Daily Kennebec journal., 1921-10-10

Aoi SSiAsH purpose, out tn4t ~ was
actuated by the noblest motives and
that 1t went into the war to perform
its unselfish. duty as much to relieve
the burdens and sufferings Of cur sis
ter peoples as to protect our own
shores and our own institutions.
The ex-service men Of our country
have most unusual opportunity for
service in times of peace. When you
consider that there are between three
and four millions of earnest young
men all over this country who wore
the nations uniform. you win appre-
ciate the influence for good which
they can exert in the councils OF our
4S states. 1t rests upon these men to
see that our country never deviates
from the straight path of duty.
] want to tell you something about
the record Of the State Of Maine in
the war. 1t was my privilege to
serve as chairman of one Of the two
! exemption or local boards in the city
of Portland. I have often stated be-
fore that it was the greatest expert
ence of my life to serve as chairman
of the Local Board No. 2 for the city
of Portland. Maine. 1 have the great
est respect for the volunteer; I have
an equal respect for the drafted man.
OF course, came in contact with the
drafted man more than did with the
volunteers. ] know the sacrifices they
made; I know the home ties that were
broken. I talked with those men
most earnestly; 1 talked with their
: wives, and their sisters and their
sweethearts, and with their mothers
and their fathers, and I know how
| many hearts were saddened when
those men marched off to the front.
The members Of the Waldo county
| board vert through the same expert
ence with your own boys from Bel
fast and your other towns, and we do
not want to forget that it was a Maine
man from Aroostook county who, in
GRis eagerness to do his part, was the
f1rst mani to arrive at Camp Devens
when that famous training camp was
opened. Those were the days you
and your children must never forget.
ana they were days that the people of
the State of Maine will never forget
When the State of Maine proposed
the State bonus we thought we were
wen within the figures if we esti-
mated that 10000 men went out from
the State into Federal service. So
we provided one hundred dollars for
each of the 10000 men. which made
three million dollars, and we thought
that would more than take care Of
the men who went into the war. But
the State of Maine never falls be-
hind. 1t always lives up to it's mot
TO, Dirigo, and goes a little, if not
great deal. ahead of what it is called
upon to do. We found at the last
session of the Legislature, that we
mad more than 10000 in the army,
navy and marine corps. The last fig
ufes given me, 7 think, are 3O,653.
ana since then We find we have ex-
ceeded $1,000. When you think that
rms State of Maine.- with only three
quarters of million people, sent
81 900 of its young men into the SER
wee OF the Nation during the Great
war you can realize what a drain
was maze upon our manhood We
were obliged to make provision to
meet this bonus overdraft. am not
much in favor of "overdrafts" in the
state government, but this was an
oVerdraft that I met gladly and was
/ willing to provide for
You will be interested perhaps IN
know just what Maine did in the
Civu War. We have to our credit in
the Civil War from the State Of
Maine more than 10000 men, and the
State OF Maine was not then as
populouS State as it is TODAY. We
sent to the Civil War one man for
every ten persons in the State of
Maine, and if the Great War had
! lasted much longer we would have
been obliged. and we would have
been glad, to have equalled if not
| exceeded Names wonderful record
of the war of 1861.
In the war of 1872 Names record
was equally good, and only this week
attended the unveiling of a tablet
IN Portland erected to the memory
OF TWO Maine men who went into the
war of 1912 and one of whom never
returned.
1t was just the same in the Revo-
iutionary War. and to show you how
Names Revolutionary troops were
regarded at that time it is only
necessary to recall well authenti-
Gated incident in which General
George Washington was the leading
bgure In one of the hardest fought
battles of the Revolution it became
necessary to throw body of troops
into an unusually dangerous posi-
tlon and General Washington select
ed certain regiment for this haz-
ardous work. The position was held,
the battle won and General Wash
inston. reviewing the troops upon
which he had placed so much reli-
ance, riding down the line on his
faVorite charger, he. addressed the
troops before him as follows: God
bless the Massachusetts line" The
troops to whom he was speaking
were all men from the Province Of
Maine, which was at that time a part
of Massachusetts,. -
The last figures the adjutant GEN
eraTs office gave rpe in figuring up
the casualty lists were as follows:
1880 Maine men were killed in ac-
ton or died of wounds or disease.
1855 Maine men were wounded.
total of 1855 Maine men were
on the casualty list. I have figured
If ont wi