Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1914-02-19

tribute 20 his love of freedom, his WISDOM anu
kindness of heart. All OF them snow WI! ne
never failed in anything OF consequence ne u'iue'
took Without exception. they pear "itness ~
the thought. the careful consideration the sou"u
judgment OF the writer.
With these qualities dominant. there Is lacking
as matter OF course. the bias, the egotisun. tne
proneness to give way to the passions that "A'o
caused so many able men to fail
Above ALL there Is an Astounding love OF Tree
DOM an apowerful desire to serve the pest III
terests OF his fellowmen that cannot fall to toucn
the heart Of any one who cares to read the ola
volumes that have been shelved in favor OF SO
much less worthy material.
Take him, for instance as soldier His
earlier show that he realized fully the difficulties
Of the tasks ahead of him. First OF ALL his breadth
OF vision prevented his army from being divided
and subdivided by the claims OF the various col
onies that the troops they raised should De DE-
voted to their own defense. As he wrote to the
governor Of Connecticut:
81 am by no means insensible to the situation
Of the people on the coast wish could extend
protection to all, but the numerous detachments
necessary to remedy the evil would amount to a
dissolution OF the army, or make the most i'm
portant operations of the campaign depend upon
the piratica operations OF two or three memoir
war and transports.
Again, when he was recruiting his forces he
was dismayed by the fact that not all the people
were animated by motives as high as his. To his
secretary, Joseph Reed, one OF the closest OF MS
friends. he wrote:
such dearth of public spirit, and such want OF
virtue. such stock jobbing and fertility in all the
low arts to obtain advantage OF one KIND or an
other in this great change OF military arrange
ment never saw before, and pray Gods mercy
may never see again. What will be the end OF
these maneouvers is beyond my scan. tremble
Z hava
what | have experienced and am likely to ex'
perience no consideration upon earth should have
induced me to accept this command"
His letters during the winter at Valley Forge
are models OF their kind. But nothing he wrote.
during his period of command, bears higher tri0-
ute to his character as a man than his letters 10
General Gage that the officers engaged in the
cause of liberty and their country who by the
fortune of war have fallen into your hands. have
been thrown indiscriminately into common JAIL
appropriated to felons"
General Gage insolently replied that but for hrs
clemency the captured men Would have been
hanged and made counter-charges that British
captives we're mistreated. To this Washington
replied with the following letter:
II addressed you, sir. on the nth Instant In
terms which gave the fairest scope for that hu-
manIty and poteness which were supposed to
form a part OF your character ! demonstrated
with you on the unworthy treatment shown 70
the officers and citizens Of America whom the
fortune OF war; chance or a mistaken confidence
had thrown into your hands. Whether British or
American mercy fortitude. and patience are most
prominent; whether our virtuous citizens whom
the hand OF tyranny has forced into arms to de-
fend their wives their children. and their proper
", OF the mercless instruments Of lawless domi-
nation. avarice. and revenge. best deserve the
appeIlation Of rebels and the punishment OF that
cord, which your affected clemency has forborne
to inhict; whether the authority under which
act is usurped or founded upon the genuine prin-
ciples Of liberty. were altogether foreign to the
subject. l purposely avoided ali political discus
sion nor shall now avail myself Of those ad-
vantages which the sacred cause OF my country,
OF liberty and Of human nature give me over
you: much less shall ] stoop to retort and In