Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-10
Senator Hepburn Stands by
Speech on Lee Statue.
TALKS TO UNION VETERANS
Address at Celebration Of Appomat.
tox Day Under the Auspices Of
U. v. Z. Encampment.


ing defiance at those who criticised his
Senate speech on the Lee statue, Senator
Hepburn of Idaho aroused an audience
of old soldiers of the Union Veteran
Legion to a high pitch of enthusiasm at
their "Appamattox day. celebration at
Schmidts Hail. Sic 9th street northwest,
last night. 1T is an insult he said, ito
you gray-haired veterans. who -risked
your all to save this nation to place the
statue of Robert E. Lee in the nations
Capitol. To me it is intolerable to have
the rebel flag float beside Old Glory"
The senator said he had been criticised
for his Senate speech because he was too
young when the civil war broke out to
tender his services, but he claimed the
right to speak of the war and Of the
| lowed their course throughout the bloody
struggle, and was in sympathy with them
Classed as Traitorious.
Referring to a statement made earlier
in the evening that bill had been intro
duced in Congress to change the flag. he
said the man that would take away one
Of Its stars or change a single stripe
should be hanged traitor" He
said he had no thought of making
political speech. The time breathed only
patriotism to him, and it was patriotism
that inspired his utterances. He said h.
had received letters from over LOO pa
triotic organizations indorsing the senti-
ments of his recent speech in the Senate:
that he had nothing to take back, nothing
to change.
And" he continued, when the time
comes for the Introduction of the resolu-
ton to accept Lees statue another ser
mon will be preached on the floor of the
Senate and you will find others besides
myself who share its sentiment. He
said he had examined the records and
found that when Robert E. Lee resigned
from the United States Army it was
after Lincoln ha.. promoted him to full
colonelcy; and, he said, he drew his pay
as such three days after he had accepted
commission from the Confederacy
That he said, lis the record of the
man whom we are asked to accept as a
hero statesman and soldier
The surrender at Appomattox, he said,
mean much. in his opinion. Why" he
said, when Sherman was told that Lee
had surrendered, he exclaimed, indig-
nantly, Surrender; why I've got him and
all his belongings in my hands, There
was no chivalry in that affair on Lees
part. The rebels had been whipped to
frazzle,x and it was Sheridan who said
So.
about the waving of the bloody shirt"
the senator declared the southerner re-
served the right to say and do the most
audacfous things, but quickly WINGED if
an old Union soldier stood for his cause.
Need Of Patriotism.
There has never been a time in the
history of the country" said Senator
Hepburn, when we needed more les
sons in patriotism than we do today.
This is the commercial age. There is
but little interest manifested on the floor
of the Senate when a bill to pension an
old soldier Is up for considera ton. No,
they quietly waIkout. l hope the time
is not far distant" he added. when
provision will be made to enable every
old veteran Of the civil war to live the
dignified life Of what patriot should be.
don't mean a life of idle luxury. for
that would not be good for you But
do mean life becoming one Of the
saviors of the nation"
tirely out of sympathy with the move
ment for safe and sane Fourth of
July so called" Il believe in the old
time celebration" he said. The old
flag should be so prominent you can't
see anything else but frecrackers."
Encampment Colonel's Speech.
Henry Sanford. colonel Of Encamp-
ment No. SO, who introduced Senator
Hepburn. also made a ringing speech.
He said the safe and sane Fourth of
July" would raise a race of mollycod-
dies" better adapted for pink tea par
ties than for the purposes of patriotism.
What If there is danger in the old
way" he said ut is danger that lights
the fire Of patriotism. Let them shoot
Let some old fellow read the Declare
ton of independence and another tear
out the tail feathers Of the American
eagle till the American heart is aroused
to the full realization of the meaning
of the day and what it stands for.
What we need" he declared, is the
hood that characterized the old soldier
Of the civil war"
Program of Music.
Col William F. DAILY of Encampment
No. 90 presided at the meeting. which was
opened with the ritualistic exercises of
the t. V l.. Prayer was said by Chap
lain William II. Womersley, who also
pronounced the benediction at the close.
During the evening the exercises were
alternated with patriotic songs by the
Hamline League Choir Club OF Hamline
Church under the direction of Prof Fl.
l.. Halter.
Past Col Michael c. Connolly of En-
campment No. III also delivered patri-
otto address.
The exercises were held under the joint
auspices of Encampments Nos. 60 and
Ill and concentrated the forty-f1fth an
niversary Of Lees surrender. The COM
mit.ee Of arrangements consisted of Col.
Henry Sanford Of Encampment No. 50,
chairman; Col. William F. DAILY. Com
mander H. II. Brewer of Encampment
No. IL and J. A. Mcdowell.