The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-19
BUILDING MONUME ITS
The Reasons Why Public Memorials Are
Erected to the Honor of Men.
Recalling Facts of History Which viii Be of
Interest to the Grand Army Boys-The
Disloyalty Of Some Prominent Men.

Written for the indianapolis Journal.
In this day of men and monuments, it seems
that the people of the United States ought to
pause and consider the real meaning OF monu-
ments. OF course, they would not care to build
monuments to men whose lives have not been
distinguished above others for public duties
bravely done. In the selection of the objects OF
such honors they ought not to unfortunately
award such commemoration. 9th
wise, their statues and obelisks will lack all real
significance; or, worse, viii 60 to the future as
testimonials that either ignorantly or willfully
their builders would abolish the distinction be-
tween virtue and vice. patriotism and treason,
efforts to save. and efforts to obstruct and destroy
public liberty and welfare. Just now the American
people are in a fair way to obliterate all distinc-
ton. so far as they can, between those who have
taken care to know their duty to their country in
its hour of trial and danger, and. knowing. to do
it, and those who, either knowing or ignoring it,
have done their utmost to destroy it, or suffer
others to destroyit while they looked on silently,
or openly gave encouragement to its a~ssailments.
To-day there are as many monuments to the
Lost Cause and its heroes, as to the cause OF
eAS 1A1h 1AAN " 1oAO<St WAO0O AAAh NSN
gave the Nation an assured foundation for any
monument at all. Lees monument, at New
Orleans, is finished and unveiled. while
that intended to commemorate the heroism of
jackson in defending and saving the city from
capture and pillags by the British in 1916. still
remains unfinished. Why should such indecent
haste be displayed in commemorating Lee. who
lent his sword and genius to destroy the country
and government that educated him, while such
disgraceful delay attends the attempt to COM
memorate the great and patriotic soldier whose
sword and courage added glory to the whole
country? The whole South is full; of monuments
whose silent stones utter the prayers which
reasonable lips dare no longer to utter, and inn
precate the vengeance of God against q cause and
land 1T tried In vain to destroy. 'Deo viudlce"
engraEen upon its monuments testify to the
spirit of those who erected them, while hard by
IN our national cemeteries, in kindlier spirit, the
little monument, erected by living heroes to their
dead comrades, tells us that-'Dum silent
CLAIMANT" All this is fit. 1t is fit that no who
died for the wrong should die with an imprecar
ton of vengeance upon his lips, and that his
monument should voice his curse to the future,
to tell that he invoked the vengeance of God in
vain against the righteous cause; whilst the ST.
lent prayers of those who died for it will be an
swered by its perpetual triumph, and the land
whose union and freedom theysaved will remain
their everlasting monument. Wrong and wrong
doors build against fate, and their memorials
shall rot, while right and right-doers are CO.
workers OF God, whe will take care of His own.
Still, | respect him who went down in battle for
the wrong, believing it right and uttering his
dying curse on his foes from bloody lips; and
can tolerate even the perpetuation
of his curse by mistaken friends, in
monumental granite. The stone will crumble
and the impotent cause will die. But what shall
we say of the spirit that in the day of national
danger and disaster complacently smiled on
treason, and. under the secure protection of the
government which it designed to destroy, gave
aid and comfort to armies arrayec for its destruc-
tion9 What monuments shall men who love
their country build to the men of that spirit3
The current honors of the press and others,
offered and proposed to Horatio Seymour and
the men who co-operated with him from 1861 to
1863, have forced these questions to the front
and makes it fit for US to consider them.
The congressional delegation from New York
with one voice proclaims the grounds upon which
national honors are due to the dead Seymour
when they say: In common with the people of
the State of New York and of the Nation, We
recognize in the calm and peaceful ending of his
~eventful life a fitting close to a career OF spotless
integrity, of eminent usefulness. and an I'M
swerving fidelity to every public trust, and OF
bread craftsmanship which embraced the inter
ests, welfare and honor of the whole country"
The same body speaks of his example and
achievements as "a high Inheritance" Ito guide
and help his feilow-citizens in all time" Much
"a tA0 JOLLY t6tDS S0o kA0 "a " ~ Wiz
without distinction of party. Such indiscrim-
mate praise repeated too often tends to make
iukewarm patriotism or secret disloyalty
as good as the most earnest devo-
ton to country, sealed with the final
sacrifice that love makes for fatherland.
Let it be remembered that the harvest home OF
the generation of public men that acted or failed
to act for the country, or acted against it, in its
day of trial, is at hand; and that, if there is to be
no difference in the manner of handing over
their names tn the fut11ra. fnara will ha left NO
real lesson for the future as the result of our
great aud heroic struggle for and against the
country. If, in our final estimate Of the men of
that time, there is to be held no difference il the
temper of the patriotism of Daniel r. Dickinson
and John A. Dix, and that of Fernando Wood
and Horatio Seymour; Of Oliver P. Morton and
Thomas A. Hendricks; or of Abraham Lincoln
and John Wilkes Booth, the time will have come
for us to cease to pirate about the difference be-
tween vice and virtue, good and evil, God and
mammon-aI will be equal-the traitor
'Whose treason, like a deadly blight,
Comes DER the councils of the brave,
To blast them in their hour of might"
will be just as worthy of public honor aud graft
tude as the patriot who freely gives,
1.-The last libation that liberty draws.
From the beart that bleeds and breaks in her cause"
/ think the ancient Egyptians were wiser
than We. They denied sepulture to their dead
until their lives had undergone a severe trial,
and been approved by an incorruptible court.
Let US, at leaSC, so Tar Initiate their example. IN
this respect, that we shall not honor our dead
with monuments until we have passed a just
judgment of approval upon the lives they have
lived. In view of what he has said and done in
life, can we thus Justly approve the public life of
Horatio SEYMOUR
He was in the meridian of life when Abraham
Lincoln was elected President. He knew that
his election was in every respect in strict con-
formity to the Constitution of his country. He
knew as well that every State that made that
election a pretext for secession, except South
Carolina. voted at that election; and that its vote
would he counted against him, before his election
could be declared by the constituted authority
of the country. He knew that this fact bound
those who thus voted against him, both in honor
and law, to abide by his election, and support
him as the President of their own choice. Yet
he saw most Of the seeding States, one by one.
withdraw from the Union on account of that
election, and set on foot hostile movements