The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1914-04-27
u. 5. PRIVATE PAID
TRIBUTE BY HOBs0N
Congressman Who Was Hero of Span
ish War, Tells Members of House
Confidence Soldiers Deserve
RELATES INSTANCE OF BRAVERY
Repeatedly Risk Their Own Lives for
a Companion-"M Members of Pres
ent Fleet Just Boys" says Captain

By Congressman G. H. Tavenner.
Washington, April 27.-A beauti
full tribute to those real heroes O
war, the private soldiers and sailors
was delivered in the House by Capt
Richmond Pearson Hobson, repre-
sentative from Alabama.
1t was an auspicious moment fol
such a tribute. The preceding day
four bluejackets had lost their lives
from Mexican bullets at Vera Cruz
Capt. Hobson himself was one of the
heroes of the Spanish War. APP
plause greeted him when he arose,
and the House grew very quiet when
he spoke.
'Mr. Speaker" he began. 81 de-
sire to add my word of tribute to the
memory of the men, the plain pri-
Yates, who fell yesterday. l had the
honor of serving with the plain pri-
Yates for IS years, I remember
we'll how | was first impressed as to
the character and spirit of the plain
private"
Capt. Hobson, who is probably the
most eloquent orator in the House,
then related how at sea in a storm
he witnessed futile effort of
private seamen to rescue some of
their comrades who had been swept
overheard.
II never forget the promptness, the
agility, even the lighthearted way in
which the crew manned their boat
and put off to sea to try to save
their comrades, knowing full we'll
how meager were their own chances
of ever getting back.
81 have seen seamen, plain seamen,
jump overheard to save a comrade,
SO many of them that the officer Of
the deck had to order that no more
should go overheard, exposing their
own lives to try to save a comrade.
"That was my first introduction to
the spirit of this plain private And
remember, gentlemen, they are really
remember, gentlemen, they are really
nothing but boys. The average age
in the fleet that is off the coast of
Mexico today is 21 years.
Then when Capt. Hobson was sell
ected to sink the old Merrimac and
bottle up Cervera's fleet in Santiago
Harbor, Admiral Sampson called for
seven volunteers from the sailors in
the American fleet.
''The call was issued by signal
from the flagship, and more than a
thousand responded, said Hobson.
'The main trouble l had was in re-
fusing the appeals Of men, some who
had been my old shipmates pleading
with me on personal grounds, others
on other grounds, all begging me to
let them go in.
And then he described the scene on
the sinking ship at night with Span
ish shells tearing the laundering YES
sci to pieces, and the eight men on
the deck alone.
my men would say, Nov can we
be OFF,? I would say, No, no man
move until further ORDERS At last
the ship gave lurch and heaved as
though she would turn over on us,
and we heard the gurgling and rush
ing sound of the whirlpool approach
ing. But they stayed with me, gen.
tlemen, every last one of them, and
went down with me, no man KNOWN g
whether he would ever come up
again." ..- .-
And that night, prisoners in the
Spanish fortress, having been captur-
ed after hours spent submerged in
the shark-infested water clinging to
the edges of raft, the men sent to
Hobson this message: "The men ask
ed me to tell you that they would go
In with you again tonight" .s-s--.
Il want to tell you," said Capt.
Hobson, that the confidence you
have placed in the plain private, who
represents the plain, average Ameri-
can citizen, out there at the front,
where the drum is beating, the flag
is flying, and the thunder is in the
air-the confidence however great,
you have placed in them and in the
officers that command them, will not
be misplaced"