The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-03

! Just showered down from the heavens
| for the benefit of these poor unfortunate men.
/ say that this government should help them, if
necessary, and if they are in want, because they
are entitled to IT, want to give you my idea of
what / think and women are entitled to,
where they do honor 20 their country.
! Now. ladies and gentlemen of Indianapolis, /
| hope that you will build this monument the
memory of these men; and if you are satisfied
that you are not able to do it-that it is too great
tax on you-just let me know how much it
! Is and vii Duild 1t myself for you. lap
| plause 1t is the easiest thing in the world
for you to build it, and build it high
enolgh. and wide enough, and broad enough to
| chisel every mans name upon it who went from
Indiana and died that this country might live
and let it be lasting monument in honor to the
memory of the dead soldier, aud let il be An hon
or and credit to the State of Indiana, we'll
After an intermission of moment or two the
venerable James E. Murdoch, of Cincinnati
whose advanced age was strongly marked in his
| appearance, stepped slowly before the audience,
and while he carefully and with feeble hand I'M
folded the copy of his recitation, was
heartily applauded Whatever expectation the
audience may have had that his great age would
manifest itself in his effort, az we'll as in the
movements, the silvered hair and the wrinkled
face of the great elocutionist familiar to the
public for more than half century,
soon disappeared when the countenance of
the old gentleman lighted up as he began his
recitation Of "Sheridan's Ride" which was
dered with wonderful power Of express
manifest fervor Of feeling. Mr. MUIR
doch prefaced his recitation by saying:
las look over this audience feel that would
rather say some of the words find yelling up
Say them.'l No. I'll forego infctng my
own language upon you. William Cullen
Bryant, himself poet, said of Mr.. Reeds poem
that it would live longer than Scotte 'Lochin-
var" and that he thought immor tai This poem
will live with the Nation and only cease
to be when the flag once threatened and
30 gallantly defended shall cease to wave"
The recitation was twice interrupted by ap-
plaHse and Mr.. Murdoch returned to his seat
amid the Unconstitutional admiration of -
hearers.
'Tenting on the Old Camp ground" was ad-
mrably sung by Mrs. W. c. Lynn, Mrs S. L.
Morrison Mr. 0. w. Williams and Mr.. S. L.
Morrison, and they were warmly applauded.
GEN. WILLIAM T. GIBSON.
The next speaker was Gen. William T. Glib
son. of Ohio whose reputation as an entertain
ing speaker had led the audience to anticipate a
treat, and his appearance was greeted with sp-
plause. He spoke as follows:
This is vast concourse Of people, and ] i'm
aglne all, soldiers or not are glad to be here
You and have lived in wonderful age of che
worlds history. How these three decades have
gone, freghted with events the most startling
and important for humanity. Why, we have
wrought within the last twenty five years more
than the world has accomplished during
turtles in the past Since the birth of the
American Republic Christian civilization
has triumphs than had
been won before since the birth of the NaZarene.
We come together here as soldiers and as sol
diers' fri n g, TO talk about monument. Per-
nit me to talk little about the war. That
should be acceptable, because more than twelve
millions of the thirty one millions who lived at
its beginning now in the cemeteries More
than twenty-five millions of the sixty millions
of our people to-day have been born since Lee re-
versed his sword to Gen. Grant at Appomattox.
Where the men who went from Indiana to
more than one hundred battle-fields? Who fol
LEVIED Grant, who marched with Sherman from
Chattanooga, through the valleys, up the noun
tain slopes and across the hills down to Savan-
naha The precious ashes of the children of In
diana lie scattered from beyond the Father of
Waters down to the capes of Virginia, in the
cotton fields and canebrakes, on the hill slopes
and mountain heights They laid down their
iives. and we gather today to do homage to their
memory. / look these old battle-fags
which l have gazed upon as they were borne
amid the smoke of battle and the crash of can
non, and see them denuded by shot and she'll
Some men tell me must say nothing about that,
about whom it was done by. l say it was done
by the enemies of my country, of civilization
and of God. The men Of Indiana went down
there to clean them out, and they did it. 1t was
wonderful war and it cost great deal. but it
saved republic We learned great deal We
learned to be manly and devoted to the right,
and we learned submission and obedience.
We got there, and there was not much left be-
hind US when we did get there nothing worth
fighting about. From the day our flag came in
sight of Tunnel Hill until Atlanta went up in
smoke, not a man marched or slept except to the
music of cannon and rifle. Ii cost MANY lives,
and made many widows and orphans. But after
they were yanquishtd we took them up, washed
thay,> oil fhnpn MI her
on their feet again, and forgave them.
Wasn't that buliya Cheers and laughter
We used to sing well hang Jeff Davis a
sour appe-tree' You Hoosiers sung it. Well,
we didn't do it. We didnthang body. Some
people are sorry for it; am not. This is Ma
ton of marvellous triumph and our greatest tri-
umph was not in putting down the Rebellion but
after the last shot had been fired. Other m
tions, after civil war, erect the scaffold, and
bring the knife and halter to their
terrible work. 1t reserved for the
American people with victorious army, under
a peerless general, to do what had never been
done in the history Of the race. We did not
hang anybody. Let jefferson Davis, harmless
old man eighty-three years old. blow. If he can
get school children to scatter flowers in his path
and people sing songs, 1t doesn't hurt us. But
let us remember that we triumphed; that we
right and the Rebellion crime; that
right then is eternally right and rebellion eter-
nally wrong.
1t is better Republic to-day than when Sber-
man started to the sea- We have one Consttu
ton. one flag, and Senators from Plymouth
Rock sit down in council with Senators from
South Carolina and Texas, from California and
and the shores of the Columbia There were
only thirty-one millions of people when
the war commenced, and None-eighth of
them were slaves To day we have sixty mill
ions, and not a slave can breathe American air.
We were dealing in babes-making merchan-
disc of hesh and blood. To-day we are not in
that business at all. Before the war, in many
of the American States it a crime 90 teach
a colored child to read the Lords prayer To-day
there are school houses for colored children and
colleges for that race in the South as we'll IS
in the North-colleges in which colored persons
are educated to 60 out as teachers, preachers
and professional and business men To-day the
light of knowledge is burning in the huts and
houses of Gods poor in the rebelling South. We
taught them good many things down there. |
was at Nashville three years ago, and found