The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-12-04
Soldiers Cemetery at Gettysburg.
CEREMONIES OF DEDICATION.
ADDRESS OF EDWARD EVERETT.

description OF the honors bestowed by the
Athenians upon their heroes who fell in
battle; remarking that he felt, as never
before, how justly, from the dawn of his
tory to the present time, men have paid
the homage of their gratitude and admira-
ton to the memory of those who nobly
sacrifice their lives that their fellow-men
may live in safety.
After recounting at length the history
of the three days at Gettysburg, and the
events Immediately preceding and follow
ing the great battles, Mr.. EVERETT pro-
ceeded to show the fallacy of the rebel at
tempts to diminish the magnitude of the
disaster which befell LEES army, and then
passed to consideration of the response
bility of the South for the ravages of the
war. He defined the term rebellion, de-
nounced the sophistry of the men who
seek to cloak the deformity of their crime
by false arguments, and exposed the alb
surdity of claiming Preserved rights " for
the seeded States.
RECONSTRUCTION.
Mr.. EVERETT continued as follows:
Nor must we be deferred from the vigorous
prosecution of the war by the suggestion con-
who sympathize with them, that, however it
might have been at an earlier stage, there has
been engendcred by the operations of the war
4 state OF evaporation and bitterness which,
Independent Of all reference to the original
nature of the matters in controversy. will for
ever prevent the restoration of the Union and
the return of harmony between the two great
sections of the country. This opinion take
to be entirely without foundation.
NO man can deplore more than I do the mis-
cries of every kind unavoidably incident to
war. Who could stand on this spot and call to
mind the scenes of the 10 of July with any
other feeling? A sad foreboding of what
would ensue if war should break out between
North and South has haunte me through life
and led me perhaps too long to tread in the
path of hopeless compromise, in the fond en-
dcavOr to cOnciliate those who were pre- deter.
mined not to be conciliated. But it is not true
as is pretended by the rebels and their sympa-
thixers, that the war has been carried on by the
United States without entire regard to those
temperaments which are enjoined by the law
OF nations, by our modern civilization, and by
the spirit of Christianity. 1t would be quite
easy TO point out, in the recent military history
OF the leading European powers acts of VIC
lence and cruelty in the prosecution of their
wars to which no parallel can be found among
us. In fact, when we consider the peculiar
bitterness with which civil wars are almost in.
variably waged, we may justly boast of the
manner in which the United States have carried
on the contest. 1t is, Of course, impossible to
prevent the lawless acts of stragglers and de-
serters. or the occasional unwarrantable pro-
ceedlngs OF subordinates on distant stations:
but do not believe there 10 in all history the
record OF civil war of such gigantic dimen.
sions, where SO little has been done in the
spirit OF vindictiveness as in this war, by the
government and commanders of the United
States; and this Notwithstanding the provoca-
ton given by the rebel government by assum-
ing the responsibility of wretches like Guam
scourging and selling into slavery free colored
men from the North who fall into their hands,
covering the sea with pirates and starving
prisoners of war to death.
In the next place, if there are any present
who believe that, in addition to the effect of
the military operations of the war, the confis-
cation acts and emancipation proclamations
have embittered the rebels beyond the posi-
bility of reconciliation, would request them
to reflect that the tone of the rebel leaders and
rebel press was just as bitter in the first months
of the war, nay before gun was fired, as it is
now There were speeches made in Congress
in the very last session befort the rebellion 50
ferocious as to show that their authors were
under the influence of real frenzy At the
present day, it there is any discrimination made
by the Confederate press in the effected seOrn,
hatred and contumely with which every shade
OF opinion and sentiment in the loyal states is
treated, the bitterest Contempt is bestowed up
on those at the North who still speak the Ian.
guage of compromise and who condemn those
me9RUrla of the A6minicf rafiO NIL l.
legged to have rendered the return to peace
hopeless.
HISTORICAL PARALLELS
No, my friends. that gracious Providence
which overrules all things for the best, from
seeming evil still educing good. has so consti-
OF the passions in one direction is generally fol-
lowed by reaction in an opposite direction,
and the sooner for the violence. If it were not
so, if anger produced abiding anger, hatred
caused undying hatred, if injuries inflicted and
retalated of necessity led to new retaliations,
with forever accommodating compound interest |
OF revenge, then the world. thousands of years
ago, would have been turned into an earthly |
hell, and the nations Of the earth would have |
been resolved into clans of furies and demons. |
each forever warning viii his neighbor But |
it is not So all history teaches a different les
son. The wars of the roses in England lasted |
an entire generation, from the battle of St. Al
Speaking of the former Hume says: This
was the first blood split in that fatal quarrel,
which was not finished in less than course of |
thirty years which was signalzed by twelve |
pitched battles; which opened q scene of ex-
traordinary fierceness and cruelty; is computed
to have cost the lives of eighty princes of the
blood, and almost entirely annihilated The
ancient nobility of England. The strong
attachments which at that time men of
the same kindred bore to each other, and the |
vindictive spirit which was considered point
of honor, rendered the great families implaca-
BILE in their resentments and widene6 every
moment the breach between the parties" Such
was the state of things in England under which
an entire generation grew up; but when Henry
VII, in whom the titles of the two houses
were united, went up to London after the bat
tie of BoswOrth Field to mount the throne, he
was everywhere received with joyous acclama.
lions as one ordained and sent from heaven to
put an end to the discussions which had so long
afflicted the country.
The great rebellion in England of the seven
teenth century, after long and angry premoni-
lions, may be said 10 have begun with the call
ing of the Long Parliament in 1640 and to have
ended with the return of Charles II. in 1860
twenty years Of discord, conflict and civil war;
Of contscation, pluDder, havoc; proud,
hereditary heritage trampled in the dust;
national church overturned, its clergy beggar-
ID, Its most eminent prelate put to death;
military despotism established on the ruins of
monarchy which had subsisted seven hundred