Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1921-11-18
MEMORIAL ARMORY
OPENED THURSDAY
Hundreds Gather in Flag Decked
Auditorium on Armistice Eve
to Hear Governor.

one fourth of the population of Nor
ris was out in gala attire to do honor
to the official opening of the building
that is to be lasting memorial to
the boys from Stevens County who
fought in the world war. Governor
]. o. A. Preus who delivered the
principal address of the evening in
the great auditorium made brilliant
with flags and the warm hues of the
women's gowns spoke of disarmament
as "the6one great idea that is per-
meating9 the public mind today"
Disarmament is viewed by three
different classes of people: First
those who would have no disarma-
ment, second those who want total
and complete disarmament and third
those who believe in the reduction of
disarmament by international agree
ment. The governor evidently be-
longed to the third class, for he ex-
pressed hope that the nations rep
resented in the disarmament parley
might be induced thru the present
conference to reduce or .curtail their
war expenditures in such a way as to
piness and lessening of the present
burden on the tax payer.
Governor Preus said that the only
alternative to complete disarmament
was preparedness. He said, 1--WE
must be so situated when attacked
that we can most quickly and with
least loss of life and property protect
ourselves. This must always be. 1t
is to this idea that the Morris armory
is dedicated"
Captain c. L. Voss presided dur
ing the program. P. e. Miller super
intendent of the West Central School
of Agriculture who was introduced
first spoke of the memorial building
as great community achievement,
congratulating all the different
groups in the community that had a
part in it's. construction. He described
the building as place where all the
people could forget their petty inter
ests and could build up community
consciousness that would work for
their common good.
Colonel Fulton, the second speaker
on the program congratulated Com
pany K on the splendid record made
in camp last summer and remarked
that it was only fitting that the best
company in the state should also have
the best armory.
Colonel Woolnough of the Sixth In
fantry talked of the tragedy of un-
preparedness" He described a night
he had spent in Belgium three years
ago when expecting to lead a division
made up largely of raw recruits into
action the next day he trembled for
his green men knowing they were ill
prepared for what they would have
to undergo. He commented on the
needless sacrifice in the Argonne
when a division of 5000 strong was
depleted to 1900 most of the wound
ed being among the unframed men.
1t was at the time i'm the struggle
when it was necessary to use every
man, trained or unframed and 80 per
cent of casualties were among the
unprepared. He said fathers and
mothers ought to be glad that the
National Guard and it's means of
training young men existed so that
the needless sacrifice following in the
wake of unpreparedness might be
done away with.
Chief Justice Calvin Brown re-
ceived an ovation by his old friends
who remembered him as young man
here many years ago. He recalled the
old times to them in his talk con-
trasting the wooden village as he
knew it with the Morris of today.
The room became a moving mass
of colors at the close of the program
when all the large company of men
and women surged toward the place
where the governor and his party
stood. The out of town celebrities
lined up and were enabled to meet
every one of the large company pres
sent. Meanwhile the members of
= Company K were not idle. Inadver-
tently revealing the efficiency that
gained them fame last summer, they
cleared the immense floor of chairs in
a moment, whisking them out of sight
thru a place open in the floor.
AS soon as everybody was intro
duced, the ball began. Company K
members were in uniform and braid
and shoulder straps were in evidence
on many of the guests. The many
lights overhead cast a glow over the
flags swaying from the arched trusses
and on the moving throng below
Everybody present made tour Of the
beautiful building open to the public
for the first time. Crowds visited
the memorial room during the eve
ming, looking with mingled emotions
at the trophies, posters, pictures and
records that show the great sacrafice
of the county's men in the World
War. AS armistice day came into be-
ing many showed an interest in re-
freshments and went to the dining
room down CT af ,r 1xyLavo 4bcx,