Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-06-02
PRINCIPLES LNVOLVED IN THE
WAR.
EXTRACT FROM DR.. COWS MEMORIAL ADDRESS.

EXTRACT FROM DIR. COWS MEMORIAL ADDRESS.
tstenosraphically Reported by I. W. Goodner.l
am permitted to remind you also that you
fought for a nation founded upon great prin-
oiples and that in fighting for the nation you
fought for the maintenance of those princi-
pies. The union of states which created the
nation did not result merely from accidents
of time and place II sprang from the
fact that certain great ideas Of law and liber-
ty had taken possession of the people. Men
of the old world who had become possessed of
these ideas and were not permitted TO unfold
them in their own countries had crossed the
water and spread themselves out upon this
continent. 1t was this union Of ideas that gave
you the national union. When you fought
for national existence you fought for a ma
ton founded upon these ideas. You went
forth to battle under the inspiration of them.
And what are these ideas 1 have indicated
them in general ideas Of justice, ideas of
law, ideas of personal liberty ideas of equal
ity, ideas Of morality, and of faith in God. 1t
was these ideas that gave our nation existence
and for these ideas you fought as you fought
for the existence of the nation. And again. !
ask, what arc these ideas Can l better ex-
press them than in the form of single idea
which expresses the very genius of our ma
ton, which is, indeed the great American
idea, is it not That this is Gods earth, and
that all on this earth, whether in our land or
in any land, because they are Gods creatures,
every man, woman and child whom God has
brought into being, shall have, under law,
fair chance to become the best possible for
themselves and for the world. Not in lawless-
ness, not according to the theories of false
and vicious communism, but under law, I'M
der Justice, under protection of the law, with
equal rights before the law for every man,
whatever his previous nationality, whatever
the accident of color in his case may be, in
whatever part of the land he may be found,
whether he be high in knowledge, in wisdom,
in rank, in wealth, or low in all these things.
just because he is q man, one of Gods crea-
lures on this, Gods earth, he has a right in
every part of this world to fair chance to do
the best he can for himself and the best he
can for his fellow creatures. (Applause) Our
fathers said that is the American idea, and
such il is to. day, and it was for this that you
fought, for it was this idea that gave your
nation its existence. You did not attack slav-
cry directly you did not need to- With
what wonderful wisdom that great good man,
Abraham Lincoln, held the nation steadily
and firmly to that one idea; Defend your
nation and with the existence Of this great
| American nation every blessing will come TO
you that is in the gift Of God for you" You
did not need to attack slavery for you had a
nation built upon this idea, and when the ma
ton should triumph it was certain that slav
| cry must disappear as the ripened fruit drops
into the hand Of the harvester in the autumn,
| as Charleston fell without an effort when
| Sherman's columns marched in its rear.
As, then, you remember this great fact, that
you fought for a nation founded upon great
ideas, upon that greatest idea which can be
| incorporated into human history, Gods NOR
al law of love and equality, let the memory
inspire you TO DO true to this same to-day.
| Let 1t not be said permanently, however We
may be compelled to confess for the moment
| that it seems to have been said that we, as a
| nation, close the national doors to any of the
children of men who wish to come in and
abide with u.s. (Applause.) The blood in my
veins has tingled with shameasI have thought
that men who had fought the battles of the
nation against rebellion in the interests Of this
great idea could say to any Of their fellow
men, however poor and humble, however un-
worthy they might be, "Stand apart; this
nation is for better than you" 1t must be
that we shall not abide by this action. The
inspirations of the war will not let it be pos
sibe. What if they are unclean2 Are not
the sun which shines so clearly in these
| heavens, and the water which God has caused
to flow so purely in our streams, sufficient to
wash the darkest and dirtiest race white and
clean. Are they ignorant? Have we not the
wisdom in which to train them Are they
| VlclOusI And can we not MAINTAIN tne JAWS
of the land Or are the laws not efficient
enough to protect the weak? Do the drink
ing saloon and the brothel Hssail them at
every corner, and shall we abandon the great
principles of equity and humanity from
which our national life has sprung because
we are too weak to suppress the vile
Is there not strength enough in the law of
the land TO restrain the vicious? And must
we confess our weakness and say to this little
handful of wanderers, the gentlest of the sons
of men, "You must stay away lest our vir-
tue be overcome by your presence. Friends,
shall we of this nation-this grand nation -
keep out from our school-houses and our
churches the sons of nation whose phioso-
pliers taught them the golden rule-yes,
Christians as we are, let us confess it-centu-
ries before Christ came into the world ZAP
pause.) Then, friends, soldiers of the Grand
Army, let the memory of what you suffered
in the strife for these great principles inspire
you to be true to them still, true to them ever.
Teach them to your children; teach them to
defend them, TO suffer and die for them, ii
need be.