The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-05-31
DECORATION DAY !
Business Generally Suspended.
AN oUTRAGE

those VINO participate III these cere'
monies, and believe that this annual
festival but serves TO foster sectional
hates and animosities that were better
buried, and think that the
end sought would be better attained
by those whose relatives sleep their last
sleep in the cemeteries around the city,
decorating their graves without all the
fuss and parade attendant on these
public demonstrations, yet we are salts
fled that if the relatives do not care to
pay this act Of devotion to the memo
ries Of our dead braves, the surviving
comrades should do it by themselves.
Having served in the army to the best
of our ability, having done what we con-
ceived to be our duty to our country, we
are prepared to forgive those who were
marshaled in opposition to US, who
fought for the wrong, though they
thought it right, and proved themselves
by their bravery and endurance worthy
the name Of Americans, and feel that
the sooner the memories and skeletons
of the war are buried out Of sight the
sooner shall we have peace and pros
perity and a reunited family. But all
this par paenthesiS
At two o'clock the procession formed
on Fourth street, opposite the Court
House, Thoburn Post G.. A. r., headed
by the West Virginia Brass Band OF
Valley Grove, occupying the right of
the line, the Mozart Capel, Of South
Wheeling, the Turner's, the Beethoven
Singing Society, the Mayor, speakers
and invited guests and citizens in car
riages and on horseback in the rear.
On Monroe street long line of
colored men, with flags and bouquets,
were formed under the orders Of Colonel
Hubbard, as we are told As the clock
struck three, the word was given for the
column to march. As the last of the
footmen passed the corner of Monroe,
the colored portion of the procession
moved down to take their places II the
line, when they were stopped and order
ed to fall in behind the carriages at the
tail ofthe procession. This they resented
as an insult, and tearing up their bo-
quets and trampling them into the dust,
broke from the line and refused to join
the celebration. If, as the colored men
claim, they had special invitation to
attend, they were perfectly right in not
accepting any such place as that to
which they were assigned. If they
were invited as citizens they should
have been treated as any other citizens,
and in refusing to submit to the outrage
and indignity put upon them, they have
won the respect of all our right-minded
citizens.
tits but fair to the committee of Ar
to say that they deny hav-
ing invited the colored people at all.
The procession moved on the line of
march to Mount Wood Cemetery. All
along the route the stores were closed,
business being suspended, and the
houses profusely decorated with flags.
On the edge OF the hill in front Of
the entrance Of the cemetery stand was
erected for the use of the orators,
and after prayer by Rev NJ. LYDIA,
General B. F. Kelly, in brief neat
speech thanked the ladies and citizens
for the aid they had given in the pre-
parations necessary for the ceremonies
of the day. He introduced Hon. y.
Richardson, who briefly and eloquently
addressed the immense crowd assembled
there After music by the Mozart
Capel, of South Wheeling, r. Cochran
spoke on the objects and intents of the
Grand Army of the Republic, denying
that it was Il political organization. He
was followed 10y Mayor Mcclellan, who
made the speech of the day. We are only
sorry ourlimits will not permit us to give
even a brief outline OF his sound, sen
sible and patriotic remarks II, when
YOU scatter these flowers on the graves
of your dead comrades he said, You
tear from Your hearts the animosities
and hates engendercd by the war, then
should these solemnities he perpetuated,
until we stand nation united in heart
and interest as well az in name, when
there shall be star for every State and
4 State for every star on the bright ban
ncr OF our country.
After a benediction 10y Rev d. W
Fisher the procession reformed and
marched into the cemetery where the
floral offerings were scattered on the
graves of the dead soldiers
The occasion was much more sue
cessful and much more generally OBJ
served than last year, and, barring the
episode with the colored people at the
beginning of the march, passed off
without anything to mar the harmony
Of the occasion.
FRESH meat and dead loads OF straw
berries at Harry Smiths, No. 100 Mar