The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-05-30
DECORATION DAY.
The Societies in Procession and
the Line of March.
The Ceremonies and Grafton at Spring
Grove Cemetery.

The Ceremonies and Grafton at Spring
Grove Cemetery.
The ceremony of decorating the graves of
the fallen heroes now resting in Spring
Grove Cemetery, that beautiful city of the
dead, was held to-day as usual. The schools
and all the public Offices were closed.
There was no session of the Police Court,
County Courts, County Commissioners or
Chamber of Commerce.
BY order of the Postmaster General, the
Post-office was closed after 10 a. m. The
Money Order and Registry Departments
transacted no business, except that regis.
tered letters we're delivered between and
10 O'Clock q. m. The letter-carriers made
one round in the morning for gathering
and delivering letters.
Market Master Quinlan and his assistants
collected large quantity OF flowers from
the florists in Court-street Market yester
day, to be used in decorating the soldiers
graves. and he doubled the amount bv gifts
from dealers in flowers in Sixth-street Mar
ket this morning.
The line of march was as follows: Wes
on Eighth to Central avenue, south to Sev
enth, west to Mound, north to Court, cas-
to Central avenue, north to Twelfth, cas-
to Vine, south to Eighth, east to Walnut
south to Fourth, west to Plum, and thence
south to NJ. & c. Railroad Depot in time tc
take the 10 o'clock train for Spring Grov,
Cemetery.
The societies started from Eighth stree
at s:45 O clock in the following order:
GRAND MARSHAL AND STAFF.
Grand Marshal-Joseph L. Gaul.
Assistants-Major b. p. Conrad, J. w
Morgan, Michael Hummer. August Hess
B. F. Hopkins, Colonel Mccormick, ii
Reid, Colonel Eaton, of Covington, Golone
Lee Hawthorne. of Newport, j.: l.. Murray
Robert Bell, Dennis Ennis Harry Hay
ward and Major NJ L. Hawkins.
Surgeon-A. L. Carrick.
Detail of police, three companies ane
band, Captain Lew. Wilson commanding.
| Companies A, F and II, First Regimen
Ohio National Guards with band, Col. G. b
Hunt commanding.
Covington Light Guards with band.
S. & S. NJ. A, of Newport with band.
| S. Il S. NJ. A. of Covington.
| Colored Ex-S. & S. N. A.
| Fifth, Sixth, Ninth, Tenth and Twenty
eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry with band
| Cincinnati Fire Department, Chief JOS
| Bunker, commanding.
| Highland Chief" with thirty girls.
| Carriages with distinguished citizens ant
carriages with ladies'
| After the Societies reached Spring Grov,
Cemetery, the following exercises were con
ducted:
Song-"Decoration Day" composed b,
B. c. True, Esq. Tune, Sweet By ant
| By"
Prayer-Rev. John H. Ely.
| Music-Dirgs by the 0. N. G. Band, A
Brand, leader.
Oration-Judge J. B. Foraker.
JUDGE FoRAKER's GRAFTON.
LADIES AND GENTLEMES-The ceremony il
which we are engaged here to-day is at once mos
beautiful and sublimely impressive Not 80 mucf
| SO. however, because it is tribute of honor anC
affection, as because it is the expression OF senti
ment
lished it was, most unfortunately with skeleton
| in the closet The boasted land of the free wa
| but half free. The organic law of the countr,
recognized, protected and provided for human
slavery, an institution which, in the very nature
OF things, was necessarily at fatal war from tht
very outset, with that central idea of liberty anC
equality which constituted the genius of Ameri
can institutions as designed by Washington anc
| the fathers. The irrepressible conflict that en-
sued was an inevitable result.
| Under the nyigorating influence OF the free in
stitutions of the Northern states, where persona
effort and personal labor were not only respected
| but encouraged as alike honorable 10 all classes
| the result was industry enterprise, material de
yelopment and growth OF population in mos
extraordinary degree. On the other hand it wa!
different in the south There, under the banefu
influences OF slavery ban was put upon labor
enterprise and industry languished. Growth ant
| development OF every character were retarded
and II soon became apparent to all that in tn
race OF the sections that was being run the Soutl
would fall behind, and that it was but question
Of time when that section must lose control @
national affairs,
Foreseeing this event, and fearing for the ,aiet
and perpctuty OF slavery, to the evils OF whic
they had become blinded and 10 which, from &c
uCation, and use, and enjoyment, they had bt
come attached the sagacious statesmen of tn
South early set about deyising plan whereb
they could fortify themselves against the expecte
results. The plan agreed upon was. if not the il
vention, at least the reyamping of the extrem
doctrine ofState rights-a plan, the announceme1
and promulgation OF which at once poisoned tn
politics of the whole nation, and corrupted into
glazing and wicked heresy the craftsmanship
the South. 1t was the seed sown that was 10 gro
and ripen into the rebellion, and bring us at il
legitimate harvest that storm of battle, and wa
and blood, and death, that was visited upon u
The theory OF our government as taught Iv tn
doctrine, was asubotdination OF the national ide,
| According 10 tive were not nation OF ALL but
mere league or coniederacy of States, each
nation in itself; and the Constitution of the gref
United States of America was nothing more than
kind of cO-partnership agreement, 10 be termina
ed at any time at the will OF any party thereto
| theory, when stripped of all verbiage and reduce
TO It's substance and marrow, and given that prat
tical application designed for il, that meant neitr
| er more nor les than that the States OF the Sout
| proposed to remain in the Union so long as the
| could maintain their supremacy and control il
and when they could no longer so remain, the
wouldn't remain at ALL but they would 90 out an
| break us up and destroy Us from among the na
tons of the earth. And all this it was claimed
| impudently contended that there was not only n
power in the Constitution to preserve the Consti
luton, but that the power was actually LODGED
| therein for its own destruction A doctrine tina
| at once put an end to all idea of permanency ant
| power for good in our institutions by subjectin
| us to constant liability to dsmemberment AM
| ruin. theory OF government 50 disastrous in al
its consequences TO every substantial interest o
this great people. that in the light OF subseouen
| events ii is almost impossible for us TO realize i
was ever seriously insisted upon by intelligen
men. For as we now look back upon that time
| with a vision unohstructed by the circumstance
| that day, we can see it only as the great erin
against government that it was: we can see
only as crime broaght into requisiton to sub
serve the inter ess and purposes OF the curse ant
crime OF slavery, and that, most naturally of al
things IN the world it eliminated in the Treason
and rebellion of 1861; the greatest crime agains
government of the nineteenth century.
But the danger which we failed TO properly II
cognize and apprec ate, while it appeared merel
in the debates OF that time, we were suddenl
brought TO a full comprehension Of
| Abraham Lincoln was elected President of til
United States. There was no pretense that an
section of the country, any individual ever
would be interfered with in the enjOyment of an
right or privilege guaranteed under the Consttl
ton and the laws OF the land. But that did nt
matter; the CALLING TACT still remained that tn
control Of The government had passed out of tn
hands of the South The North had gained o
tendency in national affairs, and was likely
maintain it, and that was enough. The chivalric {
sons OF the South wouldn't submit to any sue
outrage as that The time against which the col
spirators had plotted was come. A practical a