Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1879-06-10
JUNE
4 DEAD SENATOR.

remarks. leads one 10 believe that he had
changed his residence from Maine TO
South Carolina, and that the orator of
the dav was a Confederate Bugadier.
The speech is not only notable for It's dis
union sentiments, but for is inconSlst-
ency.
He opened by referring to the Swiss
household troops Of Louis NJ, and the
heroes Of LuceTne, who, 20 use the
speaker words,
"Died for duty, for their honor'> sake,
for their sacred oath, and 10 was held
worthy of manhood. worthy of sacred
Keeping worthy of tears; tears OF men
and women, tears of love, Of pride, OF the
soul"
Then follow the epitaphs Of the Spar
tanS who fell a, ThermOpyla. I'm obedi-
ence 10 the laws" he quotes their cpl
taphs. comments upon their hcroism, and
the motives which led them to death. and
then delivers the following remarkable
passages:
Now % come 90 ourselves, comrades. or
rather 70 those whose memories We fresh
en- today with these bright cmblcmS OF re-
turning Spring, when every thing that
seemed buried. walks forth in new and
bcauteou> life, they too, the dear and uu-
forgotten. whose bodies now are dust but
whose spirits appear and rise before me
and swell this vast assembly 90 numbers
and 90 majesty You with mortal eyes cam
not see. To what cause have their lives
been given. and % what cause are ours
pledged:
Il was popularity OF our war that We
were lighting FOR an idea. am not aware
that the material interests OF the North
were seriously threatened by the secession
of the Southern States. We were not
fighting for our own selfish interests. nor
for our dearest interests. our homes were
not invaded our peace was not broken.
Some wars have been for the love and de-
fence OF Father,and; for the sacred a>>o-
Citations of kindred and friendship. \
common toll and common love make
even the sod under foot dear and sacred 90
the heart But nobody sought 90 drive Us
from our homes. No strangers threatened
10 violate our >auCtitlc>. 90 insult the Nv
iug or the dead. some wars. too, have
been fought for liberty, aS men >ay,-to
throw OF the yoke OF an opprcSSor who
for his own selfish pleasure. seeks 20 de-
spoil men and women OF their property,
their honor, their peace, their freedom OF
act and thought. Those who suffer and
die In such 81 cause are held In lasting hon
or iu an lands and iu AN time, wherever
mems hearts beat true. such were Hamp-
ton and Eliot, for instance, in England, in
the seventeenth century. such jon the
"a ff
Revolution. But now, comrades, We were
not lighting for personal or civil rights. for
life and liberty, security I'm our possessions
and pursuits equality before the .awwhich
wccan our civil rights What was 10 then:
~, .-,re .fyttiHg oH % purely political qu.S-
ZION, question ~ politics
While commencing the motives which
led foreigners Of unknown reputation and
perhaps questionable heroism-thoSe who
died for "their word of honor. he seems
70 beli,tle his own comrades in arms and
the cause for which they fell. by saving
it was "a question Of politics. But
lest this implication should not be strong
enough to convey his meaning, he further
relates the following;
There is another epitaph comrades.
which I had not before known of until
day or two since. when I saw IL In one of
your city papers. An old Imam i'm Virginia,
gathering up the remnant len him after
the rayageS Of war, and settling himself
- best he could into the accepted situation,
raised q simple monument OF stone. ON the
one side of which was inscribed, TO the
sacred memory OF my eldest boy. who fell
fighting for the stars and stripes" on the
other side OF the stone was written, To
the sacred memory OF my Youngest boy,
who fen fighting for the lost cause" and
on the third OF the four faces there was
written, God only knows which was
right. Winch o. the bays 'rgS righ', cod
iHd,ej ,ltot-S, and bs ALONE
Wen, there Is no installing that senti-
mcnt Gen. Chamberlain plainly says he
went into the South, rayaged homes,
burned the country and killed the people,
and vet ne Is not sure whether or not ne
was doing right. 4 man who skulked
q, home, or who fed TO a foreign country,
Is preferable 10 one who viii engage IN
al the horrors Of battle, and then return
Inc. say God only knows which was
right Nothing but the most positive
convictions Of being on the right side,
could warrant or justify q man in taking
another's hte-much less command the
destruction Of hundreds. God knows
we .rsre right, would be more suitable
language for an eX-army officer That Is
the language which members Of the
Southern army use, today, and if they,
defeated, are SO certain Of the justice of
their cause, how should the victorious
regard theirs; Does not God always fight
for the right. and make It triumphant:
There never was q time and there never
VIII be a time in the history of this coun-
Try, when soldiers or citizens Of the North
viii allow a shadow Of doubt 70 be cast
upon the integrity Of the cause for which
so many lives were sacrificed and so many
heroes manned Even a man who did
so noble service for that cause as Gen.
Chamberlain, VIII not be allowed to ques-
ton the motives of his comrades, unchal-
lenged.
Il is impossible 10 conceive the object
Gen. c. could have in taking the course
he has taken-this year above all others.
Two years ago the false spirit OF ICON
citation" stalked abroad, and those for
merly rebels were admitted to take places
of trust. Today we see sentiment cast
by for true patriotism-not for babyish
emotion of jealousy because the South Is
again coming into power, as General c.