Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 June 1899 — Upholds The Disturbance. [ARTICLE]

Upholds The Disturbance.

The nincompoop who has charge of the Goodland edition of the Rensselaer Republican, and who no doubt hates Catholics as bitterly as the party who created the Dec-, oration day disturbance here, is the only person we have yet heard of who publicly endorses the action of the! latter. Perhaps, though, the endorsement might have been written from the office headquarters here, by the two-faced gentleman who has charge of the padded legal department of the parent paper, it seems the article bears ear-marks peculiar to him. The disturber of the exercises makes no secret of the fact, so we understand, that his objection to the zouaves was on account of their religion. Here is the article:

For the benefit of the old soldiers of this vicinity who may have gotten a wrong impression of the matter from some of the Rensselaer papers, we desire to give a few facts in the case which has come to our knowledge concerning the interruption of the Memorial services at that place on Decoration day. In the first place the committee on arrangements had no right to say who should fire the salute. That belonged to the Post itself. It is their right and privilege to detail a squad of their own members to attend to this part of the program. As it happened however, the committee did make arrangements to have the Zouaves fire the salute. The old soldier who created the disturbance took particular pains to try to find out what arrangements were being made, he having heard a rumor that the Zouaves were to act, and went to several of the committees for that purpose, but they der ied all knowledge of the affair. He gave them to understand that if anything of that nature was attempted he would make public objection, unless he could find out before and have the matter adjusted. He got no satisfaction however. and on Memorial day went so far as to crowd his way to the speakers stand and asked the master of ceremonies about it. He got the same reply, that he knew nothing about the matter. Then when the time came for the salute, this old soldier got up and publicly remonstrated against such action. Not on tne ground however lhat the company was a Catnolic body, but because it was other than a Grand Army detail. After the way the committee and speaker prevaricated, it was just and proper that toe remonstrance was made.