Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1866-01-13

10 encourage and stimulate our natufal.
ised fellow.citizens, and the new comcrs
who purpose becoming such, TO dopt our
language, TO educate their children With
ours aud TO identify themselves with
us as rapidly ss possible, Is the dictate of
true patriotism 10 us,and at The same time,
is the best welcome we can give to them,
since there can be no question that they
will thus become most quickly acquainted
with their rights as citizens, will be least
likely to be overresched aud made dupes
OF in business or 10 politics, and will find
the road to pecupary profit and personal
advancement most rapidly open before
them.
Our common school system Il to be
fostered aud improved, aud there is moth
ing In which our people have a deeper In
terest than this. IL there be aDy one
thing 10 which, under Providence, more
thrn to another we owe our safe passage
through our recent periIs, believe II is
the intelligence which our common schools
have universally ditfused, II has no. been
simply the power 10 read. but that larger
and wider culture which has made the
American people capable of weighing aud
deciding upon grave arguments Of right
aud of policy in. the midst Of greatest rx.
element The Goyerame ut appealed to
them as 10 meo able to comprehend ony
arguments of State policy, aud he steady
loyalty Of the people and their persevering
support OF The nsl ional cause was 10 d
rect proportion TO the intelligence and
education of different states or cummuni.
ties. will even go further. and declare
my belief that, outside of the immediate
theatre of hostile operations, the cause
OF the Government never lost any thing
by the most uutrammeled freedom Of pub
lic discussion and printing. because the
people were always able to detect the
sophisms of dislcyalty. and their patriotic
purposes were strepgl hened rather than
weakened by seeing the whole force Of the
enemy they had to meet. Among the
safeguards Of our liberties and guarantees
of the rermanence Of our institutions, ]
reckon our school system the very chief
Blind aud devo,ed love Of country may
exist under a despo' ism, if ig o ance be
the mothers Of supersli,ious or childish
uttachm mt; tut libe ty and republcauism IN
can be built on no other solid foundsl ion
|
people. A wise telfinttrest is made the
basis oil ali scientific political economy, /,
aud when whole people have learned To
estimate that Interest truly, besides loving
their country dearly, you have ground for
fuith 10 the stability of their government,
such as can lie got in no other way. II is
because of the general conviction that our
. common schools may be made to secure
this result, that there is an equally general
belief that no money used for public pur.
T poses is 50. well invested as that which sup
ports our school system.
| No statement of our condition aud .ouI
duties would de complete which did no,
speak Of the debt We owe TO the sad array
(aImost an army 10 iselOof the maimeo
and diss bled heIoes to whom the return o
peace brings no bright prospect for their
own future. The dead may be supposed
TO look down in glory aud 10 pride upor
the work they have accomplished by shed
ding their blood, aud our memory of them
becomes rather exultapt than painful; but
these sick and crippled ones coademu,
to look upon lbe general p osperily aud
joy f cling bitterly that their lives musl
be deprived of nearly every hing ~hict
health and vigor would have secured hem
Ii we should give them cause TO think thei
country is ungraietul, we shall double theft
misery aud he ourselves nnfui;hful TO one o.
the mos solemn 6u les which can be impu
sed upon US. More than eight thousauo
disabled Ohio soldiers are already upon TN,
, rolls OF the national pension bureau. Th
pittance which the general GoverDmen
Can give them will not save them from want
= How can VIC best do the remainder of on
duty toward them? A begianng ha
already been made 10 the temporary estab
lShment of State Soldiers Home, but il
is manifest that it will provide FOR very
small part of those who have good claim
upon us, if indeed any system Of congrega
tug the pensioners IN permanent asy lum
can accomplish the end. l believe The
people are ready 10 do their whole duty il
. This matter, and will expect those whom
they have iDlrusted with the legislative
power to provide adequately by law tht
best practicable system for dischargine
ibis great debt o! honor. This disposition OF
their purt has been NANTES ed not only il
the ho1le aud generous private coDtribu tion
, th' ough societies aid commissions, b,
n which the comfort o. our soldiers in tn,
I field and the efficiency Of our miIitar,
hospitals were wOnde fully increased, bu
the same spirit has. prompted numerou
local monuments to our dead, aud. will.
trust. grow into some permanent memoris
: ou behalf of the Stale at large in keepln,
: with the digui'y of our position aud vii
the debth OF our feeling.
10 these as well as in other ways. ih
= late war has brought great burdens upon
, our State, but its prosperity has been suct
,. that they have been borne without impoy
erishng our people or strainiDg the publ
resources. Our STATE debt has been dimin
. ished during this very period of commC
: lion, aud such has been he thrift OF tn
:, community and the .uccess of business e,
g ierprise, that We zee on every baDd th
: evidences of Accomplishing wealth Ohio
tue hrst'born of the ordinance Of 1887, ha
, been tue to the principles o: that grra
: act OF state'mansbIp. which dedicated lb
!. northeastern territory 10 freedom aud fre
labor, aud now more than ever before
realizing the benefits of the wisdom wbic
4 then LAUNCHED her upon career of uDexan
v pied grow b under the auspices of religion