Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1918-05-29

and rather unmoved, they sit there
with their blue hats across their
knees-Americans all the way through!
1t is what those of the South see when
they look upon their old men in gray.
These men have fought They have
lived long. Out Of their battles and
the well-fought fields came the Re-
public as 1t is today, strong and no.
BILE, and they have seen it and know
that it is good. We come In from an
air that is permeated with disloyalty,
petty questlonings and German-propa-
gated doubts, and we see these 81
lent, unmoved old men, the faithful.
They are not questioning why. 1t is
enough that the Republic has been in
suited and assaulted. That Is. when
we come to think Of it, enough for all
Of US.
Great Republic Born In War.
Out of the wars that have been
fought on our soil we have created
Republic. Washington, Lincoln, Davis,
Grant and Lee, the thousands in blue
and buff, In blue and in gray, wrought
Republic out Of the raw, chaotic ideas
Of freedom, Drawing foreign powers
and daring struggle at home in or
der that the best might result, and the
Republic still stands-the best the
world has yet known. It is good
enough for the old men in blue and the
old men in gray; it is enough for
them that it has been scorned and in
suited by bloodthirsty imperial Ger
many.
The aged men in blue and gray re-
mind us that there is still a Republic,
fact we are too prone to forget. They
file In slowly, some Of them leaning on
canes, and take their seats, and put
their hats across their knees. They
look out upon the audience with eyes
that are dim; they stand when the
Star-Spangled Banner" is sung, and
then sink into their seats again, ST.
lent and rather unmoved. They lis
ten to. speeches and rather wonder
what it is all about, I imagine. Why
should this man shout so loudly that
we must beware Of this or that? What
has that got to do with it? The Re-
public has declared war and the war
must be won though 1t cost the last
life and the last dollar. That is what
the old men think, I imagine. They
fought; They offered their lives
what is all this pother about? Have
the Germans already annexed the coun-
try, or IS 1t still free and .independ-
ent Republic? Well, then, there are
but two things to do-fght and win!
Their Duty Done; Ours to Do.
In their old age they sit there, the
veterans in blue and gray, and they
are rather helpless. They are old and
they are feeble; they cannot fight, few
Of them can so much as work; they
look out with dim eyes, not quite un-
derstanding but with faith that we
will do what they are no longer able
to do. In few days they will slip
away and no longer be, and these last
hours they loosen their fingers and lei
slip into our hands, for safety or fol-
loss, to be preserved or dishonored
the Flag Of the Republic.
And we? We dispute and complain
and whine and falter. But, bark
What sound is that7 The old men ir
blue and gray arise and salute with
trembling hands. Their old eyes Ill
with tears. They stand and listen t.
the tramp! tramp! tramp! Of many
feet. There are still men to carry
the Flag Of the Republic, for out Of
the hands of the men in blue and thu
men in gray the Flag has passed tt
the hands of the boys in khaki, and W.
see them marching by-thousands ant
tens Of thousands and hundreds Of
thousands-the defenders Of the Re
public; no North, no South, no East
no West, but the Republic, Ono anG
Indivisible, Now and Foreverl