The Holt County sentinel., 1911-02-17
The First American.

VI SuHuaN. ~ tI1e one UaN out oil the
40, except the Fourth Of July. which
Is observed In every state and terri.
tory in the United States. The man
who Vas born on that day Is not
claimed 10y any par,icular state. sec.
ton or partisan group. Writing long
after WashingiOu's death. jefferson
said lie vas unable To tell to what
party Washingi on belonged. alt hough
la was several years IN that Prrsi.
dents cabinet. The Frdcralists OF
liiS day claimed him and hc undoubt.
cdly leaned toward them in mos, OF
hr strictly partisan measures of li>
administration. but the Democrats
Of the time, Jci,crson's party. also
called him one of their number. and
the founder of the party. IN, imatciy
n he had known Washington. was
unable to tell which claim was correct
and nobody inquiries today or cares To
which party:hc belonged.
Washington's memory was one Of
the strongest ui the ties which bound
the North and the south in the civil
war. II waS i1ritlN agreed that no
act uf war should take place IN at
near vi. Vernon. That spot was to
hc held sacred from the strife uf con.
tending armies. Tie federal and con.
irdrraic troops Who should meet ~
the tomb oi the Father al Ills tOun.
| Try IN l>Hl.',i would br iiirnd> there.
| though they wvr" enemies uu every
other spot ON ,hr continent. II wa>
on" ni the regrets uf some at the con.
| ird,tatr leaders. Including ten. Dick
Taylor. >uu of the l2lh president.
that their regime failed 10 hold on To
| the nag If til" ni'cd States. though
ilgh'ingagain~t.l nitcd Sta''-.auihuti.
Ity. The retention Vt the ilag Of Wash.
ington would, ~ they imagined, have
given them a prestige ~ home and
abroad whirl would have Won them
hosts of friends In the North and
gained them allies IN Europe. This.
of course. was imprac, icable. hut ia"
iac, that the feeling was manifested
and that u remained 70 the end oi th"
war. was striking tribute to
the memory uf the NAT ions first pres.
idcnt.
| In these DAYS, When the United
State, and ;iir world are bearing
much about Monroism. II viii bc well
Ia call attention Ia tn. fact that 'hr
principle was ont lincd 10y a President
of the United states \ general ion hr.
fore II appeared IN the message of
lsa3 which coupled II with ,he name
oi lie chief magi~tral. Al that time.
The germ If the Monroe l'ri rinr ap.
Feared IN lr farewell address ISSUED
Hoy Washington In lTu%. when dccliu.
ing 10 serve IN the presidency after
lac term then near IT, rirS". The
SAME idea ~ regards ihr srpiraIiun
of this continent from Eurup" ana
III" idNisabiliIl of H. Keeping uut OF
the old worlds puarrclS and cOlup'i'
lcitiOn~ found expression iru,n Wash.
ington. long b,ipr, hiS la, viii and
testament was pcnned. Washington
was also the earliest among Am"ri'
can statesmen to grasp tle Importance
of the settlement Of the West and OF
the opening of communication h..
tween that region and the East.
Thus II has come To pass that his per.
sonality l. detached from party local
i,y and time. Members Of all parties
meet ON common ground when cclc.
brating the anniversary Of his birth,
February I'D, just rs nationalist and
confederate did at Mount Vernon
during the civil war. Anativs OF the
South, his service during the war ~
Independence, when he was al the
head Of the national armies, was In
the North, except for few months
al the close OF the war. An Eastern
man, he identified himself with the
West and pointed out the vast pos
sibiities of this sect ion before there
were ~ ,OO0 whites IN all Of the Unit
ed States on the Alleghenie's sunset
side. Elected as the first president
Of the young republic twice In sue.
cession by the unanimous voice Of ,iie
entire country, he was as indepcnd.
ent of locality as he was Of party or
of religious creed. The pui,lic spirit
which he inculcated, the sectional
strife which he condemned and the
broad and stalwart nationalism which
he typihed In word and deed makes
Washlngton's personality stand out
In all ages and all localities rs that of
the first American.