Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1914-06-20

ton. The United States declared
war upon England to avenge these
wrongs. II was a war full of priva.
tons and sufferings. but 1t had Its
recompense. One OF these was the
national song to the glorious banner
that We are gathered here tonight to
honor. The British fleet was In front
of Fort McHenry near Baltimore. 1t
had with 1t many prison ships, on
which were confined American prison.
ers taken during the war. On one Of
these was Francis Scott Key. Peer
ing anxiously through the portfolio Of
his floating dungeon, he beheld with
the sunset the flag of his country
floating in majesty over the ramparts
of Fort McHenry. During the night
the incessant roar of cannon and the
bursting of shells over the American
stronghold, kept his nerves at ten.
sion, and with the dawn's early light,
he beheld to his Joy and qualification
the star spangled banner still waving
proudly in the breeze. The result
was the immortal hymn from his pen.
written at the moment, which IL now
the national anthem of the American
navy and the 10Y Of the American
people. (Great applause.)
This war, full OF viscissitudes to
the flag. which witnessed the glorious
victory Of Winfield Scott at Lundys
Lane, waved up In blaze Of glory
at New Orleans. Great Britain had
S<armtcad 20 cooaih1o IN atri1,o a
staggering blow at the young repub.
lie of America. She decided to seize
New Orleans and the great territory
of Louisiana recently acquired from
France and embracing all Of the
United States west Of the Mississippi.
With that end in view, she dispatched
most formidable force to the south.
ern coast of the Union. The army
was composed Of picked men. Its
commander was General Packenham
one Of the generals under the Duke
of Wellington In the Peninsular cam.
paign in Spain. Both Packenham and
his troops were veterans who had
held the lines of Torres Vedros
against the attacks of armies com
manded by Marshals Massena and
Soult. The French soldiers repealed
by the British veterans were men
who had, under Napoleon himself
mingled the agles of France with
the eagles Of the Alps, and won the
great battles Of Marengo, Of Ulm and
of Austerlitz. But these heroes Of
Torres Vedros and conquerors Of con
querors. were whipped out of their
boots by Andrew Jackson at New Or
leans. (Applause.) There were
Tories in the war of 1912 as there
had been In the Revolutionary war
men who stabbed their country III
the back and opposed the war from
the beginning. Even after the treaty
of peace, which won for the country
everything that 1t asked for, these
critics kept up their attacks ON their
native land.
1t was in answer to these stay-at
home fault-fnders that Stephen De
catur, the hero of Tripoli and Algiers
and the hero of many sea fight dur
ing the combat of 1912, offered this
famous toast at banquet:
| Our Country: In her intercourse
with foreign nations, may she ever
be right, but our country, right OF
wrong" (Applause.)
The growth OF the republic kept
| pace with the progressive interests
of the people. The trend of popula
ton was towards the mighty and
boundless west. Texas peOpled by
Americans had declared her indepen
dence of Mexico. The Lone Star after
was knocking for admission to the
galaxy of American states. Mexico
| growled. The United States admit
ted Texas to the Union. Mexico de
clared war. Our army was small but
brave. The flashes along the line al
the storming of the heights of Cha
pultapec and the great victory OF
Buena Vista crowned the American
standards with fresh and imperish
able laurels. The tread of the Amer
lean soldier was soon heard in the
halls OF the Montezumas and the
American flag foated over the City OF
Mexico itself (Applause.) BY this
war the country extended itself tt
its rightful place on the Pacific ant
added 10 its domain the golden sol
of California. Not only California
but New Mexico, Nevada, Utah ant
Colorado with other territory, were
brought under the American flag. CAP
plause.)
The conclusion OF the Mexican war
! In conquest and in glory, reawakene(