The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1878-07-11
KEN0sHA WISCONSIN, THURSDAY, JULY H. 1878.

IN tyranny and gave birth TO the III
FAINT Republic.
The war of the Rebellion, surprising
the former in moral grandeur, swept
from the fair face Of the Western
Continent the. scourge which had
cursed our beloved land for hundred
years, and put the certificate of citi-
zenship in the hands Of 100000 of
the down-trodden and oppressed. / am
aware. that it may be said that it is
easy foT those who have never faced
the batteries of a relentless foe, to eu-
logiZe the blessings Of war. ta-
But | venture to say that there is
not one here-there is not one of the
millions who unite in These commem-
orative services to-day, who, though
he has already drunk to the very dregs
of this bitter cup, if the nations life
were again in peril, would not fly once
more to arms, and millions more would
join the marshalled hosts to smite
down the sacriligious arm that would
dare to sully the virgin purity Of the
dear oldfag.
Iknow I do not assume too much in
saying this, when l recall the noble
spirit manifested by our wounded
heroes In the hospitals while the war
was in progress.
We desire then here and now to
bear this testimony to their honor.
All honor to the Grand Army of the
Republic. Their names are inscribed
on the scroll of fame; and though the
material monument may .crumble to
dust, though they may pass from the
scenes Of men, and their names even
be forgotten, their deeds Of yaloc, their
,sufferings for their country's cause,
theirInoble self-sacrifce, shall live en-
balmed in the memory Of the ages
yea, SO long as the sun and the moon
endure-eyen for ever and ever.
No. no, it is no meaningless service
this. For here our spirits pass under
the purple tide which flowed from the
WOUNDS Of the noble defenders Of the
Republic, and here we get q baptism
which serves to arm us with q degree
Of fortitude which fits us to be worthy
representatives Of those principles
which were crowned with triumph on
the field Of battle. And now as we
connect the blessings which flow in
upon us from ten thousand varied
sources in the land with the long and
|sanguinary struggle to preserve them
for us, we realize somewhat the obli-
cations under which we are placed to-
day.
It is debt then that we owe to a
delivered nation thus to commemorate
the lofty deeds Of the illustrious dead.
u We need to have our minds called
to the sacrifice and sufferings endured
by the fathers in the Revolution; but
|above all, to the greater agonies expe-
rienced by the sons in protecting the
nations heart from the fratricidal
hanu of treason.
And remembering the perils through
which the nation has passed, and the
position it now holds among the ma
tionalities of the globe, we must turn
to it as to our foster-mother, and anew
avoW our allegiance to the principles
which underlie her deep and broad
foundations.
Dwelling beneath the agis of lib
erty we are guarded as by 10000 mon
ltors in our pursuit of the arts of
peace. The flag Of the Union, once
dlsgraced and dishonored, now waves
proudly over us as the recognized ban
ner Of the Republic: as the emblem of
victory, the symbol of power moral
and practical which has challenged
the honor and respect of all crowned
heads in Europe.
Yes, this is our own, our native
land.
"The land Of the free. and the home of the
brave"
We owe debt to those who having
gone down into the battle, returned
manned and wounded, and some Of
them are with us to-day.
In the full vigor Of manhood, en-
gagged in lucrative employments, and
surrounded by all that was calculated
to render life blessing and a JOY,
L n 4