The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1874-10-22
TIE LINCOLN M0yUNESFBEDIe aTIO1
AT SPRiSGFIELD, ILLINOIS
Speeches By President Grant, EX-GOT
erB0f 0gIesby and Others


AT SPRiSGRIELD, ILLINOIS
Speeches By President Grant, EX-GOT
;, ern0f 0gleSby and Others
! SPRINGFIELD, Ill, Oct 10 The
Society of the Army of the Tennessee
Assem- mbled this morning, and selected
Des MoinesY Iowa, for the next meet.
ing, which will be held September 29th
aud 30th, 1915. General Thomas c.
Fletcher, of Missouri, was elected era
tor Of the Society, which then ad-
journed ta participate in the ceremOn-
les of unveIling the Lincoln statue al
Oak Ridge Cemetery The procession
began TO form st II A. ~, Governor
Beverage acting as Grand Marshal
President Grant, with Secretary Bel
knap, occupied carriage st the head
of the procession, preceded by the mil
itary band from Newport barracks,
and escorted by the Governors guard
and q military organic alton of this
city as guard of honor. Next came
Rev. DR.. Hall, an old friend of Presi-
dent Lincoln, and Bishop Waymsn
(eoIored,) and In other carriages were
members OF the Lincoln Monument
Association Then followed carriage
in which was Robert I. Lincoln, only
surviving 500 Of the deceased Presi-
dent, Mrs. L. L. Smith, sister of Mrs.
I Lincoln, and other relatives. Mrs.
Lincoln was unable to be present, as
she is quite III at her residence in Chi
czgo. Ia other carriages rode Vice
President Wilson, with Secretary, F.
Powell Cafst5n, "a. r, aud w. q.
Fisher, NJ. T., of England. Generals
Mcdowell and Custar, and Hon. j. K.
Dubois, with Mrs. Grant and Mrs.
Governor Bsveridge. General Sher-
man marched on foot at the head of
the Society OF the Army of the Ten
nessee, and following them was long
array OF military and civic societies.
The procession arrived &c the eame-
terry at P. NJ. Not less than 20 600
persons were present. After the play
ing OF the dead march by the band,
Bishop Wayman made q fervent and
eloquent prayer, and q choir of singers
chanted, Z" With malice toaOdrd none,
nth charity for AL" Hon. Jesse K.
Dubois tnen read historical sketch
of the Lincoln Monument Association
and the result of its labors, concluding
AS follows: "By the liberal contribu-
ti0ns OF q grateful nation, we have
oeen enabled to provide q suitable
pl ace for the remains of one OF the wis
est and purest men known to our ma
tiOnal history there may he rest in
peace.H Tue statue was then unVeil-
ed, and Senator r. G.. Oglesby deiiv-
cred an eloquent tribute TO the mem
DRY of the dead President, giving a
faithful sketch of his public life and
services TO the country, noting the
most striking events of his adminis-
tration Of the affairs Of the nation, and
concluding as follows: "If history
shall become ungrateful aud moral OBJ
legations cease to respond TO the calls
Oi the justness in that race which he
was born, his fame will still be left
Another race OF 1000, 600 souls with
their countless descendants of free born
children, holding his memory in pre-
ciOus reverence, will sing anthems of
praise aud gratitude to his name for
ever. the commencement of his Sec
ond term as President of the United
States, and the close of the rebellion
came closely together. lido not know
that this time or place is fitting for an
examination of the course likely To
have been taken by him or the ques-
tion of what is now known as recon-
struction. It Is trus to say, from the
great hold he had upon the hearts of
the people and the great confidence
they had in him, any plan maturely
considered and seriously put forward
Oy Lincoln, would have met with IA
vor, and 1t probably would have been
adopted by the people. He was q
mercIful and forgiving man. He
promptly ratified the generous terms
of the surrender. His proclamation
of pardon OF December, 1883, granted
with it the restoration of all property
rights, the right to vote to all with
certain specified exceptions, and who
mad been in rebellion, and who should
subscribe to an oath to support the
Constitution Of the United States aud
the Union hereunder, and faithfully
abide by and support all the acts of
Congress and the proclamations Ofthe
President having reference to slaves.
This, IL must be remembered, was
during the war, but now that peace
had come by the surrender, and not
by compromise, as in 1861, the rebel
lion had released him from the policy
of leaving slavery to the States, and
in time for him to move forward to
emancipation. So in 1865 compulso.
ry submission would have released
him from the terms proposed in 1858,
and permitted him to move forward
to higher and broader grounds. In
addition to the great facts, that the
circumstances Of the white and color
ed population had at the cl Jse of the
war entirely changed, and the
glimpses on several occasions given
of the purpose on his part to favor a
most enlightened and liberal policy
to all, so as to reunite the country on
just aAd enduring basis, stood the
great fact that in 1881 ne had said he
had rather be assassInated than sur
render the sentiment in the Declara-
ton Of Independence that all men are
created equal. II Is not likely at the
close OF the contest in which that
principle had been saved and for
the first time applied to the whole
country, he would have favored any
plan which would deny to either, To
those who had laid down their arms,
or those who had used them in its
preservation the fullest right COM
piled and covered by the broad declA-
ration that sit men are equsi. Who
shall forget that memorable scene in
Richmond, which ought to be cherish
ed and perpetusted forever as part of
the history Of the closing days of the
unhappy strife, where a great and
good man, his heart swelling with
modest pride, leading his little son by
the hand through the deserted streets
of the once proud Capital of Treason,
and beholiing Once more the
flag of his country in place
of a strange and usurping one, re-
stored to its rightful dominion over
an undivided Union, grateful to Al
mighty God that in his own good time,
peace had returned to divided and
sorrowing people, cheered by hope Of
long future OF happiness and pros
perity to the country, gave assurance
to the remaining few Of those who
were but yesterday arrayed against
the flag, offered forgiveness aud an
early restoration to all the rights In
the old Government, aud to the hum
BILE and long oppressed, rescued from
a servitude dishoDorable alike to hu-
manity aud to that flag of freedom
and citiz -nship in this great Republic
fnever. Who shall measure the use
fulness of the life of such man, and
who shall hope to do his memory
Justice? Come what may, whether q
Republic grounded on the immovable
foundations Of justice and freedom de-
served after long experience of human
happiness with the best of human
governments, or whether g Republic
torn into factions and rent by the mad
ambition of men, this monument IS
an enduring testimony of humble
life and the shining example OF the
great citizen and martyr, will stand as
an illumination to all men OF every
cline, nationality and condition, who.
in searcn of the highest aims and
loftiest purposes Of life, shall come to
this fountain for inspiration and hope.
Here the humble msy take new cour-
age, the proud learn humility, the
ambitious that the true way to great
ness lies through industry, Integrity,
and patriotism, and all men that are
only truly good can be truly great. In
no other country under the sun could
the obscure boy have found his way
through the long succession of mys-