steppin' on it once in a century?"

I have studied politics and men for forty-five years, and I see how
things are driftin'. Sad indeed is the change that has come over the
young men, even in my district, where I try to keep up the fire of
patriotism by gettin' a lot of jobs for my constituents, whether
Tam-many is in or out. The boys and men don't get excited any
more when they see a United States flag or hear "The
Star-Spangled Banner." They don't care no more for firecrackers
on the Fourth of July. And why should they? What is there in it for
them? They know that no matter how hard they work for their
country in a campaign, the jobs will go to fellows who can tell
about the mummies and the bird steppin' on the iron. Are you
surprised then that the young men of the country are beginnin' to
look coldly on the flag and don't care to put up a nickel for
firecrackers?

15
The Curse of Civil Service Reform

Say, let me tell of one case- After the battle of San Juan Hill, the
Americans found a dead man with a light complexion, red hair and
blue eyes. They could see he wasn't a Spaniard, although he had on
a Spanish uniform. Several officers looked him over, and then a
private of the Seventy-first Regiment saw him and yelled, "Good
Lord, that's Flaherty." That man grew up in my district, and he was
once the most patriotic American boy on the West Side. He
couldn't see a flag without yellin' himself hoarse.

Now, how did he come to be lying dead with a Spanish uniform