The Chanute times., 1913-05-30

- II
|" 1 plans for honoring her military
dead. 1t will see the final fruitng
| NSYV|IN of national official sympathy with
k63xGg the bereaved who have lost sons,
! brothers and sweethearts in their
country's service 1t will witness the final results
of the nations attempts to do all things possible
for those bereaved and for the memory 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
| lodged 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 or
soldiers and sailors who have done her service.
| To the cemeteries of the great cities, to those
of the quiet hamlet, to those on the borderands
Df civilization these headstones have gone
This Memorial day they offer themselves to a
scattered multitude fitting places for the be-
stowal of floral wreaths. The unmarked graves
through the efforts of the government, are grow
Ing fewer.
In the national cemeteries alone there are the
| remains of 154 600 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 as individuals, calls
forth a sentimental appreciation of their service
that overshadows that accorded the men with the
handsomest monuments The unknown are being
reinterred in sacred ground, their graves
being kept green and great monuments are being
erected to them, collectively
Every effort is being made to prevent the
currence in the future of the tragedy of the "un-
known" grave. At the war department army
regulations have been drafted and put into execu-
tion that arg rigid that in the future 1t will be
impossible for the soldier who fights for his coun-
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 sailor that
offers the greatest possible recompense to the
aggrieved and the best possible chance for the
perpetuation of the memory of the goriously
dead, for the remains of any man who dies in
the service, wherever his end may come, are
transported to any other spot the globe that
be designated by his family and there given bur-
ial with military honors. All this is at the ex
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
Wherever any man dies for whom it be
shown that he served in the United States
army navy, the Federal government stands
marble neatly inscribed with his name and ind-
eating his military service. The government has
a large contract with firm in Massachusetts to
furnish these headstones Under the contract
10000 such headstones we're delivered last year.
An average of $4,000 year have been so dev-
cred for the last of years. Since this pol
Icy of marking the graves of the military dead
was naugurated in 1873 there have probably
been 100000 stones that have gone forth and
which today standing over the graves Of
men who once fought for their country. The ma
ton is willing and anxious to continue their dis
trbuton 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 some so such cemeteries with total
of 100000 men buried in them But of this great
aggregate of assembled dead of the military there
are $4,000 buried beneath the slab Of the "un-
known" There acres and acres of these
white headstones that mark the graves OF soldiers
whose identity was never established. At Fred
erlcksburg Va. there is another II 1000 graves of
men whose mothers never knew where they rest
ed. There are 5000 Of them at Memphis; 10000
at Salisbury. ~ c.. 5000 at Richmond; 1000 at
Nashville. and similar and smaller numbers scat
tered over the country whole. At the great
est of the national cemeteries that at Arlington,
opposite Washington, D. c.. there is single great
monument that marks the burying place OF 2.111
unknown soldiers whose remains were gathered
from the battlehelds Of Virginia.
But the unknown population Of the national
cemeteries is to be prevented from largely IN
creasing.
Today when man is inspected for active duty
e metal tag Of Identification Is part Of his