The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-25


propriately honored; but that the principles, the
| cause of constitutional law the great dogTaa OF
individual liberty, for which the soldier gave or
| imperiled his life, might also be cherished, ana
| ever held up before the minds of men.
| The righteousness of the cause justifes the
| honoring of the champion. He fought that free
| government might continue to exist; that the
| Union might stand, and to make the Union what
| was intended it should be-the one great shin
| ing champion and example among the nations of
| the equality of man and the liberty OF the in
dividual. The movement against which the
| Union soldier fought was characterized by feu-
dalism, possessing all the features and the ten
/ denotes of an aristocratic oligarchy, which 1T
| sought to erect in the form of confederacy
| upon the ruins of the Union. slavery being its
chief cornerstone. The Union soldier was
| successful when Sherman marched to the
| sea-" and when, under the apple tree at
| Appomattox, Lee gave up his sword to u. S.
| unconditional surrender) Grant and abandoned
| the struggle for secession.
| 1t is the verdict of history, and the sentiment
OF poetry that earthS nobest hero is the soldier
who. without hope of glory, or expectation of
ransom, mas laid upon his country's altar his
costliest sacrifice, has paid to his country's
cause 1.-The last full measure of devotion"
That soldier has no better representative than
the Union private. Greek genius, Roman cour-
age, Carthagenian bravery, Christian martyrdom,
can show iliustrous examples. The
proudest name in history is not greater than the
soldier of the Union, who laid down his life
that others might enjoy the blessings of free
government" The results of their sacrifices
have been a benefit to the whole world and
must be forever maintained. The principles for
which they fought must never again be ques-
toned in these United States by those
who come after US by generation or
those who come to US by immigration.
And Decoration Day" means all of this 1t
means that good citizenship under the flag of
this Republic is sworn allegiance to the underly-
ing ideas of this Western system of government;
it means fidelity to law, and faithfulness to JUS
tice 1t means death to the slave drivers whip
in any and every form. 1t means the extinction
of "bulldozing" and ''boycotting"-the absence
of Terrorism" and fraudulent voting" 1t
means the retirement of the bludgeon, revolver,
shotgun, ward hummer, shoulder-hitter as polit-
ical instrumentalities. 1t means the rule of the
majority, and the submission of the minority.
1t have learned correctly the lesson of the civil
war-the lesson which is taught by these holy
graves, and the heroes who sleep beneath them
it Is that the war was waged that these graves
were rounded, and that these sleeping heroes
Were slain for the maintenance of the Union the
supremacy of government the majesty of law,
the rights of man, and the purity and strength
OF our great social fabric.
The Union had been bequeathed
from sire to son, it had proved a boon and a
blessing, and no possible good could come from
its dissolution, and now that the menace of an
armed rebellion threatened the government of
our fathers, the true men of this Nation vowed a
mighty resolve, and called upon heaven to reg
lSGcF tudG 10 SUCH CdidiulIy DIS Tie
of this Union should ever be consummated.
How true and faithful that VOW
was kept let the record of that crisis testify.
1t answers in the name of the patriotic Baker,
who left his seat in Congress to perform the du
ties Of the field, took up arms and expired on
the soil of Virginia. 1t answers in the name of
the chivalric MCPHERSON who was true as he
was brave. and as generous as he was true. 1t
answers in the name of thu heroic Lyon, who
died on the plains of glory, and lifted by the
hands OF fame to Immortality near the waters
of the Missouri. 1t answers in the names of
others equally patriotic, chivalric and heroic.
Reno, who fell on the blood stained soil of
Maryland: Kearney, who died while hearing the
| onward cry TO Richmond; Sedgwck, who met
death at his post of duty on the stony field Of
Spottsylvania Reynolds, weary and worn with
fatigue, who expired before the shouts of victory
this list we may add the name of one about
whose portrait is the drapery of death,
unusual, and unlike any festooned heretofore in
American history Abraham Lincoln, beneath
whose honest but sad face is written in letters
of blood, "Our Martyred President" But that
holy VOW to preserve the Union is answered
more significantly and impressively by the
names, known and unknown, of that great host
who passed from the ranks and left behind tes
timonials of vaor that shall survive to be emu
lated, when a coming age shall ponder over the
records Of the veterans who sanctihed the cause
of Union by their blood Decoration Day! What
does it meant It means that there is Grand
Army of the Republic filing past us with noiseless
tread, hammered with peace, and laureled with
| fadeless renown The cemetery is its camping
ground, the white stones it's tents its camp-fres
blaze in hearts, and its roll of victories en-
blaZons the national escutcheon with unfading
glory. 1t is meet that a nation rise up and do
them honor. 1t is meet that nation
move in garlanded procession to the
mortuary shrines of her noblest dead It is meet
that nation take up its grateful pilgrimage to
these mausoleums of herOsm-renowned by the
! immortal deeds and memories enshrined within.
No pyramids of marble here cover pygmies of
men. No heraldc emblazoning her fatters,
with sycophantic spirit, titled littleness. No
empty pagent here osten tatiously pays court to
empty deeds. We conscious that it is an in
| adequate expression for true greatness, 1t is
| pageantry burdened with honors it is service
| made illustrous by what it aims to give it is
pilgrimage glored by the lives and deaths it too
| poorly celebrates 1t should lift us for the day
its tide of patriotism, out of the selfishness,
hardness, and wrangle of daily life, into purer,
| kinder nobler realm of thought and feeling.
| The debt we owe at these shrines of patriot
| ism, can never be discharged. Our insolvency
stares us in the face, when come to stand
| by the graves of the men who stood between
| us and ignoble humiliation ON the perious edge
| of battle. Alas, too little do we feel and per-
| form what so avishly we promised when, with
bright banners but aching hearts, they marched
| out to the conflict, between files of weeping or
praying kindred-mothers striving, but in vain,
| to hide their tears, while they spoke words of
courage and hope; wives summoning ali their
| womanly fortitude to meet an hour livid with
unspoken anguish; sisters pressing last tokens of
comfort in the hand, and pressing last tokens of
love on the lips fathers forcing back their man
| ly emotions, that almost choked their words of
inspiring counsel; little children, with touching
tenderness throwing kisses to papa for the last
time. Our grandest eulogies are all too empty.
our most beautiful garlands are all too paltry
our studied honors all too cheap, with which
to redeem the pledges made the soldier and
his family. Shall memory prove treacherous,
and gratitude turn to ashes our lips?
No! By all the memories and heroisms
of four glorious years, no! To the extent of our
highest and best endeavor we will redeem our
| promises with tears and flowers for the dead
| sympathy and unstinted charity for the soldiers
| family There are but few private cemeteries
| throughout our vast domain that do not hold in
| their embrace the sleeping heroes who died in
the service of their country, while the national