OCR Text |
Show PATRIOTS RAISE OLD GLORY k. LOYALTY STIRS HEARTS OF MEN iBBBk SCENE AT FLAG-RAISING OF D. & R. G. CAR MEN. i. Mammoth Flag Raised by-Railroad by-Railroad Car Men, With Appropriate Ap-propriate Ceremony. WITH ihe band playing "The Star SpaniJc-ri Banner" anil ceremonies hirjIc doublj- im-pressivc im-pressivc hy tho sea of grimy faces and the grease-stained clothing of honest toil. Old Glory wap unfurled to tho breeze over tho car shops of the Denver & Rio Grande, railroad shortly after 32 o'clock 3'e;toisy. The mammoth banner, twelve by twenty-four feet in dimensions, ropro-sented ropro-sented the individual contributions of the employees of the Denver & Rio Grande car department. Determined to outdo their fellow workmen, the machine- ehop employees, who formally raised an American (lac over the roundhouse round-house a few days aco, the oar men appointed ap-pointed a committee to nrrango for the erection of a Jlncstnir and tho purchase of a flnir to bo raised over the car shops. The flagpole was raised yesterday yester-day morning, the biggest flag available was purchased, a band was provided for the ceremonies and J. R Enriht, superintendent of motfvo power of the Denver and Bio Grande, waa provailod upon to make tho principal address. Ceremony Has Precedence. As the noon whistle sounded tho men began to gather in front of the car shops. Tho ground space was soon well filled and then the employees of other departments crowded alontr tho viaduct aud on tho tops of near-by buildings. A few moments later D. G. Cunningham, Cunning-ham, shop superintendent, who presided over the exercises, mounted the speakers' speak-ers' stand, a handcar improvised for tho occasion, and shouted, "Boys, if anybody is late at work this afternoon we won't know anythinir about it." When tho cheering subsided Mr. Cun-niugham, Cun-niugham, iu a brief speech that showed the high estimation in -which the superintendent of motive power is held by the men of his department, introduced intro-duced "Mr. Enrifjht as the speaker of the day. Mr. Enrigbt's speech, follows: My Rood friends and follow workmen: T have, on occasions pnsr, felt somewhat piqued when advised that a coinmitteo from tho car department wished a mooting with me for the presentation oi grievance. Tho car department seems ever ready to put me In. a hole, and today is no exception. You havo asked me to make a speech on the occasion of a flag raising, which work is entirely without lho( compass of my ability, my education coming I'rom the work bench, tho snme as yours, and not from a source that fosters the placing of words to adequately express ex-press the feelings that possess me at this moment. At the Fame time, whon war with a foreign nation threatens, it is a holy and a wholesome thought that prompts the action we are engaged en-gaged in toda.y. It. shows that the llres of patriotism are over kindled and ready to burBt into flamo whon our people aro threatened or our flag insulted; and well may we, by these acts, encourage those entrusted en-trusted with tho affairs of our government, gov-ernment, and for tho time being at least, forget our own personal troubles and notty grievances, bo-sidc bo-sidc which the burden they aro carr-ing is as a mountain to a niolo hill. The trouble with our strife-torn sister republic to the south did not havo its inception in gTced for ter-ritor3 ter-ritor3 but in a desire for peace to a nation of people who have more thau a just share of war and its attendant horrors. Invasion of its shores was brought about only because of the continual disregard dis-regard of the rights of the greatest of all republics. Cheering Was Lusty. From a point of beauty iu design de-sign thero is no flag like ours, and no nation yet boasts a flag that tvpifies n3 much for freedom and no peoole arc more ready fto re-enact re-enact the Boston Tea Party as cvi-donee cvi-donee of their displeasure of tho curtailment of that freedom. Wc are proud to be citizens of the greatest country in the world, and in our controversies "with other nations may wc always be right, but right or wrong, our country and our flng! At tho close of Mr. Enrigbt's address ad-dress tho baud began to Tilav "The Star Spangled. Banner" and the mammoth mam-moth flag moved slowly up the mast. With the first ".trains or the music everv head was bared to the noonday sun and all eyes riveted on tho flag. As the big banner touched tho top of the mast and gracefully straightened out with the breeze tho long pent-up onthusias'm could no longer be with-heldj, with-heldj, and tho air was rent with cheers. The fig was raised bv H. P. Patmor. Gcori Holt 'and Joe Harris. |