American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1866-07-18

history. She fully realizes, and while
public virtue remains she will never
cease to realize, that she could better af-
ford to lose the sources of her natural
wealth, her rich fertile valleys her greaI
cities, her cxhaustless minerals, than to
lose from her archives single one Of
those torn, faded, precious, consecrate
flags of battle and its history, and of the
brave men who suffered and fought
around them. A Commonwea ealth may
exist without cherishing her material
wealth, but no Commonwealth can worth
lily, or should exist, which does not cher.
ish as the joy of its life, the heroic valor
of its children.
In the name of Pennsylvania l gave
you these standards, fresh and whole and
asked you, in all trials, to maintain your
loyalty, and defend them, and to-day you
bring them back to me, torn with rebel
shot, sad with the gloom of some revcrses,
bright with the light of many triumphs,
but beyond al, saved by your courage
from dishonor, Redeemed by the blood Of
your dead brothers, borne over the ridg-
es of hundred battles, and planted, at
last, on the SUBMITS of victory. Surely,
State never had nobler children, nor re-
ceived at their hands more precious gifts.
What heroism, excelling the fables of ro-
nance; leading forlorn hopes; charging
into the Imminent deadly breach )"
"riding into the jaws of death till all the
world wondered p What sufferings Of
pain and hunger, and outrage and death;
what ardent love of home; what tender
messages to mother, wife, children and
betrothed maiden what last prayers to
God, do these old and tattered flags sug-
gest and unfold
The State will guard them reverently
and lovingly until, in the fulness of time,
some genius will arise to marshal their
legends into the attractive order of his
tory, or weave them into the immortal
beauty of poetry, and then, at last, will
be found fit expression for the part Penn
sylyania has acted in the bloody drama
1t will then be remembered that our
State was represented at Fort Sumter,
when traitors first fired upon the flag of
the Union, and that the volunteers of
our State first reached the National Cap
ital, and were. at Appomattox Court
House, where traitors fired their last vol
ley, and in all the terrible intermediate
struggles in every rebellious State, in
every important battle On land and water
where treason was to be confronted and
rebellion to be conquered, the soldiers
and sailors Of Pennsylvania werc to be
found confronting the one and conquer
ing the other--that her people. ..never fall
tered in their fidelity to their distressed d
Government.
1t was in due historic fitness, there
fore, that tho wicked struggle to destroy
the Union, should culminate upon our
soil, its topmost wave be dashed against
our capital, and its decisive defeat be
suffered here, and accordingly from
Gettysburg the rebellion staggered back
ward to its grave.
Alas how many other graves it filed
before it filed its own. How many brave
and familiar faces we miss to-day who
helped to bear these colors to the front,
and on whose graves are growing the
wild flowers of the Sou thern land
Our words can no longer reach them,
nor cur gratitude serve them but we
thank Heaven that those they loved bet
ter than life, are with us that the widow
of the war, and the orphan children of
the soldiers, are within the reach Of our
cherishing care. We must never forget
that every soldier of Pennsylvania, who
died that the nation might live, thereby
entitled his widow to be kept frSn want,
and his fathcrless children to find IA
ther in the Commonwealth.
May the flags which we fold up so
tenderly, and with such proud recollec-
lions, never be unfnrled again, at least
in such war; and may all mankind, be-
holding the surprising power of this
free government, abandon forever tho
thought Of its destruction. Let US re-
member, ,too, that at Gettysburg the
blood of the people of eighteen loyal
States--rich, precious blood mingling
together. sank into the soil of Pennsyl.
vania, and by that red covenant are we
pledged for all time to Union, to liberty,
to nationality, to fraternity, to 'peace on
earth and good will towards men,"
Now that the war is over, We give
peace to those who gave us war. And
! in the universal freedom, purchased al
so large cost of blood and treasure, We
give true justice to all men. Under the
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