The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-05
CELEBRATING THE FOURTH.
RAe Day at FOrtviIle-Address by Col. John
A. Observation-Disclosures Elsewhere.


Dnce was appropriately observed here to-day by
She people of Fortville and vicinity. The local
band. a well-trained choir, and an organ fur
sished excellent music for the occasion. The
seeding of the Declaration and short addresses
By several speakers occupied the forenoon. AT
aeon an adjournment for lunch was taken.
At P. NJ. an audience of fifteen hundred to
Two thousand people assembled at the stand, IN
= beautiful grove near the edge of the town. 10
hear the address Of Col. John A. Bridgland, who
same here in response to an invitation from Sol.
d. Kempton Post, No 1923. G. A. r., OF this
place, under whose auspices the celebration was
conducted. Colonel Bridgland was escorted to
the stand. where he delivered the following ad-
dress:
ssFellow-ctizens-I affords me real pleasure
70 be with you to-day. not alone because you
nave paid me the compliment expressed in
-FOUR kind invitation to address you, but because
This is the first time since the close OF the war
for the Union that have had the pleasure OF
meeting so many soldiers of my old regiment
the Second Indiana Cavalry. which | had the
honor to organize in 1861; and at the same time,
Of impressing, il possible, upon you all the inn
portance of continuing an earnest recognition
Of our national Independence Day. / would
say to my comrades, many changes have
taken place within the last quarter
Of century. A nation has been rebuilt since
the attack upon Fort Sumter in 1861. The
acreage under the pillow has been doubled twice.
Forests have been turned into farms, farms into
villages and villages into magnificent cities
With all the losses that we sustained from 1861
30 1865, we have grown in Importance to such an
sxtent in the increase of population and every
other resource that the whole world has become
Jealous of US. England has paid US balance
{. Of trade Of 81, 300 GOO, 900 in the past fifteen
years, all the time increasing her national debt
In the meantime, France has more than doubled
her debt which is now the largest in the world
whilst our government bonds not
sufficient in amount for the convenience of the
business Of the country The people of the old
world who so long held this country in contempt,
are now jealous of our prosperity. and are
amazed at the marvellous development of our re-
sources since the close of the war. There are
about 235, 600 miles of railway in the whole
world, of which we have about l2O, OOO-more
than one-half of the grand total Our public
school system excels all others en- the
face of the globe. Our people, the most
self reliant and ambitious in all the
world, owe their success to-day to Capt.
George Washington, who resigned his commits
sion under the British government in 1859 and
after spending years upon his estates in Virginia.
was, in 1775 commissioned general by the peo-
pie of the North American colonies, who were
worn out by Oppressive taxation without repre-
Sentaton. The story of the trials and vicissi-
GUIDES of the long struggle for national independ-
es and conditions of people.
'Three-uuarters of q century passed, when
most formidable rebellion was waged against the
anton Of our States, and brought to the front
another George Washington, supported by the
immortal Lincoln and every possible instru-
mentality that could be brought to bear for the
perpetuation of the Union. For two long years.
1861 to 1863, the Union seemed to be in most
serious jeopardy. but Grant and his asso-
ciates rode booted and spurred through
rivers of blood all the way from
Mill Springs, in Missouri, to Appomattox
COURTEOUS where Lee and his army surren-
aered, receiving the most generous and honorable
terms from George Washington the second.
They have both passed away. All of the asso-
states of the first and most of the associates of
the last are numbered with the dead. But our
great Republic lives, and in my opinion will con-
hnue to live as long as the children are taught
that American liberty is the surest liberty
earth, because it is a liberty of the people and
by the people
Important any in our experience, that have
come to rs through the worst elements of the old
world. When man concludes that he will not
work for So a day, let him quit work. if it is his
pleasure to do so; but when he says. in this land
Of liberty of ours, that shall not work for that
sum, if / so wish, he becomes worse despot
than the Car of Russia. or the
If unrestrained in our country. would
soon close up our Fourth of July celebrations,
our school houses our churches, our factories
and every avenue or prosperity in our country
When such creatures present themselves in your
community, and tell you that you shall only
labor SO many hours day, and that If you do
not belong to their organization you shall not
work at all, IL you do not discountenance them
in every respect, then the lives that have been
lost during the last century, under Washington
and his associates jackson and his associates,
Grant, Sherman. Sheridan and their associates,
have been sacrificed in vain.
During my last visit to Spsin when Ihad the
pleasure of seeing grand old Grenada and the
beautiful Alhambra was profoundly impressed
by the contrast between the cities and people of
that country and those of our own. Ny valet
took me to the top of the tower at the Alhambra
and showed me the bridge where the orderly of
Ferdinand and isabella overlook Christopher
Columbus with instructions to come back to the
castle and receive the royal assistance that they
bad before refused HIM. A great nation has
grown up on the continent discovered
by the adventurous navigator who was
thus indebted to the Spanish soveregns for
the means to make his voyage of discovery. In
view of all that has been done for this genera
ton, should the people now neglect to do their
duty for the preservation of our institutions
they will have no one but themselves to blame.
1.-The bells that tolled the death knell to
human slavery, and made the Declaration of In
dependence the truth instead of a self-evident
be- as United States Senator Petit, of this
State, declared on the floor of the United States
Senate. in my opinion, have sounded the down
fall of every despotism on earth, If we prove
true to our form of government and act in sym
pathy with the other republics of the world
There are many things connected with the
last twenty five years that / would be glad TO
mention in this talk to you to-day If you had not
already heard speech making enough TO satisfy
any audience for one day. Whilst / am not in
che habit of telling anecdotes in my speeches,
/ will relate what occurred at an inter
view in 1864 at the White House,
whittier Indiana's great Governor and
statesman. Oliver p Morton, had asked
me to accompany him from Richmond to pre-
sent our condition in Indiana to the great good.
immortal Lincoln. A Law had just been passed
In our State forbidding Indiana soldiers voting
10 the field Morton was a guberpatorial and
President Lincoln presidential candidate.
There was $500 900 in the State Treasury, and
the Legislature had adjourned without making
appropriations for the management of the pris-