The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1884-05-30

his happy home with their childish beauty
and grace, all united to seduce him from
duty and render him recreant to the call
Of his country in her dire extremity. I'm
like the Crusader Soldiery of Csur de
Leon who left the luxury and security OF
their island home for the bleak and torrid
shores of southwestern Asia they had no
hopes Of glory, or heavenly crown, offered
them by a pseudo omnipotent church. They
were SIMPLY animated by loyal devotion to
hereditary principle and national unity.
They heard afar pouring up like flood
from the gulf, the battle cry of Secession
and constitutional liberty" drowned ore
uttered by the mighty slogan of Freedom
and the Union foreverl" They were an
mated by the grand spirit of the men who
followed the patriot Garrabaldi in one of
his memorable campaigns He called
them about him and told them of the long
marches and terrible battles which were
before them. What" they said. twill
we receive for this" Hunger and thirst
and battle wounds and DEATH" was the
reply. They looked at each other and they
looked into the face of their great lie ad-
err ablaze with the light Of great purpose;
and. at last. kipdled by the fire of his eye
threw their arms aloft and cried 1--WE are
the men-we are the men!" All honor be
to the crusader soldiery of your noble
Gtota yh. 10 h,,V nd
thirst and battle wounds and death" for
pure and disinterested devotion to the
National unity of our great republic.
And none the less does the glory of the
achievement stand forth when we consider
that Michigan met and triumphed over
fOemen worthy Of her steel. That in the
opposing ranks stood the children of those
noble soldiers whose names are embalmed
Forever in our history, and shed the great
est lustre upon our National arms during
the struggle of rs. 1t is no honor to con
quer recreant and cowardly enemy. 1t is
no honor to CALAMITY charge bastard,
fleeing foe, to bravely oppose men cowed
and debased by ignoble crime and con-
scious treason-but when we say that the
gallant soldiery who lie sleeping around
us, whose memory we have to-day assem-
bled 10 honor, met and conquered men
whose bravery would not have disgraced
the Spartan band of Thermopile-men
fighting around their own homes-and for
opinions which were part of their sec
tional history-a new halo rests on every
grave and illumines the page Of their
story. All, when Columbia Vfct,1r stood
at last over her PROSTATE foe every leaf of
her laurel crown was bought with the
blood of thousands slain. Well does
Michigan's gallant son Adj. General Rob-
ertson voice this tribute to the fallen foe.
"And while we claim gallant services and
noble deeds for Michigan troops. said he,
1--WE must acknowledge and award bravery
to their opponents. However much we
may condemn their cause and repudiate
their action, we must accord them de-
gree of courage and gallantry in battle
worthy of Americans. For although for
the Federal in blue was reserved the
laurel, they shared with the the Confed-
crates in gray the cypress, and while we
claim the rose for the graves Of our dead,
we may afford to concede to theirs the
lily.
Trsm eur dead foemen come no Gliding forth,
We live at peace; Heaven knows no South nor
North.
With roots Of trees and flowers and ferns and
heather;
God reaches down and clasps our hands together p"
Not only is this true in death but in life
we are not divided. Truly may it be
said Of our happy land nov civil wounds
are stopped, peace lives again." and hands
and hearts are again united with much of
the fraternal and loyal enthusiasm of the
earlier periods Of our history. 1t is not
with us, as with the people Of other lands,
an unwilling union of antagonistic states.
Imperial Russia with its Poland, Monarch
ical Britain with its Ireland and India,
Prussia with her Alsace, Silesia and Lor
rainc, and every government save one on
whom the sun shines has pendant before
the eyes of its people the glittering bayo-
net as the symbol of its power, ready at
the least demonstration to pin the brave and
independent to earth and strike the abject
to their knees. Around each monarchical
throne or presidential chair from the Re-
public of France to the despotism Of the
Ottoman Empire the flashing bayonet
machinery of armed soldiery rsvolves,
preserving unity Of domain, sealing the
lips Of freemen. and supplanting love and
reason by subserviency and fearl But not
80 in our own beloved land. Slavery, the
"apple Of discord" removed. national
unity maintained, the great wound Of
the terrible struggle has healed without q
scar! And Columbia now stands united
in Wdr-united IN Psdce-united .foreper
in the hearts Of our countrymenl Her
existence is not only Blessing to her
people but benediction to all mankind.
L