heroes because Of. the smpostors
whoWear the old unifQeH LsH.t1s be
ware OF negiecting tia honest soldiers
or refusing just reward ana care fos
the faithful and noh2c ysteeAes smerels
because there are some Ssceivers In
the Grand Army OF the BepuhlIc., Bet
ter, FAR better, give pension to ter
false petitioners rather than neglect to
do patriotic justice to one true hero
who Is now among US and deserving OF
our governmental aid.
But the Grand Army OF the Repub.
lie teaches us still another lesson. nd
1t is terrible one. A man may be a
hero In his youth-aye. a hero upon Che
field of battle. yet anything but hero
! In his private life. He may be brave
as Chinese Gordon" before a hui
man foe and yet II coward before the
temptations or the flesh. and. though
SIN Is repeliant when 1t Is witnessed In
any man. 1t is most pathetic and to be
deprecated when 1t is seen In en- old
soldier who Is drunk and immoral or
who is vile or tongue A soldier does