Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1913-05-30

EMORIAL DAY this year will wit
ness the perfecting OF the nations
" plans for honoring her military
dead. II will the final fruitng
EGTyY1lH OF national official sympathy with
V0SSx4y the bereaved who have lost sons,
brothers and sweethearts In their
countrys service. 1t will witness the final results
OF the nations attempts to do all things possible
for those bereaved and for the mouory OF the
dead. 1t is big task and the manner of its
accomplishment is the story OF tribute paid to
one of the noblest sentiments that has ever been
edged in the breasts OF people
In that attempt since 1900 for instance the
United States government has supplied free Of
charge 10000 headstones to mark the graves OF
soldiers and sailors who have done her service
To the cemeteries Of the great cities. to those
OF the quiet hamlet, to those the borderlands
Of civilization, these headstones have gone
This Memorial day they offer themselves to
scattered multitude fitting places for the be-
stowal of floral wreaths. The unmarked graves
through the efforts of the government, are grow
ng fewer
In the national cemeteries alone there are the
remains of 900 unknown heroes who have met
death in the defense Of their country, and who
must. because of the loss OF their identity be
denied individual recognition. Yet the nation has
exhausted every resource In attempting to find
the names of these heroic dead. The very fulfil
Ity of these deaths, from the standpoint OF the
credit received by the men individuals calls
tOTlu q sentimental appreciation OF tneir service
that overshadows that accorded the men with the
handsomest monuments. The unknown being
reinforced In sacred ground, their graves are
being kept green and great monuments are being
erected to them. collectively.
Every effort Is being made to prevent the re-
currence in the future OF the tragedy Of the "un-
known grave. At the department army
regulations have been drafted and put into execu-
ton that SO rigid that in the future 1t will be
impossible for the soldier who fights for his
try to fail of Identification wherever he may fall
Above all this. the government has developed
system OF careful and generous disposition of
the remains OF the dead soldier or sailor that
offers the greatest possible recompense to the
aggrieved and the best possible chance for the
perpetuaton of the memory of the gioriously
dead, for the remains Of any who dies in
the service, wherever his end may come are
transported to any other spot on the globe that
be designated by his family and there given bur.
ial with military honors All this is at the
pense Of the government, for the glory of the
dead and the consolation of his family.
Finally, the government is marking the graves
and placing monuments over the remains OF the
Confederate soldiers who died In the northern
prisons and hospitals during the Civil war.
Wherever any dies for whom 1t can be
shown that he ever served In the United States
army navy, the Federal government stands
ready to furnish for his grave a headstone of
marble neatly inscribed with his name and ndi.
eating his military service. The government has
a large contract with a firm in Massachusetts TO
furnish these headstones Under the contract
10000 such headstones were delivered last year
An average of 5000 year have been SO deliv.
cred for the last score Of years. Since this pol
Icy of marking the graves OF the military dead
was inaugurated in 1873 there have probably
been 600 stones that have gone forth and
which are today standing the graves of
men who fought for their country. The ma.
tion Is willing and anxious to continue their dis
tribution of monuments free OF charge. with
freight paid to any point 1t is hoped that event
ually every grave of every soldier will be marked
with a stone that will survive forever.
The graves of all soldiers and sailors who are
buried in national cemeteries are SO marked
when the identity OF the individual is known
There are some so such cemeteries with a total
of 100000 men buried in them. But of this great
aggregate of assembled dead of the military there
are 600 buried beneath the slab CT the "un-
known There are acres and of these
white headstones that mark the graves of soldiers
whose identity never established At Fred
erIcksburg Va. there is another 10000 graves of
men whose mothers never knew where they rest
ed. There are 5000 of them at Memphis: ~ 900
at Salisbury y C: 5000 at Richmond: 1000 at
Nashville, and similar and smaller numbers scat
tered over the country as a whole. At the great
est of the national cemeteries that at Arlington
opposite Washington D. c.. there Is a single gre at
monument that marks the burying place of 2.11f
unknown soldiers whose remains were gathered
from the bettleheids OF Virginia
But the unknown POPULATION Of the national
cemeteries Is to be prevented from largely in
creasing.
Today when a is inspected for active duty
a metal tag OF Identification is E part of his