The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-12-02
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THE CEREMONIES AT GEFTYS. s
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REMARKS OF PRESIDENT LIsooLN. II :
{ Four score and seven years age, ,oiir faith i
ers established upon this continent Govern-
ment subscribed ins liberty and dedicated Ito {
the fundamental principle that ealb dmankind' 1
are created equal by a good God, aud (apsa
iplause) now areengaged edsin a great contest.e
We are contestag the question whether tbs 2
nation, or any nation So conceived, so ;esedica-s
ted can longer remain.i We are met on great 8
battlefield of the war; We are met here to
dedicate a portion Of that field as the fpa1
resting place of those who have given their
lives to the nation that it might live. Il is
altogether fitting, that we should do this
But in a large we cannot dedicate, we
cannot consecrate, owe cannot ifialloM the
ground. The brave n,enishere lying Fdead, B
who struggled here, have consecrated it far
above our power TO add or to detract35 (Great
applause.) The world Will little heed, nor
long remember. whatwe say here; but it will
| not forget what they did here.l (Immcnse
applause.)
1t is for us, rather the fiving to be dedica-
ted here to the unfinished work that they
have thus far so noblycarried forward. It's
rather for us here to be dedicated to the great
task remaining before us; for us to renew our
devotion to that cause fer which they gave
the full measure of their devotion. Here let
MS resolve that whatthey have done shall not
have been done in vain. That the nation
shall, under God. haxea a new BIRTH That
the Government the people founded, by the
people shall not -perish.s, ~s
The conclusion of the Presidents remarks
was followed by immense applause. and three
cheers given for him. as also three cheers for
the Governors of the States. ai iJai7s .sElsss
REMARKS OF wM H. SEWARD.
"a FELLOW -CITIzESs:-I am now sixty years
old and upward have been in public life
practically forty years of that time. and yet
this is the first time that ever any people or
community so near to the border of Maryland
was found willing to listen to my voice; and
the reason was that | said forty years ago that
Slavery was opening before this people a
graveyard that was to be filed with brothers
falling in mutual political combat. I knew,
that the cease that was hnrrying the Union
into tiiis dreadful strife, was Slavery, and
when did elevate my voice it was to warn
the people to remove that cause when they
could by constitutional means, and SO avert
the catastrophe of civil war that now unhap-
PLY has fallen upon the nation, deluging it in
blood. That crisis came. and We see the re-
suit. I am thankful that You are willing to
hear me at last, j thank my God that be-
lieve this strife is going to end in the removal
5 of that evil which ought to have bsen remov-
ed by peaceful means and deliberate councils.
Good.] Il thank my God for the hope that
this is the last fratricidal war which will fall
upon the country--a country vouchsafed by
Heaven--the richest, the broadcast, most beau
tiful, most magnificent and capacinss 81 get
bestowed upon apeople. that has ever been
: iEgiven to any part of the human race. FAp-
I plause.J And Ithank God for the hopeitha
when that cause is removed, simply by the
operation of abolishing it, as the origin of the
great treason that is, without Justification, and
4 without parallel, weshall thenceforth be uni
ted, be only one country, having only one
hope, one ambition, and one destiny. APP
$ plause.] Then we shall know that We are
r not enemies, butth we arc friends ard BROTH
: ers, that this Union is reality, and we shall
mourn together for the evil wrought by this
r Rebellion. We are now near the graves of
the misguided, whom we have consigned to
their last resting place, with pity for theirer-
rors and with the same heartfulI of grief with
: which, we mourn over the brother by whose
: hand, raised in defence of his Government
that misguided brother perished. w hen we
part Tomorrow night, let us remember that
we owe it to- our country and to mankind that
. this war shall have for its conclusion the es-
3 tablishing of the principle ofidemocrasic gov
!, ernment-the simple principle that, whatever
S party, whatever portion ofthe Union prevails,
9 by constitutional suffrage in on election. that
q party is to be respected and maintained in
s power, until it shall give place, on another
trial and another verdict, to a differentapor-
Z tion of the people EGood. If you do not
do that, you are drifting at once and irresissi-
,, ,, bly, to the very. verge Of the destruction of
' your Government But with that principle
this Government Of ours---the freest. the best,
the wisest and the happiest in the world
s must be. and so far as are concerned, rae
tially viii be IMMORTAL lApplaass.j