The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1880-08-20

His Speech i'm New X0rIk-A Glowing
Exposition OF the Grand Ideas for
which We Fought UOHn the ne"
beIIiOn.
COMRADES, AMI BOYS IN BLUE, AND FELLOW
CITIZENS OF New YORK cannot look upon
this great assemblage and these old veterans
that have marched past us, and listen to the
welcome from our comrade who has just
spoken, without remembering how great a
thing it is to live in this Union and be part of
it. This is New York, and yonder, toward the
Battery, more than 100 years ago, young stu
dent Of Columbia College was arguing the ideas
of the American Revolution and American
Union against an American loyalty to the mon
archy of his college President and professors.
By-and-by he went to the patriot army, was
placed on tie staff of Washington, to fight the
battles Of his country, and while in camp, be-
fore he was q wears old, upon drumhead he
wrote aletter which contained every germ of the
constitution Of the United States. Ihst student,
goidier, statesman, and great leader OF thought,
Alexander Hamilton, of New York, made this
republic glorious by his thinking and left his
lasting inpressionupon New York, the foremost
State of the Union, and here on this island, the
scene Oh his early tIltllpHss We 30 etcNo W
night soldiers of a new war representing the
same ideas of union and glory, and adding to
the column of the monument that Hamilton and
WASHINGTON and the heroes of the Revolution
re red Gentlemen IDEAS outliye men. Ideas
Outlive all things and those who fought in the
war for the Union fought for immortal ideas,
and by their might you crowned onr war with
victory p But victory was worth nothing, except
for the fruits that were under it, in it; and above
it. We ought tonight as veterans and COM
rades to stand sacred guards around the truths
for which we fought, and, while we have life to
meet and grasp the hand of o comradc, we will
stand by the great truths Of the war. And,
comrades among the connections of that war
which have sunk deep In our hearts there are
some We can never forget. Think of the great
elevating spirit Of the war Itself. We gathered
boys from all of our farms and.Bhops and
schools and homes from all over the republic;
then they went forth unknown to fame, but re-
turned enrolled on the roster immortal he
roes. They went in the spirit of those
soldiers Of Henry at Agincourt, of whom
it is said "Who this day sheds his blood
with me, to-day shall be my brother. Were he
meier so vile, this day shall gentle his con-
dition.9 And it did gentle the condition and
elevate the heart of every working soldier who
fought in it. And he shall be our brother for
ever more and we will remember our allies who
fought with us. Soon after the great struggle
began we looked behind the army of white
rebels and saw 1000, 900 of black people CON
demned to toll as slaves for our enemies. and
we found that the hearts of these 1000, 600
were God-inspired with the srirt OF liberty, and
that they were our friends We have seen white
men betray the flag and fight to kill the Union,
but in all that long and dreary war we never
saw traitor in black skin. Our prisoners es-
Gaping from the starvation of prison. fleeing to
our lines by the light Of the North star, never
fea cd to enter black mans cabin and ask for
bread. [" Good. good. That's SOL In all .
that period of suffering and danger no Union
soldier was ever betrayed by black man or
woman. And now that we have made them
free so long as we live we will standby the black
citizens. We will stand by them until the sun
of liberty fixed In the armament of our consti-
tuition shall shine with equal rays upon every,
man, black or white throughout the Union.
Now, fellow-cltlZens, fellow soldiers, in all
this there is the benefcence of eternal Justice,
and by this we will stand forever The great
poet has said that in Individual life We rise ION
the stepping-stones of our dead selves to higher
things, and the republic rises on the glorious
achievements of its dead and living heroes to
higher and nobler national life. We must
stand guard over our past as soldiers, as patri-
OTIS, and over our country as the common b rit-
age of US all. thank you, felow-citizens, for
this magnificent demonstration.
In so far as / represent in my heart and life
the great doctrines for which you fought, ac-
cept tbs demonstration as a tribute to my rep
r sentative character. In the strength Of your
hands. i'll the fervor of yOur hearts, in the firm
of your faith, In all that betokens the great
ness of manhood and the nobleness of charac-
ter, the republic finds its security and glory.
do not enter upon controverted questions The
time the place, the situation forbid it. re-
spect the traditions that require Q to- speak
on Of those themes which elevate nsa all. Again
thankyou for the kindness and enthusiasm of
your greeting. 18#s}st EkA 81
Gen. GarficId's Address at Chautau.
qua-Am Eloquent Tribute to Labor.
FELLow-CiTIzENs You have done SO much
to me since arrived on this shore that l am
quite unable to tell what sort Of man am
this morning. l had never been here and
really did not know what you were doing.
Last evening / asked Mr. Vincent rather
brusquey to tell me what Chautauqua means
what your work here raeans-and he filed me
so full Of your idea that have not yet assimi-
lated it SO as be quite sure what man | am
since got hold of it ; but this see, you are
struggling with one of the two great problems
of civilization Tho first one is a very old ques-
ton, elbow shall we get lcisrcs2" That is the
object of every hammer strike, of every blow
that labor has struck since the foundation OF
the world. The fight for bread is the great
primal fight, and it is so absorbing q struggle
that, until one conqucrs to some extent he can
have no leisure. We may divide the struggles
OF the human race into two chapters first, the
fight to get leisure and second, what to do
with our leisure when we have won it. take
it that Chautauqua has assailed this second
problem, Like all blessings, leisure is a very
bad thing unless it is we'll used. The man with
q fortune ready made and with leisure on his
hands is likely to get sick Of the world sick Of
himself, tired of life, and become useless,
wasted man. What shall You do with your
buslncssT understand Chautauqtta'is trying
TO develop new energies, largeness of mind and
culture in the better sense, with the varnish
scratched off, as our friend Gov. Kirkwood
says. We,are getting over the fashion of paint
ing and vanishing our native woods We are
getting down to real grain, and finding what
ever is best and most beautiful in it, and, if
Chautauqua is helping to develop in our people
the native stuff that is in them, rather than to
give them thevarnish and gewgaws of culture,
1t Is doing we'll. Ciautauqlia, then, has filed
me with thought, and. in addition to that you
have filled me with gratitude for your kindness,
ana Tor this great spontaneous greeting in early
morning, earlier than men of leisure get M
Some of these gentlemen of the press around
me look distressed at the early rising by which
you have compelled our whole party to look at
the early sun. The greeting on the lake slope
toward the sun is very precious to me,
and thank you all. This is mixed audience
of cltizensy md will not offend the proprieties
of the occasion by discussing controverted ques-
IONS or entering upon any political discussion.
look in the faces of men of all shades of opin-
ION, but, whatever our party difficulties, trust
there Is in all this audience love of our benc-
hcent institutions which makes it possible for
free labor to earn leisure, and for institutions
to mako that leisure worth something. Our
Union and our institutions, under the blessing
Of equal laws, equal to all colors and all condi-
tons, open career for, every man. however
humble, to rise to whatever place or power tile
strong arm, the strength of clear head, and
the associations of pure heart can lift him.
That prospect ought to inspire every Young
man in this vast audience. | heard Yesterday
and last night the songs Of those who were lately
redeemed from slavety, and felt that there, too,
was one of the great triumphs of the republic.
believe in the efficiency of the forces that
come down fromsthe ages behind us and Won
dered if the tropical sun had not distilled its
sweetness, and if the sorrow of centuries OF
slavery had not distilled its sadness into verse,
which were teaching sweet voices to sing the
songs OF liberty as they sang them, wherever
they go.
thank that choir for the lesson they have
taught me here, and now, fellow citizens, thank
ing you all, good-by.