Morris tribune., 1886-06-02
VIM. C. BlCKNELL'S ADDRESS.


One of the principal speakers at the
monument on Decoration Day
was VIM. c. Bicknell. His address is as
follows:
There is a time in the history of all
nations which poets delight to picture,
and upon which historians love to dwell;
u time when men seem to separate them
selves from their fellows and become, as
it were, superior beings, performing
deeds, compared with which all other
events in their country's history seem
tame and commonplace. Such PERIOD
in a nations existence has been called It's
heroic age. Such a period in our own
nations existence we have met here
to-day to commemorate; and 1t is lifting
and proper that we should set apart one
day in each year for this purpose.
The historian tells us that Alexander
wept because there were no more worlds
to conquer; that Caesar founded an en-
pire upon the old Roman Republic; that
Bonaparte performed many bloodyldeeds.
If such facts as these are worthy to be
remembered, let us at least set apart one
day in the beautiful spring time of each
year as sacred to the memory Of those
brave men who have watered with their
blood our grand old tree of liberty
| Planted on Plymouth Rock by our Pill
| grim Fathers i'll 1920, this tree has with
stood the tempests and Whirlwinds that
have assailed it in the past, and to-day
| it stands with its tibrOuS roots sapplng
| the soil of every State and Territory, its
| broad branches extended throughout the
whole length and breadth of our land,
laden with fruit for all our people with
4 nNln I of tII1sf0
| our attention for one moment to the
| planters of this tree which you have so
| generously protected, rapidly trace its
| history down to the present time, and
see what branches these heroes have
| added We shall find that its founders
| came to this country on account OF
| oppression; that they left their native
land because they could not there enjoy
| the freedom which they desired. They
| landed on that barren coast in the begin,
ming of long and severe winter, with
out sufficient food, clothing or shelter
Concerning their suffering that first
winter the half has never been told
Surrounded by wild beasts and savages
suffering from the want of sufficient food
and clothing, wasted by famine anG
disease. they, who had been accustomed
to all the luXuries that wealth cOulC
afford,-for they were not the outcasts o1
society-endured all this for the sake O1
liberty. When the sun had turned AGAR
on his northern course, death having
thinned their ranks, but few of theil
original number could assemble on the
shore to see their frail bark launched fo1
its homeward journey. Mighty indeed
must have been the faith and the love O.
liberty which kept them from returning
1t was the manifestation of the same
spirit which afterwards broke forth il
immortal words from the lips of Patrick
i Henry" give us liberty, or give III
tdeath;" sentiments, the possessors O.
(which are indeed fit subjects to found ;
Enation. Thus we see that this principle
though but slender plant, had its root
firmly fixed in our soil from the begin
In1ng The first branch to be added wa
religious liberty. Grated to the plan
and most jealously watched and tenderl.
cared for by Roger Williams of Rhod
Island, this branch to-day bears tn
sweetest fruits. Free speech and tn
liberties of the press, finding an abl
champion in the noted young lawyer
Andrew Hamilton, of Philadelphia, wer
branches soon added. Branch afte
branch was soon added as the peopl
!, demanded their rights, and notwith
| standing the blasts and tempests from
| across the Atlantic which went tearin!
| through its limbs, often scattering it
leaves and breaking the smaller twigs
Notwithstanding the ak, from the sam
source, which was often applied to 1t
| roots by such men as Edmund Andrews
Notwithstanding all this, it grew rapid
and in 1916 it became q mighty tree il
full bloom, whose blossoms soon devel
oped into such fruit as the Declaration
/! of independence, followed soon after b.
the strongest limb of ALL the Constitu
| ton of the United States. Since tha
| time fifteen branches have been added
the last three-the thirteenth, fourteent]
!, | and fifteenth-being placed there as th
direct result of deeds performed by yo1
and your fallen comrades in the lat
| struggle. The thirteenth provides tha
neither slavery nor involuntary servi
tude, except as a punishment for crime
| whereof the party shall have been dull
! | convicted, shall exist within the Unitet
States. or any place subject to their jul
isdiction." The fourteenth, among Othe
things, provides as follows: "AIl person
| born or naturalized in the United State.
J and subject to the Jurisdiction thereof
| are citizens of the United States and tn
States wherein they reside. 10 Stat
shall make or enforce any law whicl
shall abridge the privileges or immuni
ties of citizens Of the United States; no
shall any State deprive any person o
life, liberty or property, without due pro
cess of law, nor deny to any person with
in it's jurisdiction the equal protection o
the laws" The fifteenth and last brancl
that has been added provides that 9th
rights of citizens of the United States t.
: | vote shall not be denied or abridged b.
the United States, or by any State, OF
account of race, color, or previous con
dition of servitude." These are th
principles which you and these fallel
heroes have established. 1t is CRANE
thing to die for ones liberty, but It's ia
ger. Leonidas, with his little band o
Spartans, died fighting fearful odd
when he might have escaped. He, lik
the Roman Regulus, died to save his. .ow
honor Arnold Winklereid received tn
} Austrian spears in his own side, an
thus made way for liberty. He died fo
his friends and country. But how die
your comrades whose graves are bein
J covered with flowers to-day? The
= fought not for their own freedom, nc
| that of their homes and friends; br
they fought to save q division of th
| Union, and died that race of stranger
r might be set free-might be raised frol
ignorance and superstition, and receiv
the seal of manhood on their brow.
is in memory of such heroes that W
| hahe gathered from near and from fs
, to show our appreciation of their sacr
flee by strewing their graves with flow
l ers. While we are doing this, let us M
D | forget the thousands of your comrade
O | who did not return with you, but VIII
are to-day sleeping in the sunny soutl
their graves unmarked and unknown
2 We can shed no tears, we can strew n
, flowers on their graves to-day. Let I
trust that a generous providence wi
care for these; that as the gentle de-
: comes down this evening it will refres