Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-28
Representative Dawson's Theme.

The next address was by Representative
A. F. Dawson OF Iowa. His topic was
THE Navy" but In his address he said he
wanted TO combine both the army and the
navy. He said the ceremonies should have
a great significance to the young. and that
they would be vain unless they taught
lesson-a lesson in patriotism, love of coun-
try, and the obligations owed to the de-
tenders Of the flag. While we have the
greatest country in the world said Mr..
Dawson, we must remember that it would
not have been SO had il not been for the
men who went forth from their homes and
families to give their blood for unity and
the flag. We must honor those men.
I'VE have no conceptions of the horror
of war for none of us young people have
ever passed through one. but when the
Spanish war came up the young ones
showed that they were chips of the old
block, for II required just ninety days to
sweep the Spaniards from the western
hemisphere and send the Spanish ships 10
DaVy Jones locker.
Mr.. Dawson closed with eulogy Of
President Mckinley,
A Reunited People.
The speaker of the day Representative
John J. Jenkins of Wisconsin, was then
introduced. After telling of his first visit
TO Arlington, Mr.. Jenkins said
LAS the Fourth of July is an outgrowth
of the war for independence. SO is the
annual gathering to lay flowers upon the
graves of the soldier dead an outgrowth
of the civil war. July the Fourth will
be more or less celebrated for all time.
and l believe as long patriotism exists
among our people the graves of SOL
der dead will universally be decorated by
some loving heart and kind hand, and the
day appropriately observed. The late war
with Spain gave this beautiful custom
impetus, and 1t is one that should be uni
versally honored, respected and observed
each and every year. Its tendency is to
promote patriotism and love of country,
which is so necessary to the existence of
our republic.
1--WE meet here today, united people,
happy and prosperous, approaching nearer
noble manhood and womanhood than any
other people under the sun. Citizens of a
great republic. determined to uphold the
dignity and unity of this nation, no matter
how divided we may be politically and relig-
iously marching under but one nag, in one
solid column. with absolutely no feeling
of sectionalsm, knowing no north, no SOUTH
no east, no west the countersign, one coun-
try
''Our fathers wisely erected form OF
government that made the people the pow
er, but had to have dual system; a sys-
TEN that could not be avoided; a system
worth much more TO the nation than many
think for; yet questions growing out of that
system were responsible for the civil war.
So from the time of the adoption of the
Constitution that war inevitable; it
interest and benefit of the nation what the
fathers could not accomplish. 1t was
worth all it cost. The glorious and benef-
eial result could not have been attained
In any other way. She stubborn fight put
up contributed TO our great name and sue
cess as nation.
Lesson of the War.
From cruel. costly war. that so d.
vided our nation. we must learn a valuable
lesson and profit by the experiences of the
past. Here We have nation no parallel
The want of and demand for liberty led to
the revolution. The Constitution was ere
ated to secure the blessings of liberty OBJ
tanned by the patriotic fathers Conditions
were present that divided our. nation sec
tionaliy. and civil war resulted
ut is not my purpose to speak of the civil
war in detail. but only as an incident. Like
al wars. 1t was cruel and costly, but unlike
any other war In the history of the WORLD,
it brought TO us what was needed to COM
4 picte the natiofs. s Ass1
Such a struggle could not come and go
without some extreme feeling, but we con-
graduate ourselves that IL has left no bit
terness. The action OF the people was COM
mendable and creditable TO their citizenship