, 1884-05-31

Grand Army veterans passed through into
the city of the dead. After the various
civic and military companies had reached
the position assigned them, the decoration
committee again proceeded to perform the
duty which the members of the post owed
to their dead comrades, and scattered
flowers upon the raves of all the dead
Union soldiers in hat cemetery also, while
the band played that solemn, pathetic
funeral dirge, THE Dead March in Saul.
The firing over the graves was repeated,
and this over, the numerous multitude in
attendance gathered around the stand
which had been erected near the Grand
Army monument, where the principal ex-
ercises of the day were to be held, the
band playing Nearer My God to Thee"
JUDGE FISHER.
the president of the day, called the as
semblage to order, and announced that
the services there would with
prayer by the Rev. Mr.. Brown, which,
being over with, j. X. Jeffrey, com
mander of the John +. Reynolds post,
read the Grand Army memorial day ad-
monitor and address.
Judge Fisher then arose and introduced
Hon. L. s. N. Morgan, the orator of the
day, who spoke as follows:
Acting Governor Morgan's Remarks.
We are here to-day, fellow citizens, to
show our appreciation of the services of
those who, in the hour of our country's
danger, freely gave their lives that this
nation might live; we come to join with
their surviving comrades in doing honor to
their memory and, with grateful hearts,
we bring
Floral tributes to the Nations Dead
and thus by honoring the memory of the
dead, do honor to the living soldiers of the
Republic.
As the years pass by, we enjoy the
fruits of their sacrifice, and | trust we re-
alize more and more, the value to our
selves, to posterity and to the world, of
THE NATION THEY HAVE SAVED.
Fellow citizens, we are the custodians of
the inheritance of unborn millions; to-day
scattered over this broad land of promise,
more than fifty million offreemen are peace
fully following the vacations of life, men
of different races, tongues, tribes, clndi-
tons and religions, successfully working
out the problem of mans capability of
self-government, in fact, and particularly
making a direct issue between two systems
Of government. On the one hand the
European doctrine, that one man was
born to rule and the many to obey, and
on the other the American theory. that
governments derive their just powers
from the consent of the governed; and
not only the American citizen, but all
mankind are largely and directly inter
ested in the right solution of these great
questions, and it becomes US fellow-citi-
Zens to be
EXCEEDINGLY CAREFUL IN FUTURE,
as in the past, that nothing whatever be
permitted to interrupt our progress, or
mar or destroy this temple of freedom,
whose keepers we are, and / take it that
anything which interferes with the right
adjustment Of these important interests,
whether it be your life or my life, your
property or my property, a great institu-
ton like slavery, state sovereignty, or any
other interest, should and of right ought
to be offered up a sacrifice upon the altar
OF the common veal.
The questions that led to our late civil
war, in detail, were many prominent
among them was the institution of slav-
cry, its claims, its extension and the con-
sequent degradation of free labor; but
the great underlying cause, as | under
stand it, was the claim that this nation
was but a confederation of
INDEPENDENT, SOVEREIGN STATES,
each having the right to remain in. or
withdraw from, the union at pleasure and
the denial of the truth that it was a ma
ton Of unity, of personality, competent
to preserve and p~erpetuate its existence.
Appprehending that their beloved
institution, slavery, was e~ndanger-
ed, the people of the
South decided to assert, by force of arms,
state sovereignty, as they understood it.
and the loyal North believing that,
Humanity with all its fears
With all the hopes of future years
Was hanging breathless on the fate"
of this nation, believing that the com
pact which originated the government
was made by the fathers, not only for
themselves, but for posterity
UNTO THE LATEST GENERATION
and could not be broken, me- the issue.
and
Two hosts combined to offer sacrifice
Two standards fioated the pale blue sky
On the other size the
Flag OF the free hearts, hope and home
By angel hands to yalor given,
Whose stars have lit the welkin dome
Whose hues were born in heaven"
was flung to the breeze by the Union
soldier of the North. and on the other the
stars and bars, backed by the
Confederate soldier of the South, and as
they were about to join in the mighty
conflict, realized that they were about to
meet
"Foemen worthy of each others steel"
But
Grim visaged war hath smoothed his wrinkled
front"
Peace, blessed peace, reigns in all our
borders, and | have no disposition to have
you go from battlefield to battlefield that
line the blood stained nath from S,mnter