The Portland daily press., 1883-05-29
TARDY TRIBUTE.
Portland Bestirring Herself for O.
Soldiers Monument.
LARGE AND ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING
AT CITY HALL.
Stirring Speeches from Prominent citi-
zens.

An dnuience completely hlllng the t1oor and
galleries Of City Hall was present at the
meeting of tho Soldiers and Sailors Monu-
ment Association last evening. Shortly after
half-past seven the Grand Army members fled
on the platform and took seats, and from that
time until eight o'clock Chandler's Band dis
coursed stirring music All were greatly in
terested in tho exercises and The speeches were
received with the most hearty applause, plain
ly showing tho interest felt in the movement
and aifording strong proof Of its SUCCESS. Cir
cnlars containing brief plan OF the work and
| the appeal Of the committee, were distributed
at the door. Until nearly 10 o'clock large
portion Of the audience remained, and the inn
preston was strongly prevalent that ut last the
long-delayed monument would be erected, and
that Portland would shortly be able to point
with pride to fitting memorial Of the valor
and devotion OF her sons.
Shortly after eight O'Clock Gen. John NJ
Brown, president Of the association, rose to
call the meeting to order, and said:
GEN. BRowN's SPEECH
| Nearly twenty-three years have passed
| since, in December, 1860, South Carolina
| passed its ordinance Of secession. Four months
| later came the outrage on the flag of Sumter.
sixteen days rom LnaI execrADl0 act oil tfea-
| son, the First Regiment OF Maine Infantry
was mustered into the service of the United
| States OF that regiment six companies out OF
ten were from the city OF Portland.
| Eighteen years ago the flag, stained with
| blood, riddled with bullets, but unsullied TO
| the end, waved in triumph at Appomattox.
| The greatest war OF modern times, a war
without parallel in history, was over.
| Scores in this vast audience do rot remem-
! Der those days of trial and triumph, bat who is
trtf .t,erf
| ever forget the bitterness and the ioy2 Recall
/ 1t onco more tonight Listen once more TO tho
tramp OF the victors marching home. In that in
teryal OF three unexampled years Maine alone
| furnished to the army and navy over $4,000
men. More than its quota Portland sent 10
| both branches OF the service,
| What became Of Portland's contingent?
| Decimated were the ranks and on the field OF
honor, IN the storm OF battle, By sea and land,
/ in hospitals and reeking prison pens, men laid
/ down their lives. What have we done in this
| beautiful, venerable, metropolitan city Of
| Maine TO perpetuate their memory? Other
cities and towns and villages have erected
| monuments to tell posterity OF their Yalor and
their sacrifices. What have We for our chill
dren's children TO look upon? Nothing but
/ some hundreds of graves; graves which once a
| year the fraternal hands OF surviving ccm-
| rades mark with flowers and wreaths and the
| flag for which these faithful servants marched
through the gates Of death.
| Happy for the dead who lie here between the
mountains and the sea, but what of the dead
whose graves have no mark On scores OF
| battlehelds, under the southern sky, beneath
the waters OF rivers lakes and seas, which
/ hold their treasures until the end of days, they
| lie. More ought be done, more can be, more
must be done. You, men Of Portland, you,
mothers, wives and daughters, declare by your
/ presence here that there should be some more
enduring memorial than mounds of earth
| which sink so soon TO the level of oblivion;
something more lasting than fading flowers or
| the little flags which futter brayely through
| the summer days aud nights and over the Gem
| etery' 8 winding sheet OF snow.
But are We 10 remember the dead alone. 1t
/ was not your fault, comrades, that the God of
battles spared your lives. II was not the fault
! OF these survivors that their names are not en-
rolled among the honored dead. There are
| Others too God help them, who may say with
bitterness OF soul, il were better to have died.
The world is full Of temptations. Be patient
| and tender and pitifui to those of our soldiers
| who have yielded to them, who found them
| selves adrift and helpless, and SO have lost q
| place of honor among men. Remember that
| had they died you would have put aowers also
| on their graves. Nol 10 the dead alone, or
their survivors, should this memorial be raised,
| but 70 those loyal hearts, who, at home and
| abroad, defended the faith and brough. age
and childhood together in common sympathy
| and common work. Nor to these and all those
1 alone. / speak last of those OF whom / might
| well have spoken first; the mothers, sisters,
/ wives and daughters Of twenty years ago. God
aud themselves only know the agony OF those
| days and hours and years of waiting. In the
! gloom OF temporary disaster, in the exuitation
/ OF victory, the same horrible suspense, the
| booming Of the distant guns was the
presage Of broken heart.
Let the monument be built, to the soldiers
| and sailors dead and living, 10 loyal men, TO
all-sacrihcng women. Let il stand for all
time whether it be statue, or tower, or pillar,
or spire, or dome, an enduring memorial Of
valor and loyalty; q valor unto death, of loyal
| iy through life, without which no government
ought to exist. without which all governments
/ ought to perish aud disappear forever from the
| face OF the earth.
At the conclsion Of his remarks, he called
| upon His Honor, Mayor Deering, himself
veteran.
MAYOR DEERING's sPEKcH.
Mayor Deering said that the spirit manifest
1 ed &C the meeting was gratifying 10 him, aud
/ showed him that at last the people of the city
meant business. that the question of the com
| nlttee was to be answered With an emphatic
1 yes; that at length the debt Portland owed its
soldiers was to be paid with honor and inter-
| est.
In his visit South he had been much Impress
/ ed with the regard which its people seemed to
| feel for their Confederate dead. In almost
| every place he had visited some memorial had
been raised to its dead He believed we could
| build worthy one to our heroes, that the
| memories OF those dark and sad days were not
forgotten, that the enterprise was dear to the
hearts Of our people, that their interest meant
| success.
Gen. Brown then introduced as an old friend
Of the soldier the Hon Blon Bradbury, who
was greeted with hearty applause, and spoke
10 substance as follows:
SPEECH OF HON. BIoN BRADBURY.
We are in hearty sympathy with this pa
| trlotic movement, and are called upon to con-
| tribute, the. wealthy heartily and oheerfully,
the humble according to their means.
Let patriotism call to her aid art and science
| and erect memorial shaft. Not that such
monumentsare to keep alive memories OF Bit
terness and victory; they have no such purpose,
design or feeling; we simply build 1t to show
how dear we hold in memory the noble virtues
| and attainments OF our citizen soldiers
BY the blessing OF God the battles for liber-
ty and the Union were nobly fought and won,
and we have now one constitution and one
destiny. It Is n matter OF congratulaton to
both North and South that slavery is over
thrown, that we have SO fully established the
strength OF our government and Union, ana
also introduced into the South q new civiltza-
tion destined in the future to impart TO IL
much renown.
We cannot forget our brave men, vet venture
TO predict that despite the cruel war, It's canr.
age and blood, the country will rejoice az
length that In the Providence of God the civil
Let The work 70 on, lei the monument be
reared, let il be worthy OF the deau ana hVlhg.
Hon O. w. Goddard was the next speaker,
and said.
JUDGE GoDDARD's SPEECH.
Judge Goddard said:
"All that man hath will he give for his
lifep was the sneering reply OF Satan to his
Maker, as he stood shameless among the heav-
enly hosts. "Greater love hath no man than
this, that man lay down his life for his
friends" was tho language OF the Redeemer.
Look on these two portraits OF human ma
turel One lurid with the reflected malice of
tho arch -fend, 1.-The other resplendent with the
glory OF the Son of God.
One disclosure Of unredeemed selhshness,
the other the incarnation OF Divine selfsacri-
fee.
Why, 1t may be asked, has the popular heart,
in oil ages aud among al nations, exalted war
riors above civilians and hailed military heroes
as the fathers and saviours OF their country
Strange paradox, that the masters OF that
dread art, which from the dawn OF history has
been the worlds chief scourge, have COM
manded not only its obedience, but its admira-
tiou, its homage and its loyel Is II not because
mankind has seen that soldiers despise danger
and DEATH and has believed them 70 DO ready
to sacrifice their lives for their people?
Condemn its misapplication and perversion
as we so often must, the sentiment itself IS
noble and true, and it is cherished by our
| selvaR. Who ara the man whom the nation