The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1918-12-13
HONOR TO ALL THE HEROES

HONOR III ALL HE nCnOCo
The action recently taken by our
Board of Supervisors in regard to a
suitable memorial to our gallant
soldiers in the. great world war was
commendable and, we doubt not, will
meet the cordial approval of the loyal,
patriotic citizens of our county. But
why confne the proposed memorial to
the brave men of the war which has
just been brought to a victorious
close? No Drawer men ever fought
than the soldiers Of our present great
army, but the men who fought in the
previous wars of our country, the
Revolutionary war, the war of 1912,
the Mexican war, the Civil war and
the war with Spain were just as
brave and equally victorious, but
there has never been any proposition
that our country should erect monu
ment to their memory.
More than 100000 men were en-
rolled in the armies of the loyal
North during the Civil war, a much
greater per cent of the population of
the Nation than in the war with Ger
many and her allies.
In 1860 the entire-population of the
United States, according to the census
figures of that year, was LAB, 321,
materially less than one-third of the
present population, but the armies of
the North came almost entirely from
the loyal states of the North, and
those Boys in Blue" fought for four
long and bloody years.
The population of Van Buren, coun-
ty in 1860 was 1884 (less than half
its present population) and she fur
nished 1885 soldiers in that great war
more than twelve per cent of the en-
tire number of her people, counting
young men, old men, women and child
rem, proportion greatly in excess of
the quota she has been called upon to
furnish in the recent war. A COM
parison of our casualties in these two
greatest wars of modern times, as
shown by the official reports and
records is deserving of consideration.
Civil war
Killed and died from wounds HOOP
Died OF disease ------------ 224 $3.50
Total deaths ----------- 334 ,688
In addition to the foregoing, the
Confederate armies lost $4,000 men
killed in action or died of wounds and
$4,000 who died of disease, making
total of almost 100000 men who
lost their lives in that great conflict.
hn Of LII =
obtainable.
European war;
Killed and died from wounds 36,154
Died OF disease ----------- 14,S11
Deaths unclassifed --------- 2,204
Total deaths ---------- $3.50
The number of wounded men is re-
ported as 179,625.
1t will be seen that the casualties
of the Civil war in the Federal armies
not to mention those in the Confeder-
ate armies, were greatly in excess of
those that have occurred in the Amer
lean armies during the recent war.
Our brave boys will soon be coming
home from "Over There" and we
shall be delighted to do them honor.
The Boys in Blue" preserved the
Nation from destruction and the
"Boys in Khaki" saved US from all
menace and danger at the hands of
the barbarous and cruel rulers of the
central powers, made the world safe
for democracy and decent place in
which to live, and both are equally
deserving of honor and glory.
OF course, there were no Van Buren,
county soldiers in the Revolutionary
war, nor in the war of 1912, for there
was no Van Buren, county until long
after the close of these conflicts, but
there were a few old soldiers of those
wars who afterwards lived and died
in this county. There were some
Van Kuren county men in the Mexi-
can war, and considerable number
in the Spanish war, and in every in
stance Americans fought with equal
courage and bravery, and in every
instance won complete victory.
If a memorial is to be erected in
commenoration Of the herioc deeds
of American soldiers, why should it
not be for those of every war IN which
the Nation has been engaged?
It seems to the writer that the
most appropriate monument to their
memory would be an elegant and com
modious memorial hpilding dedicated
to all our soldiers Of all our wars,
and that the names Of all Van Buren,