Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-06-09

| S~Aa PtiOh VI \ fShStt iuuOus SAAoA 81 $500
in that monument which marked the SPOT
of the high water mark Of the rebellion.
After Gettysburg, the leaders OF the Con-
federacy must have known that they were
| fighting for a hopeless cause, yet they
| held out to the bitter end. They persisted
with an answering devotion which was
worthy OF a greater intelligence. With
an equally answering devotion our boys
in blue fought stubbornly every battle,
and followed up every advantage until
the memorable morning at Appomatox
| courthouse when Grant told Lee that the
| war was ended and that his soldiers could
go home in peace.
One thing certainly the recent war with
Spain has accomplished, and that has been
to unity the different sections OF our
country. Strictly speaking, there is now
no North, no South, no East, no West.
There is but one country, one flag and one
! government. This has been true since the
close OF the Civil war, but the war with
Spain helped US to realize it more than we
did before. To liberate Cuba, the son of
| the Confederate soldier and the son Of the
union veteran fought side by side with
the same answering devotion. To the
one as much as to the other, true patriot
ism can be attributed.
3. There is still another element in true
patriotism, and that is unfaltering cour-
| age. The list Of all our fellow patriots
who possess this courage would certainly
include roll-call OF all the survivors of
| 10 ~c, \ A VT - l.x,a
upon the past. There are present duties
which will each day ring out to us their
clarion call, sAttentionl" There are pres
ent-day temptations, against which even
the old soldier needs to hear the divine
commando "Right about, face"
AThere are duties of good citizenship
for the immediate performance OF which
the voice Of true patriotism rings out its
stentorian command: forward, march,"
There is no soldier who can be good citi-
zen to-day solely by reason of the mem
ory OF some great deed Of valor performed
forty-dve years ago; and so, when I hear
OF an old soldier stealing, lying, swear
ing or getting drunk, it always makes me
feel sad. ] always feel like shaking my
head and saying: "Ah! my friend, you
are falling below your noble war record"
| do not think it is right for the United
States government to pension any soldier
who spends all his pension money for
strong drink. II he need pension, let
him sign temperance pledge, but
if he will drink, let him do it with other
money than that which comes from the
United States treasury. Secretary Root
was right when he said that any army
officer who became intoxicated while In
the performance OF his duties should be
dishonorably discharged and not honor
ably placed upon the retired list. For
these are duties in common everyday life
would to face the lannon's mouth, and
subtle Temptations which may take even
more unfaltering courage than to obey the
command to make q charge in battle with
fixed bayonets.
Faithfully to perform each one OF these
duties we need to keep before our minds
such pictures as that of Washington in
prayer at Valley Forge, and James A. Gar
field in New York city, who quelled the
bowling mob at the time Of Lincoln's as
sassination by saying to them: ''Fellow
citizens, God reigns, and the government
at Washington still lives"
The people OF the United States alva. S
strive to elect President Of unfaltering
courage. That is the reason why the peo-
pie have nominated so many times man
with war record. Washington, Jackson,
Harrison, Taylor, Pierce, Grant, Hayes,
Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, Mckinley,
and Roosevelt, all saw active service as
soldiers, some Of them gaining the high
est possible military honors before being
chosen to the highest Office within the
gift of the nation.
Not alone upon the battlefield have these
men shown unfaltering courage. McKin-
ley faced death just as brayely in Music
hall, Buffalo, as he ever did in his youth
full service on the field OF battle. With a
prayer for the foul fiend upon his lits he
soon passed into the presence OF his
Creator. He had shown his country how
q statesman should live, but he showed
the world how a Christian should die.
And want to thank God that in Presi-
dent Roosevelt the nation found man
of unfaitering courage. As New York
assemblyman, police commissioner of New
! York city, colonel of the redoubtahle
Rough Riders, and governor of New York
his unfaltering courage has been many
times well tested and tried. 1t is said
that his nomination to the vice-presi-
dency was shrewd political move to put
him on the shelf out OF politics. But de-
vine providence decreed that he should
not be put on the shelf.
One of the most marked instances of his
unfaltering courage, and one which equals
his dashing valor in leading his Rough
Riders on to victory up over San Juan
hill, was his decision concerning the pro-
motion of Hon. Henry Clay Evans, of Ten
neesee. Evans had made an honorable re-
cord as commissioner OF pensions all