The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1918-10-03

some lover OF books when he gets a rare
volume in his hands, or some boy when
he holds his sweetheart in his arms. 1t is
something fine! l would like to be a
banker tomorrow morning and see them
come in. remember of being in bank
little while ago when little boy came
in. He came up to that fine building,
opened the door, and edged his way up to
the counter which he could barely reach
with his dirty little paw by standing on
his toes. He had five dollars and he was
going to invest it in a Liberty bond.
Think of it! His mother, suppose, had
been talking to him. He had been hear
ing about it, and he started off down there
alone to the bank to do that; Just little
lost youngster, his face all shining and
his eyes all bright. The little fellow sort
of felt as though he had got to heaven
when he succeeded in getting down there
Now when you start on this thing you
will feel just like that-a perfectly WON
derful feeling! | envy you men who are
going to buy your first bond. Do you
know how many people bought of the
first bond issue. Four million. Do you
know how many people bought the sec
ond issue? Nine million, five hundred
thousand. You see they were finding out
that it was a good thing. Do you know
how many people bought the third issue of
Liberty bonds? Seventeen million. If you
want any of these bonds, you had better
come early. l prophecy, Mr.. Chairman,
that we will take that six billion and
ver-subscribe it more than we did any
one of the other issues. Applause) Men
and women, to the last tiny hamlet in
Maine, understand what is involved in
this war; they are not fooled for mo-
ment. l have discovered it down to the
smallest hamlet in Maine. The men and
women of this State are in deadly earn
est. We over subscribed the last bond
issue "A per cent. We will equal that,
believe, this time, notwithstanding the
issue is doubled. o, Iwish somehow you
could put your hand on the pulse of
Maine. 1t beats with the pulse of the
men of the Revolution; it beats with the
pulse of the men who fought and died
there on Gettysburg field. Somehow the
men and women of Maine are absolutely
glorious in their patriotism. Their pa
triotism is shot through with a fine in
telligence, it is backed up with will
that is well nigh imperial, and do not
believe the President of the Republic can
make any request of this State that they
will not make such ansv, er as will arouse
the world. (Applause) And why shouldn't
they? o, it is wonderful State; it is
great State to live in. We cannot be
small people and live in Maine; we can
not be mean and mlsery and live in
Maine. There is something about our
hills that makes us generous; something
about the bright, generous, fertile rich
ness of our valleys that makes US kindly.
There is something in the very atmos-
phere of the winter days that stirs US to
heroic achievement. There is much that
is wonderful in the cooling breezes of
summer that kiss our cheeks from the
ocean, The kindly atmosphere that
comes down over the mountain slopes
arouses within us kindly spirit. Some
how we cannot breathe the air of
this good old State and not be nobler men
and more generous women. One cannot
live here and be familiar with the achieve
ments of Maine men in history without
being the better for it, especially when
YOU call to mind that when Massachusetts
was fighting and dying at Lexington,
Maine was fighting the first battle of the
Revolution down at Machias on the sea.
Somehow when you call to mind that 1T
was Maine commander and Maine men
that took Louisburg, your heart beats
bit faster; also when you call TO mind
that when George Washington rode down
the line on one occasion and thanked the
men of Massachusetts for having saved
the day. he was standing in front of men
who had come from York and Cumber-
land counties in the Province of Mai e.
Somehow when you read of the Civil War,
how your heart burns when you remem-
ber that it was o. o. Howard at Gene
tery Hill, that it was the 10th Maine
down there on the right, the Maine 10th
in the center, the Maine 3rd, 18th and
18th on the left, and our Great Chamber
lain on Round Top with the Maine goth,
(applause) as we'll as Gen. Connor with
another Maine regiment down the road.
Why, men and women of Belfast! If you
stood on the hills of Gettysburg tonight
and looked around there, and the men
from Maine should suddenly come to life,
YOU would find them standing everywhere
upon the battlefield, and on each OF the
three days it was given them to save the
honor of the day. (Applause.) l repeat
that YOU cannot live in this State and not
share in that generous feeling that makes
the people of Maine generous hearted.
You cannot study our national history
without somehow sharing in our heroic
achievements and catching the spirit of
our forefathers. Thank God it has not
died out! The soldiers of today are the
boys that have grown up since have be
come a man, and | have been watching
them going away from these various
Maine towns where have been and lee
tured and from my own city where have
lived for twenty years. They are just
little bows to me, and somehow they will
always be that in my mind; and, as have
seen them 60 away, they seemed such
little chaps to me that it seemed almost
lauahable to think they were going to be
soldiers. You men who have come to be
fifty | suppose understand this thing that
| am trying to tell you. They seemed to
me lust like little boys; scarcely tit to 20
away from home. Why l am sure we
have not thought that these lads ought
to 60 away, the eighteen, nineteen, twenty,
twenty. one and twenty-five year Old
bows. To us older men they seem such
little fellows, such young chaps. We
have watched them going away and we
have been wondering what in the world
they would do and how they would act,
and all that sort of thing. Well, we
know now; we know all about it tonight.
wish had time to 60 with you with
the Second Maine,-not unworthy OF that
other mighty Second Maine That makes
me think that a lot of you men down
here in Belfast ought to get your names
on the roster of the Third Maine. AT
least. if YOU cannot do anything else
down here. YOU can do tnat and make up