Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-06-03
Decoration Day.

solemnlty ana decorum throughout
the entire country on Saturday. Other
nations, in the different periods of the
worlds history, have in many ways
recognized the valor and renown
which clustered around the names of
their military idols. But the adula-
ton of the populace was spent when
it had erected magnificent monuments
in bronze and marble TO the successful
generals who had won everlasting
fame at the head of victorious armies.
Caesar, Pompey, Alexander, Yelling
ton, Napoleon and Marlborough were
remembered in costly and magnificent
sepulture and imposing monuments,
while the brave lieutenants and faith
ful soldiers were forgotten or thought
of only Us necessary and unfortunate
adjuncts to the success of their mighty
chiefs. While the American people
are not forgetful of the skilled and
gallant commander, they are not OBJ
livious of the claim the common sol
dier has upon their gratitude, and
hence while the captains in the great
civil conflict receive their full need of
homage, the men who swelled the
ranks of the "Grand Army" are not
allowed to sleep their silent sleep Gun.
wept, unhonored and unsung."
In the years past, the Observance
of this day has been used by political
demagogues for the purpose of reviv-
ing the animosities and passions of
the war. Instead of breathing over
the tombs of the dead spirit of for
giveness and fraternity for the mis-.
taken people who were rushed to
their destruction by the madness of
leaders whose reason refused to save
them from the crime of precipitating
fratricidal conflict, they fumed and
raved over the most hideous phazes
of the war and conjured up demons
of hate instead of invoking the angel
of peace. These men seemed to forget
that they desecrated the very graves
they came to honor, for the bitterness
and hatred shown towards the people
of the South did not come from the
men who staked their lives upon the
existence of the Government, but
from those who, for their own selfish
purposes, and to the end that their
political ambition might be furthered
by keeping alive the embers of hate
engendered by the war, stirred up the
Northern heart on Memorial day with
blood-curdling TRADES against a foe
who had no existence, except in the
disordered imaginations of these men
who never saw the enemy when he
actually existed The old battles
we're fought over again and the
familiar cry of rebel and traitor
echoed among the graves of the patri-
OF dead. Again, the Democratic party
would be called to stern account as
the alder and abetter of treason and
denounced as being unfaithful to the
Union or in open sympathy with
armed rebellion. At the very mo-
ment these profane charges were
being made the speaker was likely
standing within the shadow of the
graves of gallant Democrats who
offered their lives as willing sacrifices
upon the altar of their country's hon
or. Men high in the esteem of
the nation, honored by their fellow
cltlzens, and called to lofty public
positions, stopped to utter these silly
ISLANDERS in the hope that it would
inure to their political benefit, and
then the whole pack of traducers,
Tray, Blanche and Sweetheart, we're
let loose, all over the land, on Decora-
tion day, and with the example of
their leaders before them, they took up
the refrain and rang the changes upon
it until one would almost imagine
that hostile enemy was on our from
tier and that u considerable portion
of our population were ready to
receive them with open arms.
Thanks 10 the good sense and ra-