Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1865-1872, 1867-07-26

CHIEF stone of tho corner.
Ii was thus deiantly ayowed that In the
Government Of our Fathers as transmitted
TO us. human slavery was rejected, but il
the new government proposed by tho rebels
human slavery was recognized as great
physical, philosophical and moral truth
and was made the corner stone OF tho new
government as "the stone rejected by the
first builders is, in the new cdidce become
the chief stone of the cornor.' On the
1ith day Of April, 1861, the advocates ol
human slavery, then become rebels against
their government, fred upon Folt Sumter
aud finally compelled a suirendeFof NloJoi
Anderson ant. his small force of gallant
men then reduced to the poinD6. s,arva.
ton. This was the first instance in the
history of our government, that, that time
houored flag that had waved over and protec.
ted Washington. Hamilton, Warren, Green,
Moultrie, Morgan, Marion, Knox and La.
fayctte, amidst the dark hours Of the rev.
olution, had been trailcd in the dust and
dishonored by men claiming to be Ameri-
can citizens. The news flew on and over
the wires with lightning speed, into every
city, town and hamlet of the Republic. "lt
thrilled the heart of the Nation and de-
yeoped the patriotism and loyalty Of the
twenty millions of people in the free
States. The sublime aud universal uprs-
ing of the people to vindicate the insul-
ted flag of the nation, to preserve the in
tegrity of Government aud the unity Of
the Republic bad no parallel in history,
and was worthy of free and christian
people" Love for the flag must succeed
our love for the Union. Cherish il my
countrymen inculcate it as one Of the
first and most precious lessons to your
children, and let its love be transmitted
as legacy more highly priced than jewels
or precious metals.
"That aag,' said Henry Ward Beccher,
'has ever been the symbol of liberty, and
men rejoiced in it. 1t went everywhere
upon sea and land, carrying the It'd
ings and the hopes Of freedom to the ma
tons OF the world. Our flag means liber-
ty; it means all that the Declaration of
Independence meant; it means all that the
Constitution of our people, organizing for
justice, for liberty, for happiness, meant.
Our flag carries American ideas, American
history and American feeling Beginning
with the colonies and coming down TO our
times, it has gathered and stored chiefly
this supreme idea--Divine right Of liberty
in man. Every color means liberty
every thread means liberty; every form Of
star aud beam or stripe Of light means
liberty, ,-organizet institutional liberty -
liberty through law aud law through lib
erty.
Under this flag rode Washington and
his army. Before it, Burgoyne laid down
his arms. 1t cheered our armies, driven
from around New York, and on their
solitary pilgrimage through New Jersey.
This banner streamed in light over their
heads at Valley Forge aud at Morristown
And when the long years of war were
d. lwing to a close, underneath the folds
of that immortal banner sat Washington,
while Yorktown surrendered its hosts and
our Revolutionary struggle ended in vic
tory. 1t waved thus over that whole
historic period, and over that period on
which sat the immortal Convention that
1872 that flag still bade defiance to the
imperial power of the British Empire, and
waved in victory on land and sea. How
glorious, then, has been its historyl In
all the world is there any other banner
that carries such hopes, such grandeur of
spirit. such soul inspiring truth, as our
dear old American hag,--made by liberty,
made for liberty, nourished in its spirit,
carried-in its service, and never, not once
in all the earth, made to stoop to despot-
sm?'
Though We celebrate to-day the ami
versary of our fathers independence, we
may with great propriety, comminge with
it, that second grand deliverence, wrought
out by the loyal people of the Republic
under tte lead of Abraham Lincoln, the
chosen head Of the Nation. We may search
the worlds history in vain for its parallel.
The magnitude Of our efforts seem fabu-
lous. eve furnished of volunteers during
the war, over two million of men, One
hundred and sixty five thousand men were
recruited in one week; aud G25 battles aud
skirmIshcs were fought, in which the blood
of our gallant fathers, brothers and sons
flowed freely and willingly for God and
liberty. The voluntary contributions Of
our people TO the popular loan, in four
years, amounted to 2,750,000 dollars.
The Christian Commission sent to the field
to dispense to our toiling, fighting aud
praying soldiers, the true bread of life,
and expended in their behalf more than
61milions of dollars. The Sanitary Com
mission, with its 1000 Societies dotted all
over the loyal North and West, followed
our armies wherever they went, and dis
tributel II, 100000 Of dollars in supplies
and money; and to crown all, wherever the
soldier suffered and langushcd, whether
on battle field or in hospital, there were
gentle aad reiined women, to bind up his
wounds aud watch for his every want and
comfort. After vain resistance, says Ban
croft, "Liucoln, who had tried to solve the
question by gradual emancipation, by colo
nization and by compensation, at last saw
that slavery must be abolished, or the Re.
public must die aud on the lat day of
January, 1863, he wrote liberty on tho
banners of tho armies" BY that procla-
nation, he struck the fetters from three
millions of slaves, and subsequently said,
in advocacy Of a qualified suffrage in their
behalf, that "They would probably help,
in some trying time to come, to keep tho
jewel of liberty in the family Of freedom" /"
From tho issuing of his freedom proclama-
ton, the tide Of success turned in our ia.
vor, aud victories and campaigns were won, 4,
until tho land rang with triumphant
shouts that the rebels had laid down their