Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-07-03

ItlllS anu uUu0T the Oiu CONSlou VI -oSs5
AS he neared the gate, my brother,
wee tot, called to him: Come back
and swing ne, daddy He cane bac
and took that little boy up into his
arms and swung him. perhaps for the
last time, God only knowing. Picture
that home; the father gone, mother
left alone with a baby boy and living
in little log cabin. That cabin is old
now and is rotting away. 1t has passed
from the family into other hands now,
but then it was covered with the green
of the forests, and in it's interior was
the love of country that can not be
duplicated anywhere else in the world.
'Do you know that the revolutions
ary war commenced in Ohio, and do
you know that it ended in Ohio in
1882? Down in Mexico it-was sons
of Ohio that carried the old flag up
the streets of Vera Cruz and brought
victory to both American armies. Ohio
ways ready to face the greatest dan
gers.
"Over year ago l went to Gettys-
burg. 1t was in the winter. | wanted
to see the battlefield, and l told the
mon with whom / was staying of my
desires. He attempted to dissuade
me, because it was night, but I was in
earnest. l started out, and in the
darkness, not over a hundred yards
from the house, found the monument
that marks the spot where .Ohio's
brave boys fell at that awful battle.
81 am proud of the fact that my
father was in the war, and / am also
doubly proud of the fact that three
brothers of my father and two broth
ers of my mother enlisted with him
and fought throughout the war. Thus, |
sent six men to do battle for my coun-
try, even though was as yet unborn.
1T is a good thing for the people OF
our nation to turn aside at least once
a year and talk on patriotic lines.
There are some faddists here in this
country who think that the flag should
be changed, but think that it should
never be tinkered with at all. l want
you to know there are people of this
kind in the United States. 1t is only
fair that you should know. Some peo-
pie want to take out the stars and
in their place put big star, surround
ed by a number of smaller stars. 9th
ers want to take out the stars and in
sert the stars and bars"
At this point a large number of the
veterans present objected very stren-
uously, interrupting the speaker Mr..
Willis promised them that so long as
he could prevent it, that there would
never be any change in Old Glory.
"In the halls of congress today,
serving their people are a number OF
rebel generals. General Stedman, who
has room directly across the hall
from my door, is one, and there are
others. I'll tell you that this talk of
changing Old Glory is serious, but |
don't believe that it will ever succeed.
Zone night was invited to Grand
Army campfire in Washington, as |
often am. l heard there a story that
was SO good and SO new that l will
tell it to you today. A general, l will
not give his name, was present at the
surrender Of Appomattox He deter
mined to hear and preserve for histor-
lical purposes the first word that Cen
eral Grant would utter after receiving
the surrender. He stuck close to
Grant when he received the surrender,
but heard no words. General Grant
put long, black cigar into his face
and kept silent. Still this general, we
will call him Smith, stood near. Gen.
eral Grant called for his horse to go
up the river for short distance Gen
eral Smith was a leach on his side,
but not a word was said. The object
point of his journey was reached, and
still there was deep silence The gem
eral went into tent with his shadow
closely following. He sat down to
table and pulled at his black cigar,
still silence. It was getting unbear-l
able, but General Smith stayed on to
get those historic words. Suddenly
Grant broke the silence, and this was
what he said: Major, do you remem-
Der that old shave tail mule that Bill
Andrews had in the Mexican WARP
Liberty and Union, now and for
ever! That is the sentiment that be-
lieve in. The same flag that waved
over old Fort Henry, the emblem of
beauty and civilization, wherever it
goes, that is the flag my father fought
Tor, and it is good enough for me-"
Say, boys" said Congressman Will
lis, leaning ever the platform to where
two little fellows were standing, drink
ing in his words, "if you ever see an
other boy throw the flag on the
ground and mistreat it in any way,
whip him. and whip him good and
soundly"
Congressman Willis closed his ad-
dress with several touching stories of
Abraham Lincoln and a beautiful
poem He said, in parting: "War is a
mighty scourge. The Civil war was
no exception. 1t was contested bit
ierly, but rightly won. The flag came
but together, without one single star
missing. The old soldiers deserve the
iredit. but in sharing equally with
hem areJthe women, who urged the
hen to the front. The women helped
keep the flag in the air. They, with
the men, solved that problem of gen
Grafton ago. Today, the flag is your
flag and my flag 1t stands for the
highest and best in nations, and is the
emblem that we all love"
have just placed in stock my