The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-06-25
The Blunders of Democracy.
Reopening OF the Bleeding Wounds-A
Thrilling Letter from Fighting Parson.
From hePortland oreconian.l

From thePortland oregonian.
The Rev. j. H. Acton, pastor of Taylor street
Methodist Episcopal Church in this city, and
editor of the Pacific Christian Advocate, pub
fishes the following invitation, which has been
received by him:
~ PoRTLAND, OREGON, May IA. 1879.
The ReU. j. H. ActOR
DEAR SIR: 1 am instructed to invite you to de-
liver discourse on the Sabbath preceding Deeora-
tion Day. in eommemoration of the services of our
fallen comrades who gave their lives for the mante-
nance of this great, free Government If consistent
we hope that you will be pleased to comply.
Very respectfully,
s. n. PIERCE,
Chairman Committee.
The following reply is made through the Ad-
vocate. Doubtless there is class of politicians
men whose hearts were not true to the coun-
try i'll her agony-who will condemn it; and
yet let it be observed that the man who re-
sponded to the call of his country, and fought
as a soldier through the war, has earned the
privilege to speak his sentiments In this in
stance they are spoken with the most thrilling
earnestness.
eve must respectfully decline Nearly
eighteen years since, at the call of the United
States Government, we took up our line of
march for the bloody fields of the South-not
large pay, and large self-appreciation; nor yet
as chaplain, to have, as many did, good,
easy, remunerative time, out of bullet range
but as private soldier in the ranks, with our
musket and knapsack. For three years we
stood picket, lay in the trenches, waded rivers,
climbed mountains, traversed swaInps, baked
our own beans-when we had any-shot at reb-
els, ana In turn made for them a target OF our
own person. We passed through many bloody
scenes and some of the most trying battles Of
the war More than once we narrowly es-
capped the bayonet, Andersonville, or Libby
We carried ammunition from the pouches of
the dying and the dead for these same com
rades whose deeds we are now called upon to
remember, and helped with our own hands to
lay scores of them in their graves. When the
war closed, we joined in the nations shout,
and hung our sword on the wall. Many of our
most valued friends were left in the South
We tried to dry the tears of stricken fathers
and mothers by reciting the heroism of their
dead, and then went back into the ranks of the
Master to pray for the fatheress and the wild
ows. But we were happy. A halo of glory
hung over these graves. We looked on the
broad acres of this great land and felt it was
enough. We had spent, as a nation, more than
S4OOO,OOO,OOO, and had sacrificed hundreds of
thousands of precious lives; but the cruel war
was over, and our enemies were ready TO accept
the situation.
To-day the men Government paid us by
the month for shooting at are our Congress-
men. -Four Senators only who serve us were
Union soldiers, while twenty were in the rebel
army. Sixty-tive rebel soldiers are in the
House. Not solitary man from all the South
who stood loyalty by the Government with his
life in his hand comes as a Representative
More than two-thirds of the whole number
were in open rebellion and under arms and
yet III SIX, If not in seven, States of the thir-
teen which rebelled the Union voters are in
the majority. The tried soldier is thrust out
The freedmen who led the way through dis
NAL swamps, found hiding places, and carried
portion OF their own scanty fare to our starv-
ing boys flying from prison-pens, who bound
up their wounds and picked the worms from
their gangrened flesh, torn by bloodhounds-
these freedmen are to-day flying from their
homes to save their lives. Insult stamps upon
the graves OF our dead in the South, and revo-
luton is complete in its violence only that a
solitary Union soldier who happens to be at the
head of the Government stands alone in the
breach
No, we cannot preach over the dead vet.
Other battles are to fight. 1t were an empty
offering. We do not wish to mock their
bleaching bones. They did not bleed and die
for few empty eulogies and handful of half
faded flowers cast upon their graves once
year. They ask bread and we give them
stone. They rot in their graves with gaping
wounds of sword and bullet and bayonet, and
the death stare of those who starved in prison.
pens yet traceable in the dust under their
cotfin-lids. We push aside their manned COM
rades to make room for the men who laughed
at their dying scream for food, and ordered
dared reach over the dead line for a half-putrid
bone, and now come in token of our apprecia-
ton with wilted flowers. How these dead
skeletons must appreciate this costless offering
God forbid we should approach their graves
until we can carry the Old Flag over land
united and free, such as they dreamed of in
their last delirium. Let other hands carry
flowers. 1t is meet that pure and lovely
maldens should do this; it is all they have.
Let them preach sermons of eulogy who
never SliVernd in the Wilderness nor haord ha
roar OF the battle above the Clouds We shall
stand in silence over the old battery We are
still on picket. The war is not over. The
distant mutter of the conflict can still be
heard. We are yet to lay other treasures away
In the grave-murdered on the altar of revolu-
ton. We cannot insult our comrades Over
their graves before the God of the nation we
have sworn allegiance to the cause for which
they died, and stand ready for the next bugle-
call; but we have never scattered flowers and
never will, until the right shall finally tri-
umph and the enemies of our common coun-
try are driven from the place of power. Let
the dead sleep, we are ashamed publicly to
speak OF their heroism in the history of to-day
They have passed beyond the stencil and cor
ruption, the flies and the maggots, the hunger
and the thirst under burning Southern suns,
and no longer ask aught of u.s.
Our heart aches; it is all q huge farce: q
righteous Indignation CONSUMES us. The Gov
eminent is heartless cruel. 1t called them to
sacrifice thousand times more terrible than
the Juggernaut, and has forgotten the pur-
chase price. The enemies who followed them
with bloodhounds now seek the life of the ma
ton and crate the principles of the rebellion in
the Senate Chamber. Nol we scorn this empty
Offering Turn out these rebelsl Tear down
their tags Send traitors where they belong,
and God will carry the flowers in the deft fin
gers of the sunshine aud the raindrop, and will
weave wreaths and garlands by the agency of
the winds and will make melody by the or
chestra Of all nature. Until then we shall
leave our harp on the willows and continue to
cry out How long, Lord, holy and true,
dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood OH
them2'v