Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1878-06-08

equipped in Western Maryland
and that company and that regiment
did their duty is evidenced by the
fact that we are here today to do hon
or to the memory of those of its num-
ber who lie buried here, and the
names Of these brave men are:
CRADDocK THOMAS, WILLIAM ANTHONY,
EDWARD GARDNER, BRECEAN THOMAS,
PETER MCKINLEY, WILLIAM PHILLIPs,
WILLIAM BUCKLE, ELISHA G. COLEMAN,
JOSEPH H. COLEMAN, NELL AYERS,
JOSEPH THOMAS, RoBT. THOMPSON, ST.,
RossER PAPPs.
Of this number JOSEPH THOMAS
and ROBERT THOMPSON, already past
the meridian Of life, enthused by pa
triotism, enlisted and served through
the war. RossER PAPps was among
those who first entered Richmond and
dealt the death blow to the rebellion.
NELL AYERS entered the army as a
three months man, afterward for three
years, and again until the termination
Of the war, and from sickness contract
ed in the service he died four days af-
ter his return home, before he could
realize the benefit he with others had
conferred on his fellow citizens, or re-
ceive the thanks of the nation.
1t was necessary that we should
have a war There were certain i'm
perfections and evils existing in our
government which the growing en-
ightenment Of our people could not
always tolerate. They were not mere
blemishes resting upon the surface
which might be easily removed by To-
cal application they entered into the
body-into the very life of the govern
ment. They formed constituent parts
of our institutions, and nothing but
the hot crucible OF war could purge
them away.
When our fathers struck for politi-
cal liberty they also aimed at civil
liberty. The same inspired instru-
ment in which they declared their
right to assume a separate and equal
station among the powers Of the earth,
also asserted that all men were crea-
ted equal, and endowed with the inal-
ienable rights of life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness. But having
gained the nominal blessing of politi-
cal liberty or national independence,
they made that their pride and boast,
and assigned to the inalienable and
priceless boon Of civil liberty, or snaS-
vldual freedom, a secondary and limit
ed place. 1t followed that, notwith-
standing the adoption of a constitu-
ton in order to form a more perfect
union and secure the blessings Of lib.
erty," the doctrine OF idea of separate
nationalities continued to be placed in
the foreground, extending with its in
creasing power and scope to the COM
monwealths Of the Union, and assum-
ing the name of State Sovereignty,
while the nearer and dearer principle
Of personal liberty or freedom was
forced into the background, prescribed
and narrowed in its application, with
its divinity taken away from it and
given to slavery.
These tendencies were calculated to
destroy both the Federal government
and liberty in America. In fact, this
deplorable result had been more near
ly reached than many Of US We're vii
ling to admit. Freedom was so far
gone in one part Of the country that
its name could not be mentioned save
at the risk OF life. If citizen from
the free North dared to name the
name Of Freedom in the South his life
might pay the penalty, and the gen.
eral government could not save him,
or bring his murderers to justice. A
government that cannot enforce re-
spect at home-that is too feeble to
protect the lives Of its citizens under
its own flag, can have little to distin-
guish it from anarchy, and nothing to
entitle it to the respect OF the world.
The firing upon Sumpter, thel efore,
was no sudden outbreak against the
national authority it was only new
step toward long pursued end. The
elements Of destruction had reached
that point by steady progress and,
while its new and revolutionary as
pect awakened the nation to a sense
OF imminent danger, it was none the
less connected in it's natural order
with a long line of events running
back through many years. The war
commenced when the government