The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-07-02

the shores of the lakes, aud in the val /
Ieys and plains of the West, the !
widow, the orphan. and the aged par
en- are weeping for these beloved
dead. Many of the tombs are mar K
ed unkaowA," but they will all be
recognized ON the morning of the re
surrectiOn. The unknown dead lett
behind them kindred, friends and
breaking hearts. None die so hum
BILE but leave some one to mourn.
" Perished at Gettysburg, in defense
of their country" 979 men, of whose
names, homes or lineage, there IS no
trace left on earth. Doubtless the
Recording Angel has preserved the
record, and when the books are OPEN
ed on the last day, their names Will
be found In letters of living light, on
the immortal page of heroes who dled
that their country might live.
In the fields before US are the
graves Of the rebel dead, now sunk to
the level of the plain, unmarked,
unhonOTed and unknown. Ihey
were our countTymen, Of our bIOeu;
language and history. They displayed
a courage worthy of their country,
and OF a better cause, and we may
drop a tear to their memory. Inc
news of this fatal field carried agony
to thousands Of Southern homes, and
the wal! of dispair was heard IN the
everglades and orange groves OF the
South. Would to God that these
men had died for their country, and
not In fratricidal strife, Tor Its de-
struction. On who can describe the
wiekedness of rebellion, or paint the
horrors of civil war?
The rebellion was madness. Ii
was the insanity of States; the dele
rum Of millions, brought on by the
pernieioUs influence OF human slave
~. The people of the South were
drunk with the spoils OF the labor OF
four millions of slaves. They were
educated In the belief that chlvalry
aud glory were the Inheritance only
of Shareholders; that free institutions
and free labor begat cOwardlce and
serviity; that Northern men were
sOrdid aud mercenaTy, intent only
upon gain, aud would not light TOR
their Government or principles. AND
thus educated and thus believing,
they raised their hands to strike the
Government OF their fathers, and to
establish a new Constitution, the
chief cornerstone OF which was to be
human slavery.
The lust of power, the unholy greed
of slavery, the mad ambition OF dis
appointed statesmen, limpelled the
peOple of the South to a fearful crime,
which drenched the land with irater-
nal blood, that has been punished as
few crimes have ever been in this
world, but out of which, we are as
will bring forth the choicest blessings
to our country and to the human race ;
even as the rarest flowers spring In
prolusion from the graves Of the dead :
Liberty universal, soon to be guaran-
teed and preserved by suffrage uni
versal the keeping Of nation free
dom to be entrusted to all the people,
and not to part only; the national
repToach washed out, IN rivers OF
blood. it is true; but the sins of the
world Eero atOned by the blood Of the
Saviour, and the eXpiation of blood
seems to be the grand economy OF
God, founded In wisdom, to mortals
inscrutable. Resurrection comes only
from the grave. Death is the great
progenitor of life. From the tomb OF
the rebellion a nation has been
erty, so gloriously stated in the Dec
laratiOu OF Independence, had hither-
to existed only In theory. The Gov
eminent / ad ever been a painful
contradiction to the Declaration.
While prGclaiming to the world
that liberty was the gift of God
to every human being, four mil
ons of people were held In alb.
Il lo,
the shadow of the national flag. In
the presence of these slaves, profess
sions of devotion to liberty were vain
aud hypOcritical The clanking oil
their chains assembled perpetually II
contradiction to our professions. and
the enemies of Republicanism pointed
contemptuously to our example. But
all this is passed Slavery lies buried
in the tomb of the rebellion. The re-
bellion- the offspring of slavery
hath musdefed its unnatural parent
aud the perfect reign of liberty is a
hand.
With the ratification of the Eff
teenth Article, proposed by Congress.
as an amendment to the Constitution
of the United States, which we have
every reason to believe will soon BIZ
completed, impartial suffrage will b,
established throughout the land. The
equal rights Of men will be recognized
and the millennium in liberty anC
government viii be realized, to which
.,ur fathers looked forward with hope
fulness and joy.
The principles of liberty once plant
ed in the earth and ripened into thei
rich fruits, will be borne through al
IL
latest generation, even as the seed
first sown by the hand of God in Par
adise, were blown by the winds from
continent to continent, until the worlt
was clothed with verdure, fruits an,
flowers.
The prospect for liberty through
out the world was never so bright a
1t is to-day. In all civilized lands tn
grand armie of freedom are on thei
march. And they are allied armies
Victory to one will give prestige ant
confidence to the others. With some
progress will be slow; they will en-
counter disaster and defeat, but vii
again rally and go forward to fina
victory. In the great campaign o
freedom we count, not by months, bu
by decades and generations. in which
there will be many a Bull Run, man
a Gettysburg, and a final Appomattox
The lines of march will be marke,
by many a cemetery like this, by TIN
wrecks Of fallen institutions and dy
nastiss, and by the ruins of the heredi
targ privilege and caste.
Lev US briefly review the advanc
of liberty since 1776.
I'VE omit this portion of the ad
dress, interesting as it is, owing to it
great length.-EDS. JOURNAL