The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-06-05
CONFEDERATE VETS
IN CONVENTION
CONTINUED from page J.

IN CONVENTION
CONTINUED from page IL
out Of our hearts; and one OF the
, things that will thrill this country as
1t reads of this nation is that 1t VIII
| read also of re-dedication on the par
OF all Of us to the great nation which
/ we will serve in common.
These are days Of oblivion as well
as of memory for We are forgetting
the things that once held US asunder'
Not only that but they are days OF re-
Joicing, because we now at last see
why this great nation was kept united,
for we are beginning to see great
world purposes which 1t was meant to
serve. Many men, particularly of your
own generation, have wondered at
some of the dealings of providence,
but the wise heart never questions the
dealings of providence because the
great long plan as 1t unfolds has
majesty about 1t and definiteness OF
purpose, an elevation of ideals which
we are incapable of conceiying as we
try to work things out with our own
short sight and weak strength. Ana
now that we see ourselves part of a
nation, united, powerful, great In splr-
| it and in purpose, We know the great
ends which God, in His mysterious
providence wrought through our in
umentality, because at the heart OF
| the men of the north and of the south
there was the same love Of self govern.
ment and of liberty and now We are
to be an instrument in the, hands OF
God to see that liberty is made !, Sc
cure for mankind. At the day OF our
greatest division thereSwas one COM
mon passion amongst us and that was
the passion for human freedom. We
did not know that Goo. was working
out in His own way the method by
which we should best serve human
freedom-by making this nation
great united, indivisible. indestructible
complishment of these great things.
"As / came along the streets few
minutes ago, my heart was full OF the
thought that this was registration day.
VIII you not support me in the feeling
that here is some significance in this
coincidence that this day when l
come to welcome you to the national
capitol, is day when men, young as
you were in those old days when you
gathered together to fight, are now
registering their names as evidence of
this great idea, that in a democracy
the duty to serve and. the privilege to
serve falls upon all dixie? There is
something very fine, my fellow citi-
Zens, in the spirit of the volunteer
but deeper than the volunteer spirit is
the spirit of oblig There is not
man of US who must not hold him
self ready to be summoned to the duty
of supporting the great government
under which we live. No really
thoughtful and patriotic man is jeal-
Gus of that obligation. No man who
really understands the privilege and
the dignity of being an American cit
izen quarrels for a moment with the
idea that the congress Of the United
States has the right to call upon
whom it will to serve the nation. These
solemn lines of young men going today
all over the union to the places OF
registration, ought to be signal to
the world, to those who dare nout the
dignity and honor and rights of the
United States that all her manhood
will flock to that standard under
that he who challenges the rights and
principles Of the United States, chal-
lenges the united strength and deyo-
ton of nation
There are not many things that
one desires about war, my fellow
citizens, but you have come through
war, you know how you have been
chastened by it, and there comes a
time when it is good for nation to
know that it must sacrifice if need
be everything that it has to yindf-
cate the principles which it pro-
fesses- We have prospered with
sort of needless and irresponsible
prosperity. Now we are going to
lay all our wealth. If necessary. and
spend all of our blood, If need be,
to show that we were not accumu-.
lating that wealth selfshly but were
accommodating it for the service of
m ankind. Men all over the world
have thought of the United States
as trading and money getting
people, whereas we who have lived
at home know the ideals with which
the hearts of this people have thrill
ed; we know the sober convictions
which have lain at the basis OF our
life all the time and we know the
power and devotion which can be
spent in heroic-wise for the service
OF those ideals that we have treas
ured.s We have been allowed to be-
come strong in the providence of
God that our strength might be used
to prove not our selfishness but our
greatness and If there is any ground
for thankfulness in a day like this,
/ am thankful for the privilege of
which is the only privi |
lege that lends dignity to the human !
spirit.
"And so 1t seems to me that we
may regard this as very happy
day, because day of reckoning of |