The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1865-07-15

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Reception Address of Hon. h. a..
Cook. y uly 4Gh. 1865.
SOLDIERS OF La SALE CouSrY-a am
commissioned to extend to you the welcome
home, and express to you the greeting. of the
Yeop'e of .bis centitj yff.ttza day, on which
re meet and greet you. is to us, of all the
great anniversaries in cur history. the .a'i,!est
and most glorious cay
The gladdest, because now we welcome YOU
home, who have been gone SO long. We see
you standing once more in safety and secur-
ty among US, after your long exposure TO the
dangers of bloody contest Families long
sundered have been reunited, parents have
welcomed home their sons, wives ii cir nus
bands, children their fathers, sisters their
brothers and br ght eyes have kindled with
a new radiance, which was neither for father
or brother, us = Johnny came marching
home For all this reunion of dear ones.
this JOY SO great in mar hearts an homes,
il i, meet that We should make merry and be
glad. But there is a deerer cause of Joy. and
n reason stronger far, Why we should elcome
you this day, with IL deeper Joy and Il graft
tide more profound than ever before stirred
and swelled the hearts uf people. The dear
homes, GUS and you.s, 70 which you have re-
turned with SO hearty welcome exist to-day,
with all their sacred associations and iDhu-
enceS, because you have protected them. No
hostile army mas assailed US, because Il living
wall of brave hearts has stood between US
and our foes The blow that would have
fallen on US, you have intercepted; aud as
our people look over the fields crowned with
beauty and plenty. aud thiak OF the contrast
between them and the fields and homes where
the red and heavy hand OF war has been. we
teel deeper sense OF the obligations are
uader To those who have protected us, and
Our hearts go out III the welcome we give
tEeh.
With tbs. OF ring Of bright blood
They have ransOR--i hearth and home.
FinyArl iisI, and food
10. tn y COME t-5r UOan- -
But, not Oaiy have oar Own country and
State been -fe,4ed from Invasion: our coun-
try has been saved The earurstnes, OF our
welcome 10 sou Is intensified, ana our graft
tadc deepeued, wh we think of the desp.r-
axe, bloody and doubtful contest through
which you hava carried so glurors!y the
banner of the republic. What Il terrible cx-
perlence fJr yJa-Yhat "a trial for the country
II has been.
Oar people haze been called upon to make
sacrifices, the greatest possible Tor people
&c rhaee, Every hamlet, neighbJrhood, and
almost every family. has sent forth some
dear one to brave danger and death, a sor-
row for those dead, or MANNED and disabled
In defending the national lite, has filled the
land and has been 50 general, nay aln JSt uHI-
verStl, that IT could not have been bOrle bv
people who had less at stake, in the issue Of
the struggle. Oh how many shrinking, an
guished hearts have heard aud obeyed the
command given by God to AbrLhaIn-'' take
now thy son, thine only son, whom thou
lowest, and offer him in sacrifice" Aud the
sorro% was borne, and the sacrIjce was made,
because the question to be decided WAS one
Oi such terrible import to US. Bat Is the
time rolled On and the con est heightened and
deepened, i'll NIL our suffering AMI sorrJw. the
grief hartes, to bear, was the thought which
would sometimes come to the braves, in some
hour of disapp Jintneut and defeat, ,hat after
all, treason might triumph, that all the bright
biDod shed so lavishly might haYe been III
vain. ana oar country cverthrown. " Hherr
could we hide our sorrow and despair? Hat
now this long agony Is over. The crOwnins
victory Is won, Never before were the ioun-
dations OF our Temple of Liberty so strong.
Never before did QUO flag float 50 proudly.
Deadly tidings from bloody fields shall come
to our homes, and chill our heafis no more.
And with mighty short of triumph, burst
ing from every sart and tongue, we welcome
you, whose brave hearts and strong arms
have achieved the victory. What mighty
contest it has been-uuparraleled in the
wo.lis history! What an incalcnlable
interest has depended upon the issue, How
graniIy and gallantIy has the battle been
fous sbt! How glorious. decisive aud far
reaching in its results the victory. But not
only has our integrity been preserved, ANA
disunon made impossible; not only has the
honor of our free government been vIndlct-
ed at time when all the enemies of freedom
III all the earth were exuting over our down
fall. which they deemed so certain !; but the
sublime theories which underle our free insti-
tutions have received a new and fresh life.
Eighty-n:pe years ago this day, our fathers
promulgated a new philosophy of government.
Casting aside the cid false systehis and
theories. which under the pIetence that man
was not hit for selt-government, aid that only
the wisest should govern, had given all politi-
cal power i.lto the hards, not of the wi>est
nor the purest, but the strongest, they began
at the beginning with God and humanity ,,and
founded our institutions upon great natural
truths, which they dis1ained to prove holds
ing them to be selfcvidcut. In majestic
dictiou proportioued TO the magnitude OF the
becasionj aud the grandeur of the faith, they
declared . we hold these truths 10 be seitevI-
dent, that all men created equal, and en-
dowed bg their Creator with certain inalena
BILE rights, among which are life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness. That to secure
these rights, governments are instituted
among men. deriving their Just powers from
the consent OF the gov3ned." That day was
made a grand, historic day by that declara
tioa. We have eel brated its annual return
since then with JOY aud gladness, with music
and mirth, until the last four terrible years
during which we have celebrated the da,
with an uhwonted interest and solemn,y anC
vet this 4th day of July, 1865, is the very frs
one Of al the anniversaries of the 4th OF July
l776, VIII the simple, sefevIent and sub
lime truths oil the declaration of independ
enre, the enumeration o, which, on that dav
made it immortal, have been living truths il
all the land. OF how much deeper signif
cince to US today are these words of III
fathers, than they have ever been
The 4th of July l7T6. and the 4th Of JUL
1865. The first witnessed the annuncrato
as a foundation principle OF government, tina
God created all men free. that the Heareal
Father had not delegated His authority owe
His children to mortal men. The other -
the triumph of the truth i'll all our broad la nc
Memorable days forev, shall they be in tb
worlds history. And forever remembered
honOred, loved and reverence | shall be th
names of those men whose patriotism an
heroism wrought out The mighty results whic
have made these DAYS illustrIous And froI
henceforth. on This hallowed day in the coz
ing ages when the citizens of this great H
pubic from Ocean to Ocean, and from th
Lakes 10 the Gulf. with one Constitution an
one flag and one future shall meet TO listen