The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1916-08-08
Governor Murphy and the Old
Soldiers

OOIUlSTS
Former Governor Murphy, who is
seeking the United States Senator
ship, was visitor at the Soldiers
Home in Kearny, Tuesday, and al
though the call was of a social char
acter, the distinguished guest was in
vited to address the veterans. About
two hundred were present In intro
ducing Mr.. Murphy, Superintendent
Connolly, a former State Department
Commander of the Grand Army, re-
ferred to the former Governors war
record He told how Mr. Murphy, as
lad, enlisted in the 18th New Jer-
sey regiment on it's formation at the
age of 16 years, left his school work
at the Newark Academy and joined
Company A, of the 18th New Jersey
volunteers and served from 1868 until
the close of the war. The regiment
took part in 10 battles and Mr.. Muir
ply was in every one of them, win
ming promotion for gallantry in ac-
ton. And the contests in which he
was engaged were not mere pastlme.
There was Antietam, followed by
Charlottesville and Gettysburg, and
then with Sherman to Atlanta and the
sea- In his address Mr.. Murphy
said:
81 appreciate very much the privi-
lege | have this afternoon of visiting
this Soldiers Home and saying word
to my comrades of the Grand Army.
Some of you, more than fifty years
ago, were comrades with me in the
Thirteenth New Jersey Regiment. The
great majority of you served in the
Civil war and were instrumental at
that time, with thousands of others
who enlisted as you did, in saving this
great country. Now, in the evening
of your lives, you are cared for by
grateful government! which appre-
ciates the sacrifices you made so long
ago and which does what it can to
show its appreciation in the provision
it has made for your comfort.
81 have long been interested in the
work of the Soldiers Home. For ten
years it was my privilege to be
member of the board of managers of
the National home, and to do what /
could to see that that home, in all its
many branches, was well equipped and
we'll managed, so that the old soldiers
might be cared for in comfort.
"We are just beginning a campaign
for the election of a new President.
have sometimes thought that presi-
Dental elections occurred too often.
In this instance l don't think we could
have change any too soon-for as
sumo we shall have change. l take
it for ganted that the long record of
ineficiency made by the present ad-
ministration will meet with its just
rebuke at the pools in November
"But did not come over this after
noon to make a political speech, nor
do l feel that it would be proper for
me to do so. There are some ques-
tons, however, that will be discussed
in this campaign which are not parti-
san questions, and on one of these, at
least, / may say a word. / refer to
what in these days is known as pre-
paredness.'
'That means that we should have a
military establishment, both in the
army and navy, sufficient to defend
ourselves from assaults from any
enemy on land and sea. 1t means that
we must not only have forts on our
shores, properly equipped with mod
ern guns, but that we shall have a
sufficient number of men to man them
and sufficient quantity of powder to
use them. / was told not long ago
that there was not enough powder in
our forts on the Atlantic coast to fire
half dozen shots from the guns now
IN the forts. 1t means that we shall
have not only an adequate defense,
sufflclently equipped and manned, but
1T means that we shall have an army
ready to move anywhere upon call,
where the country is assaulted or our
interests or our honor requires pro-
lection. 1t means further that we
choIl houn -
the twenty odd thousand miles of
seacoast it has to protect; that that
navy shall be of modern construction
and fully manned and equipped. But
l think it means more than this. 1t
means that we shall instill into the
minds of our fellow citizens a spirit
that shall make all this easy to accom-
plish-the spirit, if you please, that
inspired you men to whom / now speak
to enlist in the old days; the spirit
OF genuine patriotism that puts the
love of country before everything else
And In the years that have followed
years it is true of unexampled pros
perity, | rather feel that this spirit
has grown somewhat dormant. We
need something to stir it up. / think
the people should be inspired with a
determination to provide everything
in the line of military equipment that
shall enable hte United States to look
every other nation in the world in the
face so that when we talk our rights
it may be understood that we have the
means to defend our rights.
II could enlarge on this if had the
time and if it were necessary to do so.
| did not come here this afternoon to
make an extended speech. | did want
to visit the Home and to see my old
friend of many years who is now it's
superintendent, and to get a little
fresh inspiration by looking into the
faces of men who, in their boyhood,
felt no sacrifice too great to make for
the country of their affection"