274 MAJOR JOHN F. LACEY 



fought with Wayne at Stony Point. The jury brought in 

 a verdict, "We, the jury, find the defendant not guilty, 

 because he stormed Stony Point." The court refused to 

 receive the verdict and told the jury that they must find 

 the defendant either guilty or not guilty. They returned 

 and in a few minutes returned a simple verdict, "Not 

 guilty. ' ' But as the jury were about to be discharged the 

 foreman said, "I am directed by the jury to say that it is 

 lucky for the defendant that he was at Stony Point. ' ' 



It was a perverted or inverted patriotism that led the 

 Confederate soldiers to so many battlefields. Lee as- 

 sumed to fight for Virginia, Cleburne for Arkansas, and 

 Hampton for South Carolina, but the Iowa soldiers un- 

 der Grant, Sherman, or Thomas fought for the whole 

 United States of America. I am glad to be able to say 

 that this wider form of national patriotism has made 

 great progress in the states south of Mason and Dixon's 

 line. In fact Mason and Dixon's line has substantially 

 disappeared. A few malcontents still remain but they 

 are noticeable rather by their scarcity than otherwise. 



To the women, to the mothers of America, more is due 

 than to any other class. The women of this country en- 

 joy a place in the social scale beyond those of any other 

 people in the world. The American woman is an un- 

 crowned queen wherever she goes and needs no pedigree. 



I will not, as I have already said, talk politics on an 

 occasion like this. The American people are dividing as 

 they do every four years, into political camps for the 

 peaceful battle of the ballots, which is the distinguishing 

 feature of our form of government. But I will go this 

 far and say that is is the duty of every citizen to take an 

 active interest in political affairs. Our public men of all 

 parties are much maligned, as they always have been in 

 republics, and always will be. 



A public man who retired from long service told me a 



