The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat., 1920-06-01

fifteenth of our present wealth. ane
of this we spent over $4,000, 900. lr
blood and treasure the Civil war was
by comparison the most devastating
of any war in history.
The three most destructive battles
IN the last century, outside of the
Civil war, were the Battle of Waterloo
in 1915, where the victors sacrificed
twenty per cent of their men At
Vioville, between the French and the
Germans, the casualties were twenty
per cent, and at Plevno the Prussians
lost eight per cent. But in the Bat
| tie of Antietam the victors left upon
the field twenty-three per cent; at
Gettysburg twenty per cent, and at
iChickamaugua twenty-seven per cent
In the World war, Germany boasted
of her shock troops. In the Civil
war all the boys were shock troops.
and they were only boys at that We
see the gray-haired veterans with us
today and we forget that of those won
derful boys of 1861, over a million of
them were striplfngs under eighteen
years of age. They were shock troops,
fighting amidst the roar of musketry.
at close quarters, with bayonets and
clubbed muskets-
At Gettysburg, In fifteen minutes
eighty-two per cent of the First Min
nesota lay weltering in their blood;
at Petersburg seventy per cent of the
First Maine went down in that awful
carnage in seven minutes. and the
146th Pennsylvania lose seventy-six
per cent of its men in the Battle of
Gettysburg. and these men were killed
or wounded, not missing. for these
boys never surrendered.
In the Civil war it must be remem-
bered that both sides were American
and that all the bravery and heroism
and chivalry were not confined to the
North.
At the Battle of AnGetam only eigh-
teen per cent of the First Texas sur
vived. At Manassas the Twenty First
Georgia lost seventy-eight per cent of
it's men; and in the awful slaughter
at Gettysburg the Twenty-Sixth North
Carolina left seventy-six per cent upon
the field.
Record For Hard Fighting
Americans hold the record for hard
lighting, and in 1918 the sons and
of the men who shook
hands at Appomattox, the lineal des-
,endants of the best soldiers that the |
world ever produced, went over the
,op at Chateau Thierry and marched j
ID to machine gun muzzles in the Ar
yonne woods, and saved the world for |
and America repeated her |
self under the Stars and Stripes.
No country with traditions like |
ori1y tn hu w
graves we decorate today, can help |
And while we shed our tears and rev. |,
,rently venerate these magnificent !
men who have given their all for US, |
,f carrying on the great work so no !
,ly begun, and make ourselves worthy |
o receive the benefits which have |
;ome to us through their sacrifices, |
heir sufferings and death.
Confronted BY Crisis.
We are confronted by crisis no I
ess Threatening to our civilization !
han the westward progress of Hin
Ienburg's terrible army back in the |
lack days of 1917, and there never |
vas a time since the Grand Army of /
he flepUUilC gave DdCh W Us d IC-
Inited country, that we needed patri-
tic cooperation more than we do
oday.
America is seething with unrest. /
lass is being arrayed against class,
nd all of us seem to be thinking only |
f our own selfish interests. Groups
url epithets and imprecations, crimi-
lations and threats. without measur- |;
ng their weight, and, without hearing
vidence, condemn.
LIE us not forget that we are Ameri-
ans.
We have known each other long
ime. Why become suspicious now?
he world war, recently finished,
hanged many things, but it ieft
.merican ideals unchanged. When
re armed to 60 forth to battle with
and frightfulness, we hated
yickedness and loathed the tyranny
f kings.
We have laid aside our guns, but,
= us hope, not our standard of con-
uct.
While we may suffer some reaction,
It it not cause US to love and admire
nose who prowl in the night.
We do not have to know a mans
ecUd if we are acquainted with his
tandards. If we hear a man say