The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-08-26


COMRADES AND BOYS IN BLUE, AND FELLow
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 Q
thing it is to live in this Union and be part of
battery, more than a hundred years ago,
young student of Columbia College was arguing
the ideas of American Revolution and Ameri-
can Union against an American loyalty to
monarchy of his college President and Pro.
fessors. By-and-by he went to the patriot
to fight the battles of his country, and while in
camp, before he was twenty-one years old,
he Wrote % esss5 nnnon Of cGn tSe
United States. That student, soldier, states
man and great leader of thought.Alexander
glorious by his thinking, and left his lasting
impression upon New York. the foremost
State OF the Union, and here on this Island, the
night soldiers of a new war, representing the
same ideas of Union and glory, and adding to
and Washington, and the heroes of the Revo-
luton reared. ,.stit-' .-'
Ideas outlive men. Ideas outlive all things,
fought @ for in immortal ideas, and by their might
you crowned our war with victory. But victo-
ry was worth nothing except for the fruits
that were under it, in 1t and above II. We
ought tonight as veterans and comrades to
stand sacred guard around the truths for
meet and grasp the hand Of the comrade We
will stand BY the great truths of the war.
that that war % which have % sunk deep in our hearts
there are some we can never forget. Think
Of the great elevatine spirit Of the war itself
shops and stores and schools and homes from
all over the Republic. They went forth un-
roster of immortal heroes. They went in the
Of whom he said: "who this day sheds his
his g condition" And it did gentle the
WORKING soldier who fought in Il
and he shall be our brother forever
aad aaf vso a
behind the army Of white Rebels, and saw
slaves % for n our % enemies, and We found that the
hearts of this 1000, 900 were God-inspired with
the spirit Of liberty, and that they were our our
nag and fight to kill the Union, but in all that
long, dreary war we never saw Q traitor in q
starvation of prison, fleeing to our lines By the
light of the North star, never feared to enter
ali that period Of suffering and danger no
Union soldier was ever betrayed by the black
man or woman. And now that we have made
them free, SO long as we live we will stand by
the black citizens. We will stand by them UNI
til the sun OF liberty, fixed in the armament
rays upon the white and black throughout the
Union.
Now, fellow-citizens, fellow-soldiers, in all
this there is q beneficence of eternal justice,
and by this we viii stand forever. The great
poet has said that in individual life we rise
"On 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
nuts stand guard over our past as soldiers, as
patriots, and over our country as the common
heritage of us all. ... ...
1 thank you, fellow-citizens, for this mag
niflcent demonstration. In 80 far rs l repre-
sent in my heart and life the great doctrines
| for which you fought accept this demonstrs
tfon as a tribute to my representative charac
ter. In the strength OF your hands, in the fer
vor of your hearts, in the irmness of youI
faith, in all that bctokens the greatness OF
manhood and nobleness of character, the Re
| public finds its security and giory. I do moi
| enter upon coutroverted questions. The time
| the place, the situation forbid 1t. I respect
| the traditions that require mo to speak only
| of these themes which elevate us all. Again
| thank you for the kindness and enthusiasm
| of your greeting. Tremendous cheertng.1