Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1911-02-08

by the band, the President of the
Day, lin few we'll chosen remarks"
in the course of which he took oc-
casion to congratulate the vast
throng" before him on their pres
ence here today, showing by that
very presence that they were true
patriots, who loved their country
above all else, yes, sir, they could
point with pride TO the glorious fact
that they were descendants of the
men who fought at Bunker Hill and
Yorktown. But he would not de-
tain them, he had no desire to
trench upon the time which belong
ed to another. "You are here today
my friends to listen to an orator
whose fame has spread. far beyond
the bounds of the state which he
honors by his residence in 1t. !
have the honor and pleasure, ladies
and gentlemen, of introducing to
you the Honorable Jefferson Spindle
ton of LIE Claire, who will address
you" prolonged cheers).
The Honorable Jefferson Spindle
ton promptly arose and with pro-
found bow to the president of the
day, stepped lightly to the front.
In appearance, he was decidedly out
of the ordinary; that he was no
common man was plain to be seen,
in fact he himself had said so on
more than one occasion when the
matter had been broached by his
friends. He was tall and thin, he
seemed to have been put together
in sections like a telescope and when
he unjointed himself he was a sur
prise, he wore his hair very long
and sleek, tawny mustache that
hung down below his chin on both
sides of his face made him look like
a telegraph pole with yellow
streamer on it at half mast; evil
IDENTIFY he was great man, who
imagined himself to be no less a
parsonage than Uncle Sam himself,
who, according to Washington Irv-
ing, believed the earth tipped when
he went west:
"Mr. President, ladies and gentle
men," began the orator. with the
clear cut sentences of that immortal
instrument, the Declaration of In
which has Just been 20
finely read to us, there he turned
and bowed to the reader), still ring
ing in our ears, the shadow on the
dial goes backward for three quar-
ters of century and we stand face
to face with the men and the times
that tried mems souls" He. then
proceeded to outline the causes
which led up to the signing of the
of Independence and
the War of the Revolution. "a
grand principle" said he, was avow-
ed, but that principle was to become
a recognized fact on this continent
only after a mighty struggle with a
powerful foe running through years
of sacrifice, suffering and blood
shed. After reviewing at length,
the progress which had been made
in the development of our national
resources, he uncovered a vein Of
humor which greatly pleased his
listeners. The United States was
not only free and Independent peo-
pie, they represented a nation in
the vigor and grit and grip of young
manhood, a youth who has been
great strides in the march
Of progress. He Is close to the
front right now, a good looking,
tall, we'll built, manly nobleman of
nature, his massive head covered
with nut-brown locks; he cultivates
a mustache (here the speaker fond
ly passed his hand over his own
adorned upper lip),
scorning cigar but smoking a
corncob pipe, slang phrase at his
end, and good deal Of lip
generally. oh, yes, he is some, he
is, he can whip ell creation, es-
pecially the blamed Britisher."
In this strain he went on for
some time to the intense delight of
his auditors. Why" said he, con-
'.He points you to the bird
o'freedom and tells you that that
ere bird can just put the tip of one
Of his wings on the Green Noun
tains and the other on the Rockies
and stretch himself across the con-
tinent; he can rest his bill on Pixies
Peak, and spread his tail feathers
over the District of Columbia, and
the tarnal critter can swoop down
and scream freedom in the ears of
kings. and queens till they turn blue,
so he can
After these touches of humor, Mr..
Spindleton. shifting the odors of the
barbecue which distinctly. reached
the platform with an appetizing fra
grance and noting its effect on his
hungry audience, observed that he