The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-05-31

+ Of Force and Necessity were suspended
I All depended on your soldiers, living and
. dead. IL they failed, o long farewell tC
r free government They took your laws un.
der the starry folds Of the old flag and
, hedged them round with bristling bayo,
0 nets; and when the war was over they
F. sent those laws back 10 you, stained with
!. their blood and the blood Of your enc.
mics! Take this constitution and these
I laws now In your keeping. Its easy TO
! defend and execute them with tongue and
} pen-much easier, think, than It was for
: your soldiers to preserve them at the cost
Of near half q million lives The sky Is
all radiant with peace. Learning and
wisdom and justice may now protect you
and yours under wise administration OF
government. And yet you owe all this
and more than the flaming tongues OF ora.
tors and poets can ever tell to the courage
OF your soldiers. Let men praise the
sages who made these laws, and boundless
be the eulogy Of the genius and learning
OF the men who ordained them Of
old, but let II be inscribed in letters Of liv-
ing light, on the broad arches Of the skies,
"fonr soldiers preserved your Laws"
All honor 10 the brave men, living and
dead, who barred their breasts 10 the storm
Of battle, and amid the flame and fire OF
war proclaimed their devotion to the Con-
stitution and Laws Of the United States.
And here as well as anywhere else may 1t
he proclaimed as the close Of the first cen.
tury Of American nationality, and at the
tomb ot her glorious dead, that among all
the bright immortal names that will live
forever Is that of General Grant-tried
faithful and true to the end. | speak not
as partisan to-day. The conflict OF par
tisanship, the bitter and ugly strife be-
tween parties, has no place on your pro-
gramme, and at these graves we are met
not to wrangle for place and power, but
rather to forget all else but that we are
American citizens. But | may pause to
speak one word forhim whom all the ages
coming will lift up their hands to bless.
When the next Centennial drum shall
roll we shall sleep in death. Then, dear
comrades, shall come around our graves
generations yet unborn. Then shall glad
and grateful posterity strew our graves
with flowers as We to-day strew flow ers
upon our comrades graves. Then lot our
prayer be that these States may still be one,
in perpetualIIn Inion "a union not cemented BY
bayo aets, but bound together by commu-
nifty OF interests, hopes and fears, which |
can only be broken by "the wreck Of mat
ter and the crush OF worlds" A Union
radiant with peace and fraternity endless
and unchangable as everlasting hills and
mountains OF circling seas. i
"The land OF the forest and the rock u
q dark blue lake and mighty river,
~ mountain reared alolt 70 mock
ne storms career and lIghtnlng'S shock
Ayown green land forever"
0, II these holy dead could rise from
their dreamless sleep to-day and walk
abroad in the land once more, what would
be their first inquiry Of any one they
met? Would they ask: Have you for.
gotten us2 What monuments have you
built above our tombs, and how often and
how often and how regretfully have you
visited them? Have you celebrated our
deaths in song and story, on marble col.
umns and glowing canvas?
No, not word OF the kind. The last
thought that lay in their minds as they
struggled in death would be the first
thought on resurrection from the grave:
"What-what," they would eagerly in.
quire, 'what have you done for our wives
and helpless childrenT
o, with what grateful hearts would they
learn that grateful Republic had cared
ior the wives and orphans OF them who
had fallen in battle? Then, It seems to
me they would uncomplainingly and hap
py, go back TO the gloom OF the grave to
await the buge OF final re surrection. Let
US go down from these graves to-day with
an increased veneration for the sacred
dead whose graves our tears and flowers
to-day have adorned: but lot US not forget
TO cherish the kindest thoughts for the
living soldiers, and the orphans OF the
dead. Let US take from these graves an
inspiration that shall make us ali the more
worthy OF the priceless sacrifice they made
for us. Let US not forget as we listen to
the music that sweeps down TO our ears
from the tall branches Of the mysteri,
Gus tree of life that its roots arc
down among the bones Of our nndSed.
lifts branches wave in beauty It Is be.
cause the waters OF the sacred well
Of patriotism are poured about its roots
down in the kingdom oil death, where
dwell our lovely dead. The past, the
present, and the future, sit close together
about its roots down in the sunless empire
OF the grave, and from the holy well Of
sacred thoughts and immortal hopes
water its roots, making its branches to
spread out into all the world and into all
times, and causing leaves to grow for the
healing OF all nations. And above all let
US go down from this mount of ordinances
profoundly impressed with the grandeur
Of the cause for which our HEROES surrend-
cred their lives. That cause was III pre-.
seryation OF the American Union, pure
and simple; the perpetuation Of freedom,
equality and nationality: It was for this
they died. 1t was not for mere senti.
menL Not for glory as men who fight for
conquest. No, no, il was that this Gov
ernment might not perish. That vas the
issue in our war-Governmen or An
arch, Union or Disun!on, and those brave
mon died that the Union might not be
dissolved, that the Government, the Con-
gtitptjon OF the United States might still
assert its authority FROM ecean 10 ocean,
They have died In vain II tho Federal
Government Is not yet supreme, The |
blood they spilled is all lost II the Federal
arm is not still armed with sword that can
and will enforce the mandates OF the Fed.
eral Government without let or orhindrance
from sea to sea. This nation Is one and |
not two, nor thirty-eight, it is one and
ono only, and II the government 70 which |
these men died Is not above evory State
government then has the blood Of these
men been poured out in vain, all in vain.
Let US cherish the idea OF American
unity, and of the onimipotent sway OF
federal power whenever federal power is
needed TO guarantee to all the citizens OF
this great nation the full and equal privi- |
logos Of citizens Of the pnited States. This |
is a Nation, not q Oonfederapy Of StatGs.
It is ono and supreme, as England, or
Prussia or Russia, one great and mighty
nation, whose laws and Constitution arc
to be enforced forall by the power OF all,
on every inch OF American territory, ire.
spective Of State, or county, or township
Wo Lave but one flag, one Constitution,
one Union and one lation. All who
dwell within its limits must respect and
obey its laws. Its authority extends to the
protection in tho enjoyment OF all their