Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-06-10
MEMORIAL DAY IN STAUNTON.

MEMORIAL DAY IN STAUNTON.
APPROPRIATE PRAYER BY REV. RUM
| SEY SMITHSON.
Eloquent Address by Hon. j. Ran,
| Tucker. Orator of the Day.
The floral decoration of the graves of the
Confederate soldiers who sleep beneath the
green sod Of Thornrose Cemetery took place
yesterday The procession was not as large,
and the number who attended was not SC
great as on similar occasions few years ago,
yet the number on the grounds was large
many having gone there before the procession
was formed.
ORDER OF MARCH.
AT about IL, A. M, the procession was formed
on Main Street. The Stonewall Band: Staun-
ton Artillery; West Augusta Guard carriages
conveying Hon. ]. Ran. Tucker, Orator of the
occasion, E. F. Brown, Col. of the Twenty
eighth New York Volunteers, and distinguish.
ed citizens; citizens on foot and on horseback
Chief Marshal, Lieut.. Silas Walker: Assistant
Marshals, Captains Lewis Ha rman, James N.
Mcfarland, G. Benton Coiner, W. G. McKemy,
T. G. Smiley, J. W. Gilkeson, G. Julian Pratt,
and John N. Opie.
AT the-tap of the muf1ed drum, the process
sion took up the line Of march, vending its
way to the last resting place of those who
dampened the soil with the blood of true and
patriotic hearts for their homes and country
When the procession, and those who had
reached the Cemetery before, were assembled
in proper order in front of the speakers stand,
the ceremonies were begun with prayer by
| feeling and appropriate prayer, at the conclu-
sion of which the Stonewall Brigade Band
played solemn dirge. Capt. James Bum
gardner then introduced Hon. J. RAN Tucker
| as the orator of the occasion.
ADDRESS BY HON. ]. RAN. TUCKER.
Mr.. Tucker then arose, and standing in the
burning sun with his head uncovered. said
that he had come to take part in the ceremonies
Of the day with no prepared address, because
the pressure Of public duties prevented that,
but from his interestin the preservation of the
memories of those who had offered up their
lives for what they honestly believed to be
| right; and out of the abundance of his heart his
| mouth would speak.
What place in the history of human progress
| and of free institutions will be assigned to the
| immortal heroes whose graves you come to
decorate to-day? What idea did their strug-
| gle represent? Mr.. Tucker said he thought
| they were the champions of the fundamental
| idea of selfgovernment.
| What is selfgovernment? 1t is, that each
man should have the poa0er to govern his own
right, free from the power of any other; but as
each man cannot practically have this exclu-
sive power, the practical idea of selfgovern-
ment is. that the people who have common
homogeneous interest or right shall have this
| exclusive power to manage and control it In
other words, give power to control the right to
him, who holds it. To give it to others is to
subject the right to a foreign control, and thus
| to the tyranny of one man over another. Dr.
vorce power from right, and tyranny lives and
liberty must die. Wed power to right, and
liberty will live and tyranny must die!
In all the history of civilization and especially
in modern times in Europe, the struggle has
been for this selfgovernment by localities
and provinces against the imperial power of
centralism.
| In France the subtle and crafty policy OF
Louis XII. to that of Louis XIV, broke the To-
cal authority of the Provinces. and merged all
power in the. crown, until Louis XIV declared
L Fiat, Cest moi 1.-The State is me! The lib
critics of the people are subject to the tyranny
| of one man!
| In England, the struggle was more propiti-
GUS to liberty, and 1t would be interesting to
trace the steps by which, under the Conserv-
atism of local authority against the central
power, the free Institutions of our fatherland
became firmly established; but have no time
to do il now.
How has 1t been in Americas
Under the order of Divine Providence thir-
teen distinct and separate colonies were found
| ed here. Each was independent of every other
and they were bound together by the liga-
ament of common crown.
When our independence was secured by our
Revolution century ago, the States. which
arose out.of the colonial condition. became free,
sovereign, and independent.
The question presented to them was, how
can any one OF these States defend itself against
foreign domination? and how can they avoid
domestic wars? And if each, to protect itself
against foreign nations and its neighbors, must
have standing armies, how can liberty sur
vive? For our fathers knew that standing ar
mics were fatal to liberty. The sword placed
| in the hands of government to protect against
| foreign foes has ever been turned by it against
| the bosom Of a peoples freedom. citizen
soldiery is the best security of people against
| foreign enemies and for popular liberty. And
| In America we nave demonstrated LlaG Jle
| volunteer soldiers who wore the blue or the
gray, equal in prov ess on the fields where they
fought in civil strife, can, when now united
under common flag. defend us against a
world in arms, without peril to the liberty OF
the people.
But while union of all would secure us
against foreign foes, and against domestic feud S
between the members, the question was still
| to he sol we'd how We cOuld give sO m uch mower
to the General Government and yet leave to
each State the exclusive power to regulate its
own interests and govern Its own peculiar
| rights?
| Our federative system was grand solution Of
this problem Those powers which concerned
the rights and interests of all were given to all
| in union and those powers which concerned
the peculiar rights and interest of each were re-
served to each exclusively. This was State
Rights, often and of late SO foolishly derided
Slavery in part of the States was expressly
secured by the Constitution against Federal in
reference or that of the other States. And
when. as the South thought, the Federal gov
eminent threatened the safety Of this local
Institution, the Southern States asserted the
right of secession to withdraw their local rights
and interests from the control of the central
power.
The North fought for Union. That was Its
noble thought for which 1t imperiled the lives
of its soldiers
The South fought for local self-gov eminent
as essential to all Its liberties; for if slavery
so amply secured, could be broken down by
| the Federal power, all reserved rights of each
| and every State were at the mercy OF the CEN
| trail authority. That was the noble thought
the great idea-for which these men died.
Let no man say they died to secure the man.
acles on the limbs Of the slave. They died &C
preserve the liberty of each people to direct
and control its own peculiar rights, slavery in.
cluded. from the domination of a central au.
thority in which no such power was vested by
| the Constitution of the country.
The war closed. Slavery and secession are
extinguisbed by the 18th and l4th Amend
ments. We have, in the language of Chief
Justice Chase, ian indissoluble Union of in.
destructible States" The American decree
has gone forth. the States cannot destroy the
Union, and the Union must not destroy thu
States.