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Show Till-; (i. A. It. UOItllKK. Col. W. L. JJistin, who was recoutly uiKinimously elected commander of the Illinois department O. A. It., in ronponse to tho cheers which greeted his installation, installa-tion, spoke as follows: Cmnrud' H, it will li my raiment rndpavor to ommimt llio allaimdf t ho divni'tmci't to Dm lxht of my aliilily and 1 Inipn to Ihu HaliHfm'liun of niy (Mimradt'H. 1 Hlaadd like tt Hee twiry old hoU diiT hruiiKlit into our fold during tho coming your. If brevity iu tiie soul of wit, then Col. Diston is not only a popular man but is also a witty one. This speech has tho ring of a military command. IIo voices tho wish of overy comrade to see all old soldiers within tho fold of tho O. A. li. Of that organization the Charleston, S. C, hows and Courier says: 'I'lii'dranil Army of llio l!..iuhlic m, in fact, a Krand anny of imhlin iH'nxhincrN. It m loomni'h tui'Xi'Ot't that Trc-Kidi'iit llarrirton or a rcpnlili-oau rcpnlili-oau inmnrrfiM will niako any i llort to riwiat tlio di'inandts of the rohht'l-H. Lot tho Charleston robels air their old hnto. Tho writer rcmoiubors well how quiet they wero when the first union coluiiin-blaelc soldiers of the rank and filo-marched under .the nation's na-tion's flag to the inspiring measure of Yankee Doodle, through tho principal street of that dilapidated city. Nor will it soon bo forgotten how thoso sumo black soldiers in tho interior of the slate lighting under tho black flag crawled, wounded ami dying into thickets to hide from tho murderous savages of that home of southern chivalry. Later still, when an earthquake shattered shat-tered tho doomed city and starvation and pestilence threatened her homeless people, Commander Paiichild of tho G. A. . visited it with abundant contributions contribu-tions from generous comrades to be followed fol-lowed by more, until tho city authorities cried, hold, enough! Does it become the leading journal of Charlesti n to abuse the comrades of tho G. A. K. as "robbers?" |