The Cecil Whig., 1881-06-04

G. +. shepherd in Il few appropriate remarks
after which the company dispersed mEcl
pleased with the days ceremonies.
At Loudon Park, Baltimore.
The attendance at Loudnn Park was very
large, all the stages of life being represented
in the asscmhlage, from the li>ping babe Il
the man and woman bowed down with thu
weigh, Of years. Young and old hrav"t
the heat. to honor the memory uf hcro"'
who gave up their lives thai ii" ni'l
Should he maintained. Not less tiiiu ten
Thousand persons were within the encl"sir,
during llc afternoon. After Wilson Post
band had played " y day in camp, Gen
Ross. the IHaster of ceremonies, made sonis
suitable remarks ;S 10 the object that iI;.d
attracted SO many thousands oi persons IC
the cemetery, ana introduced Rev. Dr,
Guard, who offered prayer. DR.. Guard :
appeal To the Throne of Grace WAS simple
lai helir and appropriate. He aaked th:sr
the blessing of God might descend upon
those who had met 10 discharge the b-auti-
full and sacred duty of placing flowers OF
remembrance upon the graves of those who
fell as martyrs in Il noble cauSs.
Wilson Post quintctte sang a memorial
o,tr, "Strcw Blossoms Bright" Capt. Brow
nell, of the United States Army, then
rccited the poem. a pledge 10 the dead, -
written by Mr. WnI. Winter, and read by
him at q meeting of the Society OF the
Army Of the Potomac in 1879
SPEECH OF Il. {. TIIACKERY, ESQ.
Robert G. Thackery, Esq, of Elkton, was
then introduced as the orator of the day,
by General Eoss. Mr.. Thackerv said that
the central thought of the Declaration of
Independence and the Constitution OF the
Uniou, from which all their ideas ra,liatc
and ou which they rest, is the right OF per
sonal freedom, controlled and modified by
political and beneficial restrictions. The
thought, perhaps, IS expressed with some
ambiguity, and Luther Martin and Patrick
Henry, in old colonial days, insisted that,
because of that ambiguity, the Declaration
and Constitution contained the seeds of
civil war. Said Abraham Lincoln, speak
inc rom the steps of Independence Hall,
Philadelphia, after having raised the flag of
an iinperiled Union to the dome of that
sanctuary of freedom, "rhere was some
thing in the Declaration of Independence
giving liberty, not only to the people of this
country, but hope to the world for all tu-
turc time: it was that which gave promise
that in due time the wei ghts should be lift
ci fr,;m the shoulders of all men, and that
all should have an equal chance" In
other words, he basal principle upon which
our system of government rests is that
law and before the law to a far, square and
equal start i'll the race for life. And add
ing the words which subsequent events
made memorable, he said: Can the country
he saved upon that basis. If it can, | will
consider myself one of the happirSt men in
the world if | can help to save it. But if
this country cannot lie saved without giving
up that principle, ! WAS about TO say
would rather be ;lsSaSsinated upon this spot
than to surrender it," Human memory is
short, and the means by which an end is
are soon forgotten after that
end has been attained. But when our fore
fathers one hundred wears ago made the
announcement Ui
TIE RIGHT OF PERSONAL FREEDOM
the doctrine seemd startling. It, shook the
of feu,ial and deSpntic iomina-
ton and oblterared the doctrine of . the
divine right of kn-S. Bur The success of
the men of the Revolution WAS not The final
overthrow OF the autagonStic dogma
Anomalous as it may appear, Il war for hu-
man freedom was successfully waged. and
a constitution that did not in terms prohibit
slavery was the result. And So the second
Magma tharta of human rights given to
the world by the Ang glo Saxon race became,
through the inachinationS Of unScrupulouS
and ambitious Inen, the Magma tharta of
human wrongs. y quarter vi u century
passed. and the Tory forces under free gov
ernnent remained apparently passive, but
III reality preparing Tor the new agitation.
il soon came. 1t would he u$cirsS TO re-
hnlrSr the long record Of concessions and
surrender, of the Missouri compromises
and Wilinut provi>;,s. 1t WAS free thnuglr
against slave Thought, with slave thought
too often i'll the a>Cen,tenCy. Quick as th"
electric Eight there ran along the folds ot
the ensign of IN" hrpubic the letters,
:" Shall the Tnion Stand >" Ne are here tn
celebrate the memories OF the men and wn-
men who settled fui> question III the affirm
alive. While giving houors to the Eertn's.
pr',iSt. al,t glory must he awarded Ia the
women whn>e loving hearts and willing
hands hound up the wounds and pilowed
the dying headS, and whose sympathy
and encouraged the hand that
held the gun.
The speaker said he had no desire TO kim
die anew the >mouldering emherS OF dis
cord, or to fan atresh tls4 ''poli,'y of hate.
But there is no occasion to 90 :urt her and
apologize lur what the niQn soldier did.
No APOLOGY FOR TIE UNION.
am equally opposed 70 that policy. We
are not here to honor treason, nor TO sane
ton he principles for which the South ST.
ceied. | am afraid thar these later days
have been Il little too fertile of "guSh " on
This subject, and it seems 10 10 high time
for some voice uf authority in the land TO
call Il halt on thU SuntimentaliSts and deny
their right 10 concede away the catSe for
which the Union soldiers fought. II is too
soon to pronounce eulocies on jefferson
Davis: too soon for the stars and bars to
float over the dome of the Capitol aS the in,
sigma of Il regenerated CniQu. The Stars
ami Stripes won the tigEf. and that t1lg is
entitled Ia foai and 10 rule. II Is possible
tor racltication to 20 {, little too far. There
appears to he Il tendency to ignore The fact
that the blue and the gray We're the repre-
of distinctive and irreconciahle
ideas. \ common honor is not due thrm,
Il common glory is not their PARTON. The
systems which they respectively sanght to
upheld war" @pi:.ganiStic. II was light
a4aiua, darkness. II was the good against
The evil spirit of our institutions. 1t was
the genius nt progress against the adherence
To old crrctlS and dcSpotic forms. No inter
eStS of peace good will Justify eN-
crlSe f;prgettulncSS of the truth. However
desirable conciliatiuu and harmony may he,
there is one thing which tho patriotic peo-
He Il ilis ."tntry will never yield. and
that is the righteousness of the federal
cause. 1t WAS Il cause founded upon right
and iI>tjpp E1p plrt h : uDhipSr
hero is the soldier who. without hope of
glory or expectation of renown, h1S laid
upon his country : alter ;he las. fill meas
ure of devotion The Speaker .!Crs paid a
glpwing iriIHir ~ the Union &"itlirr, which
,li.it.u r"uud after round of applause. He
said thr results secured 10y the success of
the Union soldiers are emblaznnad i'll our
history.
The vital question that now presents itself
is, shall those results be perpetuarcd, or sla,!
they h, trirtrred away and lost" Nh:;i shnt!
he ultimate of 3mL,t.:, ,.G shall the re-
suits 3ri.ir,e,i b. ,he halle, faii before he
onslaught of unwiSe lr@i~lItion-be virtu-
ally aunihilatei by sectional diSoh dirnca
to law, or sacriti'ed 10 the ptnlperrd pets of
Il political de>potiSn'
\ QUESTION TO CONSIDER.
The question presents to this nation two
roads. One leading upward-tke broad
avenue Of mower and wealth ard influence;