THE 8EMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE, NEBRA8KA.
MEMORIAL DAY
FIRST JEWISH GOVERNOR
A DAY Of
Ml
EMORIAL day, as It la
now observed in most of
the states of the Union,
Is a day of thankfulness,
patriotic thankfulness for
the preservation of tlio
iTnlnn. A mniorlty of
people who will tako part In tlio strew
Jng of flowers on soldiers' graves are
not veterans who fought In tho Civil
war. To those who aro old enough to
remember the. war, Its memories have
softened and grown calm, Its material
evidences havo about all faded from
Might. To thoso who are not old enough
to remember tho war, Its ovents aro
only matters of history. But to tho
old soldier Memorial day Is a day of
reflection and meditation. Ho will bo
thinking of events of those "stirring
times" as living realities. Some thir
tieth of May In tho Civil war, In all
probability, was to him an oventful
day. Possibly ho may remember somo
event that took placo on each thirtieth
of May In the war. Oo back with him
In his reflection as ho fancies himself
lmck In thoso old days, and begin with
tho first thlrtioth of Mny In tho Civil
war. It was 54 years ago.
Tho thirtieth of May In 18GI was a
sort of calm before tho storm. No great
battlo had ns yet been fought. Just
48 days had passed since tho firing
upon tho Stars and Stripes ut Fort
Sumter. Tho battlo of Hull Hun did
not tako placo until 52 days later. Peo
ple tills thlrtioth of May must havo
roit that there would bo a conflict soon- but
whon or whero no one. could foretell. It was a
day of suspense
Lincoln, at tho tlmo, had not sorved thrco
months as president. Rctweon tho time of his
.election and his Inauguration sevon of the south
ern states had secedod. Soon after his Inaugura
tion Virginia had secedod, and before this thlr-'
tleth of May Arkansas and North 'Carolina had
followed tho oxamplo of- Virginia. Immediately
after tho fall of Fort Sumter Lincoln had Issued
his call for 75.000 troops. Most or the northern
tatatos, In loyal obedience to this call had sent
'troops to Washington; but many of tho stntcs
near tho border lino between tho North and tho
South had defied the call. Somo of tho questions
asked by tho pooplo of tho North on tills day
must havo been: "Will these states, too, secodo?"
'Cnn President Lincoln hold thorn In tho Union?"
3Jut a question, moro momontous than these
which must havo been asked by these people'
was: "Can our troops at Washington dorend the
.city?" For it must bo remembered thnt it wan
ionly 11 days bofore this thirtieth of May when
Inorthorn troops bxJ been flrod upon by a mob
Iwhllo they were passing through Baltlm'oro on
jtholr way to Washington.
Many people, at tho tlmo, intorprotod this act
Ito moan that Maryland, too, was about to socedo
'Truo, tho Union soldlorB at Washington seemed
at this time to bo successfully defending tho
city; a band of troops six dayB boforo this thlr
tioth of May had crossed tho Potomao and had
takon possession of Alexandria. This had made
the Union people hopoful, but thoy wore by no
means confident, for, at this tlmo, thoy had Just
recolved nowa from abroad about the expressions
of Joy which had Just been mado by certain Eu
ropeans who wero predicting 'tho Immediate
(downfall of tlio Amorlcan republic. Theu, too,
many of tho nowa Items about ovents of tho
war which wero appearing in tho dally news
papers indicated that there might bo some foun
dation for tho prediction of tho peoplo in Europe.
Hero are' some tho news Items that tho peoplo
of tho North wero reading In their homo papers.
Tho Boston Journal for this thirtieth of May con
tained tlio following telegraphic dispatches;
"Tho report of tho surrender of tho United
States troops in Toxhb, under command of Lieu
tenant Colonol Hoovo, tho Confoderato forco,
under command of Colonol Van Dora, Is fully
confirmed."
"General McDowell nits been informed that
Genoral Leo, with 25,000 rebels, Is advancing on
Alexandria."
Tho Now York Tribune for tho same date was
,to Its northern readors Bomewhat moro hopoful.
(Hero aro soma of Its headlines:
"Frank Blair Ordered to Fortress Monroo."
"Harperlj Ferry Threatened. Tho Rebels Llko
ly to Bo Currounded."
"30,000 Troops to Rendezvous at Cairo."
Theao nowa Items, talon rfrom northern nowB
papora, reflect tlio general mood and spirit of tho
pooplo in tho North who wero at tho tlmo road
lng tho papers. Among thorn thoro was a spirit
of uncertainty and doubt. Thoy wero uncertain
ias to tho ctreunth nnu" purposo of tho South.
Thoy doubted tho ability of Lincoln, who had re
icontly been elected by a now and untried po
litical party. Thoy wero uncertain ns to whether
lie would yield to the demands of political bOBsos.
Lincoln was not a trained soldier. Thoy wero
uncertain as to whether ho could succeod In tho
management of his army.
But the peoplo of tho South, on this thlrtioth
of May, wero hopoful and coulldent Loyalty
from their point of view meant alleglanco to
itholr Btates. They hold that tho goneral govern
ment had no right to Intorfero with their forma
tion of a now government. Their loyalty io
ihelr cauBO almost umounted to enthusiasm. Thoy
JVI J:JJUrJ-J hViu& truer u g (ffr. GEr.
zcazzjx?i?mcm& arzszr jowl
had tho best of reasons for being hopeful and
eonfldont. Their president was a trained soldlor.
Ho had studied at Wost Point, and had had ex
perience both In tho army and In tho war de
partment. Abovo all things, ho had tho 'confi
dence of his DRoplo.
It Is n wondor that tho peoplo of tho South
recolved tho announcement of Lincoln's call for
75,000 troops with derisive laughter and cheers.
This was on tho third of April. By tho thlrtioth
of May their loyalty to their causo had becomo
moro enthusiastic. This was especially truo of
tholr younger men. Tho military drill Incident
to their preparation for war with them was a
pleasant pastime Thoro was no need of a call
for troops. Thousands of them woro ready and
anxious to enlist. Manassas Junction, Va., liad
boon solected as tho rallying placo for tho Con
federates, and voluntoors were gathering thore.
Such was tho situation tho thirtieth of May In
1861. A calm boforo tho storm. Fifty-two daya
later tho battlo of Bull Run!
Tho truthfulness of tho old saying, "Coming
events cast .their shadows boforo," must havo
boon reallzod by the peoplo both In tho North
and In the South tho thlrtioth of May In 18G3, for
at that tlmo thoro woro ponding two events, eith
er of which, thoso peoplo must havo reallzod,
might provo to bo tho turning point of tho war.
One of thoso, thoy know, would happen soon at
Vicksburg, tho other somowhero In tho East, but
at what placo no ono could at this tlmo foretell.
"Any nows from Vicksburg?" must havo boon
tho question which was asked hundreds of times
on this day when nolghbor met neighbor. Tho
pcoplu of the north woro hoping that tholr sol
dtors would soon succeod In capturing thla
Btronghold of tho Confederacy, hut thoro wera
doubts In tholr minds. Grant had not as yet
gained tho conlldonco of tho Union people.
Within tho throo weoks Immediately preceding
this thirtieth of May tho Union forces had boon
gaining a series of vlctorlos near Vicksburg.
Grant had deteatod "Joe" Johnston nt Jackson
and had placed Union troops In chargo of that
city. Ho had dofoatod Pemborton both nt Cham
pion's Hill and nt Big Black rlvor. Pemborton.
now cut off from communication with Johnston,
had retlrod within the defenses nt Vicksburg.
Eight days boforo this thirtieth of May Grant
hud tried to tako thoso dofonses by assault, but,
being repulsed, ho had taken up his position on
tho heights north of tho city aud hud begun hla
siege. So, on (his thirtieth of May tho
Inhabitants wero Just beginning to bo
subjected to the horrible experiences
of continual bombardment and starva
tion, which lasted until the Fourth of
July, when tho city surrendered. Caves
were dug In tho ground for tho protec
tion of the women and children, and
food became so scarco that rats were
sold In tho butchers' shops.
Whllo on this thirtieth of May tho
people throughout tho country wero
watching with interest tho develop
ments of tho siege at Vicksburg, their
chiof Interest must havo been centered
on the movements of the armies in
Maryland and Virginia. Since tho last
thirtieth of May these armies had mot
at Antlotam, at Fredericksburg and at
Chancellorsvllle. Thousands of soldiers
from both tho North and tho South had
fallen In these battles. Only 25 days
had passed since tho battlo at Chancel
lorsvllle. Stonewall Jackson, tho Idol
of the southern soldiers who followed
him, had fallen In this battlo, but tho
spirit of hla namo remained; his faith
ful followers were still ready to stand
"like a stone wall" against their foe. as
they had done while under his leader
ship. The situation in the East gave hope
and confldenco to the
people in tho South,
but discouragement to
tho peoplo of the North.
Many northern people
were demanding that,
since Hooker had
failed in the last two
battles, a new com
mnndor In chief bo ap
pointed. McClellan was
cnllcd for, but Lincoln
appointed Meade. Since
tho Confederate via
tory at Chancellorsvlllo
Lee's army had been
steadily growing until
It now numbered 76,
000 men men who
woro still elated over
tho last two victories.
Taking advantage of
the confusion at Wash
ington occasioned by
tho changing of com
manders of tho Army
of tho Potomac, Leo
with his entlro army
slipped Into the Shen
andoah valley and
marched northward
with tho intention of
Invading Maryland and
Pennsylvania. Meado
with 88,000 men fol
lowed him. Would they
mt? If so, whero?
Tho peoplo both In tho.
North and in the South, on this tmruou
May. not knowing what wonld happen next, wero
waiting and watching. Gettysburg had not yet
becomo a realization.
Tw6nty years aftor tho Civil war Grant while
on his dying bed said: "The greatest general
who over lived was Robert E. Leo.' It did not
tako Grant twenty years to realize the greatness
of Loo; ho had been brousht to a full realization
of this fact early in May, 1864, when their armies
met In tho Wlldcrnoss.
On tho thirtieth of May, In 1864, tho attention
of tho peoplo both In tho North and tho South
was contorod on this ono man. Note tho situa
tion, or rathor tho evontB of the preceding year
which had led un to this situation. On tho thir
tieth of May. 1863. tho Army of Northern Vir
ginia, undor command of Leo, was on its march
to invado Pennsylvania. A few days later tho
Union soldiers gained two of the most Important
victories of tho war, ono at Vicksburg, ono at
Gettysburg.
OA this thirtieth of May wo find Leo still keep
lng guard of Richmond. Grant, who soon nftor
his victory at Vicksburg had been called to
Washington, had been appointed lloutenant gen
oral of tho Union army. "On to Richmond!" had
Moses Alexander, Democratic gov
ernor of Idaho and the first, Jow to be
olected chief executive of nny of tho
United States, knows that poor boys
can win fame and fortune, for that Is
what ho hlmsolf has done. Person
ality, perseveranco and principles
may bo said to bo responsible for his
success In Ilfo. Perhaps it was main
ly tho first named that put him at the
helm In a normally Republican state
when his Democratic running mates
nil wero defeated. Hero Is tho way
Mr. Alexander tells brlofly of his
curcer:
"I stnrted In Chillicothe, Mo.,
working for Jacob Berg & Co., at tho
munificent salary of $10 per month
and board. That was In the sixties,
when we wero supposed to work qs
long as thoro was anything to do;
sunrise to sunset had no referonco to
a day's task. This firm afterwards
became the firm of Wallbrunn &
Alexander, of which I was Junior
partner. After years of commercial Ilfo in Chillicothe, I came W.est on ac
count of ill health nnd settled in Boise, Idaho. I was married in St. Joseph.
Mo., in 1876.
"My first vote was cast for Samuel J. Tllden for president and Phelps
for governor. I was elected a member of the city council of Chllllcotho in
1886, and was olected mayor of tho city in 1887. I was secretary of the
committee which built tho private normal school. I was also secretary of the '
committee to procure the right of way to induce the Milwaukee railroad to
build through Livingstone county."
MOST BELOVED CHILD
There is a homeless little girl in
Europe a ray of bright sunshine in
tho bloody murk' of a great nntional
tragedy who, being a I symbol of
sweet childhood, has by that vory
magic transformed tho world of
sympathetic hearts into hearts of
children children tho world over,
who regard her ns tho most beloved.
She is .Princess Mario Joso of Bel
glum, exiled with her mother In Eng
land, where there are being dis
tributed thousands and thousands of
postal cards bearing her portrait;
also charming plaster busts, souvenirs
for her small friends, whose ages
range anywhere from six to sixteen.
The post cards havo already circled
the earth.
This is what Lars Anderson, for
merly American minister to Belgium,
says of the little princess:
"I knew the little Princess Mario
fose when I was minister at the Bel
gian court, and she was like a fairy
princess, the Ideal princess of one's dreams. In our drawing room there is a
photograph, a gift to my wife, signed in her childish but strong handwriting
as 'Marie Jose de Belgique,' and in it -she appears the little royal princess
out of a story book, for her wonderful hair is all aglow with tho light from a
window by which she stands,- and her dress seems to recall medieval times.
I do not exaggerate her wonderful charm, and there is enough suggestion of
mischief in the charm to provo her a little girl as well as a royal princess."
EXPONENT OF SAFETY FIRST
If one enters into conversation
with Charles Caldwell "McChord, chair
man of the Interstate commerce com
mission, on matters that relate to hl3
work, it is almost a certainty that
ho will talk about "safety first," for
Mr. McChonl is tho leading exponent
in official life In tho United Statos of
tho effort to mako the railroads in the
country loss deadly. Twelve years of
service as a member of tho Kentucky
railway commission and more than
four years as a member of the inter
state commerce commission have
made him a master of the subject
His 13 the voice of authority.
In the organization of tho inter
stato commerce commission tho work
of that body In its administration ie
divided among the members. To Mr
McChord, when ho was appointed In
December, 1910, was assigned the
safety work, and that includes the
administration of all tho federal laws
regarding safety appliances, hours ot
continuous employment, Inspection of engines and equipment, investigation!
of wrecks and the like.
In his four years' Borvico ho has completely reorganized what Is now
Known as the division of safety, and built it up into an effectlvo and far-
reaching arm of the government. Personal attention did this. "Safety first,"
as they tell It within tho commission, "is McChord's bug."
MAHARANEE OF KAPURTHALA
Onco she was only a Spanish dan
cer, graceful and chnrmlng, to bo
nt onco becomo tho war cry of his soldiers. Wlh- BUro Uut poor and quite without so-
In tho month of May Grant's army had been re
puked threo times by tho Army of Northern Vir
ginia at tho Wilderness, Spotsylvania, North
Anna. Four dayB lator, Cold Harbor! Tho samo
result, Leo still koeplng gunrd. Tho word re
eelved at Washington was "Victory." But victory
at such a cost! Thousands ot tho Union's best
soldiers Inst!
Such was tho situation on this day in 1861
clal standing. Now sho is tho
favorito wife of his Highness Jagat Jit
Singh Bahadur, niaharajah raga-i-raj-gan
of Kapurthala, and with him is
making a tour of tho United States.
Including a visit to tho Panama-Pacific
oxpositlon at San Francisco.
The maharajah has traveled much
In Europe, and It was on one ot his
No other thirtieth of May had beon as serious aa trips that ho saw tho pretty Spanish
this ono. At tho "White Houso of tho Confod
cracy," Richmond, thoro was a feollng of torn
pornry security. In Washington thoro was din
courngemont.
On the thirtieth of May, In 1865, the wnr for
Union had endod. The day boforo Prosldont
Johnson had Issued his proclamation of nmnosty,
In which ho pardoned nil who had taken part in
tho rebellion on condition that thoy would sub
Bcrlbo to an oath ot allegiance to tho Unltod
States, and accopt tho remits of the war, Includ
lng tho emancipation ot the slaves. The signing
of this oath by Confodeiato soldiers on this day
dancer and succiunbed to her charms.
Ho decided that ho needed another
wlfo, a contraot was drawn up,
?6,000 was paid to tho young dancer's
parents and sho was whisked away
to India, nothing loath, and married
In regular SlUh fashion. Over thoro
her husband Is the lord ot a Punjab
atnto 598 square miles in area, and
500 servants aro at his call In his
palace. That Isn't all, olthor, for his
highness already had three wives
when ho found and won the Spanish girl. But sho knows she Is tho favoriti
was tho first formal stop In the reunltlnc of tho one, being the youngest and prettiest, and declares tlrf w iealoua thouehU
siaies oi uio union. nvor enter her head.
