National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-05-31
OUR DEAD HEROES.
PLACING FLOWERS ON THEIR GRAVES
ObserVaness Of Decoration Day by the Grand Army
OF the Rcpublle-Ceremonies at Arlington,
Soldiors Home, Congressional Gem.
etery, and Other Places.
"Your silent tents ofgreen
We deck with fragrant flowers;
Yours has the suffering been,
The memory shall be ours"

-LOnlfclioiO.
The weather yesterday was all that could be
wished for, and May, the month ofnowers, gave
the brightest OF days for the decoration of the
graves Of the denl heroes. At exactly 10 o'clock
the procession moved up the Avenue en- route for
Arlington in the order already published in THE
REPUBLICAN,. The military were out In strong
force, and the various posts of the Grand Army OF
the Republic were fuller in their ranks than for
some years past, II being estimated that there
were upwards Of 500 men in line. BY the time the
procession had airly gotten under way there was
a steady stream of people moving westward, the
street cars being packed. aud hundreds Of car
RACES swelling the throng. At the terminus Of
the car route here was a motley congregation of
vehicles that soon found busy work in con-
yeyiug tho thousands who were seeking
transportation to Abingdon For upward
of three hours there was a line of vehicles
ard pcdc TRANS moving over tho AqueduCt Bridge
and toward the cemetery.
At Arlington.
When the hour fixed for the exercises to begin
had arrived there was lhrOng of people inside
the cemetery, whose numbers were constantly be-
ing added to- At O'Clock the invited guests, the
members OF tho GRIND Army OF the Republic, aud
OK sodl rs and sailors ofthe late war formed in
front OF the mansion, and, headed by the Marine
Band, marched to the tomb of the unknown dead,
which was most beautifully decorated with flowers
and the national Colors While this portion OF the
programme was being carried out, the band rem
dcrod dirgo and other appropriate music. When
this portion OF the service wns completed, the pro.
cession moved TO the amphitheatre, which had
been appropriately decorated. The platform was
occupied by Secretary Lincoln, Secretary Teller
and family, General NJ. c. Meigs Commissioner
Loing, Senator Miller, OF New York and ladies'
Register Bruce and wife, Second Assistant Post
muster General Elmer, committee Of the Loyal
Legion of America, the officers Of the, various
Grand Army posts in full uniform, and others.
THE EXERCISES WERE OPENED
by the rendering of" In MemOriam by the Marine
land, after which the assembly was scaled to order
by Department Gommapder $. S. Burdetie. Rey.
n n hipnpn Oilprpl which IL
lowed 10y a quartettc, "fhe bay OF Rest by four
male voices, with organ accompaniment. The
opening address of Department Commander Bur
dette was n most eloquent effort. In conclusion
he said: ITO the comrades of the Grand Army
his is the Ct time Of great thanksgiving We
| they present the ttest platform, the altogether
hottest altar, from which, whilst burning incense
to the dead, 10 send forth the shout of exulta.on
that ere yet the faces of the l en- were forgotten
| Garth with her smile and Heaven with its blessing
| on their work have crowned the banner OF the
| Grand Army with the garlands of righteous APP
| prevail
The poem for the day written by Comrade Ed
| ward Renaud, of Kit Carson Post, No. 2, was then
| read by General q. u. Carsc.
Quorum n the House at one time i was feared
| members of that body who had accepted invita-
| lions orator. to be present. Hon. Henry o'Con.
nor was the only one there in the amphithenter
when the exercises commenced, but shortly before
! . o'clock Hon. George NJ. Robson, Hon. Henry l..
Morey, and Hon. John r. Lynch reached the
At the conclusion of thehymn Nearer, Ny God
| to Thee which was rendered with fine elect by
| he band,
Ex.sECRETARY RoBEsoN CAME FORWARD,
| md made Il most eloquent address. He said that
| he hud Just come from great struggle in the
| House, but that he deemed 1t right to sacrifice
| his interest IN the events here Transporting. In
the presence of these ten thousand graves we nre
d into hsS hghGT sp 2 Wnes bTSne
| of reason. There is no place in the broad
world which teaches NJ, US " more Important
the great causc Of civilization, of progress,
Of freedom and Of the rights OF man for all the
world anG for VERY people The landmarks of
| are the milestones in the pathway of freedom.
After an eloquent pcrorhion, Mr.. Robson con-
the cause of human liberty; they died for that
central idea of progress upon which nll the ad-
| vancement of the world depends
THE RIGHT OF MAN TO DE FEE.
To use his freedom, to struggle and achieve to
lift himself out of the condition IN which he finds
himself, and to leave his children in better con-
| dtion than his own. To maintain theso princi-
pies our soldiers died, and their trials, sacrifices,
and ACHIEVEMENTS Illustrate the progress OF our
Countrywide champion republic, of the world
| We are too nenr the time of their nchieyments,
we are ourselves too much part of their
great movement. to permit us TO properly
appreciate the position they will take in the rec
ordS of history, but believe If could stand upon
the confines of century, and, Selling Fame 3
trumpet, summon upthe noble army of statesmen,
|
in the worlds cause since the world began, there
liz the front rank before the mail clad chienans
| of medieval chlvalry, before all the ermined
robes and royal dialems OF earth's proudest mon
HrChs would be seen the
SIMPLE BLUE OF THE AMERICAN SOLDIER,
his bow bound with the undying wreaths of he
roic self sacrifice, clad in the regaa of nations
gratitude IN the front rank of that great army
aye, In It's very coloT.guard, beneath the bright
bnnnerof civilization, exclaiming, with upliited
iuce, / too have fought underthat glad banner in
the cause of law, liberty, and religion against the
combined forces of treason, slavery, and wrong.
Here are the hoEOred graves of your heroes, the
imperial monuments Of your power.
Mr, Robson was frequently interrupted with
applause
sung by the choir, and
HON. HENRY L. MoREY,
of Ohio, delivered Il brief but eloquent Grafton
In concluding his address Mr.. Morey said: "By
these green graves that contain theirashes we viii
now learn anew the lesson Of their life and death
We will here teach their children and our chill
dren how they died that free institutions might
live. Then we will dedicate ourselves anew to the
cause OF liberty and free government, and call the
spirits Of the gallant dead who hover around ut
to bear witness to our sincerity and devotion
The next orator,
HON. JOHN II. LYNCH
was warmly welcomed by the audience. Ac.
knowledging the compliment he said that he con
sdered the decoration OF the graves of fallen
heroes one of the most beautiful ceremonies IL
which civilized people can indulge. The war
of which SO much had been snid, had established
made 1t possible for him to address an audlenG,
like the one before him. He knew that they haC
already heard enough aud If not, Colonel OCon
nor would talk to them more satisfactory than h,
could.
given by the band, after which
HON. HENRY o'CONNoR, OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT
delivered most eloquent address In conclusion
Mr.. OCOnncr said: IAN is ov,r now, and an
told that lave nothing to do but TO forgive nnC
forget TO the confederate sOldi er have nOthinl
TO forgive; ! never saw one that ! would no
share my last cracker with, and never met ON,
that refused the same TO me, How with thC
others? You ask, l answer, Yes; these, too, / cal
forgive, and, 80 far o. angry remembrance goes
forget, upon one condition, When you satisfy mI
that the veteran Of the Union Army, or his sor
from the green hills of Vermont or from the prai
TieS of my own loved Iowa, can go to Mississipp
or Texas, to Carolina or Louisiana, ana there, un-
moested, think and speak aud act the part of q
he would exercise these rights in his own Greer
Mountains or broad prairic', then, but not Gil
then, am ! willing to strike hands with any
Southern man, and, forgetting the past say we nr,
one, one with u common country, common pur.
pose, common Language and a common destiny
nnE lyme by WI he ip ba Id a Dy .h h
exercises clo.ed with the benediction by the Rev
benjamin swallow the band playing ''Old Hun
drcd MS the immense thr1ng dispersed.
Congregational Cemetery.
The Avenue and street cars brOught out
vast concourse of cope toto use the old appro
PIRATE Saxon name" Gods acre" the Congrcs
siOnal Cemetery, They came az an early hou
laden with frigrant flowers, choice emblcms Z
immortality, aud with full henrts ohoked wit
the memory of the day when their loved one
were laid away In their last long sleep, tenderi
and reyeremtally paid that homage to the deH
dead which sanctlhos and ennobles the liyinl
The cemetery was crowded, and there must hay
been over 1900 people ~ attendance, a platiorI
had been erected, drnncd with the National color
and ornamcnted with green wreaths, on while
were the orators aud committee. AT II O'clock
CoMRADE STANTON WEAVER