The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1918-05-24
CROWDS ASSEMBLE IN HONOR
OF The AMERICAN RED CROSS
Great Day in Union City Insh the Spirit OF Red Cross
Work and Thousands Here to Honor the Cause

The Confederate veterans cam
next in order, some twenty-five o
the battle-scarred heroes.
Company K, the home guard, will
Captain Andrews in command, ant
Lieutenants Pittman and White
marched next in fine order.
The Boy and the Girl Scouts
brought up the rear, followed b!
scores and hundreds of cars, pro
cession more than a mile in length
wonderful example of patriotic en-
thusiasm for the cause of the Rec
Cross.
The line moved in the finest order
and before the guard in front haC
reached the fair ground gates, Lieut.
Joe Dawson and Sergt. Adams came
flying over from Park Field, Milling
ton, in one of the U. s. War Planes
They arrived about o'clock and
with all eyes upturned they de-
scribed a circle, loop, and a success.
sion of wonderful figures in the air
sailing gracefully like living bird
The trip had been made from the
park up the l. c. r. r. tracks.
At the fair grounds the crowd, in
creased by that time to thousands OF
people and hundreds of cars, began
to congregate at the grandstands
Some went to receive the aviators
who landed in the field close by
These gentlemen, Messrs. Dawson
and Adams, were brought to the
grandstand and seated with the
speakers.
On the grandstand also were the
officers of the home guard, Governor
Rye, Judge Swiggert, DR.. Turner and
H. o. Head, Jr.
Judge Swiggart introduced Gov
ernor Rye. He made some remarks
concerning the causes that led up to
the war, the Kaiser and his Prussian
cohorts who had been for years pre-
pairing an army for conque5t-the
Central Powers headed by the Kai-
ser seeking by bloody, brutal, savage
warfare to set up an imperial throne
over all the nations of the earth.
These things Judge Swiggart briefly
reviewed and then turned to pay a
glowing tribute to the patriotism and
devotion of the American women in
the work of the Red Cross.
Governor Rye was never heard in
better voice and in a more eloquent
address. There is not a speaker in
Tennessee who has better command
of English than the Governor. There
never was a public man in Tennessee
with a higher sense of duty and NOR
al courage. He is man from the
crown of head to the tips of his toes,
and when he uttered the prophetic
speech, II would to God the Kaiser
of Germany could be permitted to
look down upon this wonderful scene
to-day" the crowds cheered to the
echo.
The Governor spoke of the man
who had been invited to solve the
difference between the Irishman and
the Teuton, and the reply came
quickly that zone was coming from
Belfast and the other was going to
hell fast" and 81 am here" says the
Governor, "to hasten his departure. Z"
The three greatest words in the
English language are mother, home
and heaven. Without mother there
is no home and without home no
door to heaven. The Red Cross
mother is the mother of your boy
and mine.
We didn't want this war, but in
suit was added to injury until the
menace of national existence was
threatened and we were forced to
defend not only our honor, but our
homes and firesides.
Oh God, we pray, let this cup pass.
We are draining tho bitter dregs,
and while the clouds are gathering
our mothers are paying the penalty
that savage warfare imposes.
The noblest manhood of a noble
race, many of them, have left us.
We saw them march away and cheer
ed them as they marched, and then
turned again to peaceful pursuits. l
wonder if then you felt that you had
your duty. 1t won't be
the fault of these gallant soldiers
but ours at home if we don't win
the victory, and it is our duty to
sustain the Red Cross mother that
she may give aid and sympathy to
the hungry, bleeding defenders, and
here the Governor interlarded his
address with some beautiful lines to