The Colorado statesman., 1914-05-16
SAILORS BROUGHT Home
CITY, STATE AND NATION ST.
LENTLY WELCOME HERO
DEAD.
Funeral cortege Four Miles Long
Passes Through New York Streets
AS People Pay ReVerent Homage.


New York.-To the men of the
navy who died in the occupation OF
Vera Cruz, the city, the state and the
nation paid tribute in a demonstration
chiefly remarkable for it's silence and
solemnity
For four miles through the city
streets, the funeral cortege passed,
and behind it in an open carriage rode
the President. He sat for the most
part with head barred, though the May
sun beat down on him and the mer-
curry climbed above 70.
President Wilson had no formal ad-
dress prepared for ceremonies at the
Brooklyn navy yard. Secretary Dan
iels read to him the names of the nine
teen American dead in whose honor
the services were held. The Presi-
dents reply was delivered with slow
impressiveness. His voice was low
and fervent and his face was grave.
"Mr. Secretary" he said, II know
the feelings which characterize all who
stand about me are not feelings that
can be expressed in eloquence or ora
tory. For my part, 1 have a mixture
of feeling.
'The feeling that is uppermost is
one of profound grief that these lads
should have had to go to their death.
But yet l feel a profound pride and
envy that they should have been per-
mitted to do their duty so nobly.
"Their duty is not an uncommon
thing. Men are performing it in the
ordinary walks of life, but what gives
these men peculiar distinction is that
they did not give their lives for them
selves, but gave their lives for us be-
cause we as a nation called on them.
"Are you sorry for the lads? Are
you sorry for the way they will be
remembered? / hope to God none of
you will join the list, but if you will,
you will join an immortal company,
and while there goes out of our
hearts an affectionate sympathy for
them, we know why we do not go
away from this occasion with our
hearts cast down, but with confidence
that all will be worked out.
1--WE have gone down to Mexico to
serve mankind if we can find the way.
We don't want to fight the MeXicans;
we want to serve them.
"a war of aggression is not thing
in which it is proud to die, but war
of service is a war in which it is
proud thing to die"
The President referred then to the
Cosmopolitan personnel of the vic
Tins
'I listened to the list" he added
with a profound feeling. because they
were not Irishmen, or German, or He
brews when they went to Vera Cruz.
| They were Americans, and no matter
where their people came from, they
did the things that were American.
'FWar is only a sort of dramatic rep
resentation, a symbol of a thousand
forms of duty. l never was in battle
or under fire, but 1 fancy it is just as
hard to do your duty when men are
sneering at you, for when they shoot
at you they take your natural life, and
when they sneer at you they wound
your heart.
"As / think of these spirits that
have gone before us I know that the
way is clearer for the future, for they
have shown us the way"
When the President had finished
there was a moment of silence, then
Rabbi Stephen Wise delivered prayer
for the dead.
The religious service ended with
prayer by the Rev. John P. Chadwick.
chaplain of the Maine.
The seventeen coffins remained on
the parade ground for half an hour,
still guarded by the sailor pallbearers,
and then were taken to the naval bar
racks for distribution to the escorts
that will convey them to family
homes.
| Perhaps a million persons saw the
coffins, each on caisson, borne from
the Battery plaza in lower Manhattan
to the navy yard in Brooklyn. The
procession was nearly two hours in
passing.