Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-06-02

without their shields but alas ,Io. hn,,
many came upon Them. What hrart.orhino
soul-trvinp times those wcrre
But tdarkestandmo.ttr ing of oll was tho t,ct
that our arms were not succeeding. Bull Run
and the Pcninsular tell the story. The friend.
of freedom again began to look pale What
did it all mean: The str.nath which fine .l,vn
power had attained was absolutely amn1inr
Traitors and dc>pots. whether North ar Snuth
in this country, or in other countries. great
or small, conspicuons or obscure hnuon IA
smile for very pladness. What couId he
done. An, strange that all could mot see os
some did Human slavery was the chostl,.
skeleton in the national household This wa,
the gigantic Jonah on hoard th, shin ot stare
God could not smile upon a nation that in
any remOtcst way countcnnncrd Such a sin
The Almighty did. rs il were. Law his arrest
in.s hand on the sboulder of mi. nation and
with the other pointcd 10 tbi, plavu..snot of
inhumanity. TO this malignant cancer Of corr.
ruption. and said. "DDftL;s oron m, die -,
Our martvred Lincoln had ..eorS In Leu, -
and in the name Of thi, government he nro.
claimed liberty TO all the captiyes in our bor
dcr>.
The marrow of the bone of contention was
now touched. Jpon our banner now no long
cr Il self contradiction. upnn our olnrions
flag cleanscd from its stain. yictory bronn tn
perch. The tide of war began TO set in ta-
vor OF liberty. We called the freeing Of the
slaves military necessity. So il wns hut il
was in the sublimcst sense a ,tioJ me-
cessitv. The uucstion of slavery which hotb
it, friend, and foes profoundly made second
arv the Most Iigh broupht to thc tront and
made conspicuouslv the first and chief #
was decision on This ouestion concerning a
strong mans right to opprc>s his weak broth
cr, that the first gun ON Morris Island called
for and voted yea. 1t was on this question
that the yeas and navs flew thick and fast on
hundreds of battlefclds and for thn snocr ot
four long sad wears. do not sav that other
questions concerning human RELATIONS did NOT
cluster around this crowninr one admin
they did. But the above named was the main
question. and the decision of that WAS the de-
cision of all the others
The final deciding vote was cast at Aunn-
mattox Court House. when the second or,,t-
est man in history took the sword of the van
quijhcd foe.
And what shall | say of those four lono
bloody wears of war; will say nothing but
this: they were the Gethse,inre Of oa, Dn
tloa. IL, ,rhieb ii sDfersd unfoiI 0DovjsL o,J
sreot ipnpn,era5ie dtoDs of bjood
But the result was rlorjous. That Victory
negative To human bondage and by imulica-
ton to every shade of human oppression. and
its JOYOUS echo went hurryinr even to the
breathing pines of Maine and to the golden rntr
of the Pacific coast. Nav. il knows no bounds
but the civilized world. 1t went everywhere
to say to all that the dream of liberty towards
which humanity had been faintly struuulino
for thousands Of wears. had at lcnrtb blns-
somcd out into reality. The downtrodden of
every land, too weak to assert their manhood
lifted their dropping ewes 70 America and
said. there wonder is one SPOT ON earth,
thank God. where am Acknowledged to be
a man-whcre nv right, before the law are
equal to any Other man',-wherc nv irno-
rance and weakness are not Il pretcN for nv
stronger fellows to reduce me To a condition
of ,cryility.
Ii was to make America such a plncc A.
this that onr soldier, died. They died to r.,
verse the Dread Scott decision. and saw that
the black man has rights that the white man
is JoHad TO tespect. and that the clause in
our Constitution that saws. .tll men are
created free and equal" means lust thar and
nothing else. They died to sav thnt mnn
shall not Law ii violent hand upon womon's
chastity. They died to saw that man shall
not break the marriage tie for cold that one
shall not for any preteXt crush the love of
father or mother for their offspring. or thr
love of child for father or mother. They died
to say that no man shall stav any other in
the pursuit of happiness. or law 50 much
as a finger upon single fibre Of his Ifs.
They died to say that the strong man shall
not Cypress the weak because he ran. thar fine
wise shall not over-rcach the ignorant he
cause he can. that the rich shall NOT Grind
the poor because he can. They died to saw
that all the relations among men shall he
lust what God has made them. They died
to enforce that rova law of heaven. ..ThoU
shdH lore thu neighjor asfhuseIf"
Comrades and friends. will YOU measure
the glory of this. their achicycmrntg WIN
vou tell me how much it is worth to Won. to-
night? VIII vou tell me how much il i
worth to the nation and To the worldY
When Nelson was entering one of hi, fa-
nous naval engagements he nailed TO the
masthead of his ship, this motto. IJcstD,iu-
stei .46deU, or Ttctoty." bv which he meant
II will have place among the illu,trious
dead of my country or place among her
living heroes" The motto of the Union
soldier. as he went forth to war. was .fgv0I
rights to all WhO are cniied men. o., q 0,uyr
IN american soH" And | dare osay that the
soldier who died fighting for this sacred
principle occupies higher place in honest
fame than the highest hero of Great Britain.
There is not "A soldier burirl in Wn.tn,;us