The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1888-07-12
THE BLUE AND GRAY.
Re.Union Of the Unionists and Confsderates ct
Gettysburg, and Some Fraternal War Talk.

cred concert by the FrankfOrd band. Reynolds
grove was q throng of humanity for an hour
before the memorial exercises of the 1st army
corps were called to order. During the gath
ering of the audience, Gen. LOngstreet was
escorted to the stand, and hundreds of veter-
ans of the blue shook hands with him. Gov.
Beaver aud his staff and a number of con-
federate survivors occupied seats. Gems.
Beaver and Longstreet were received with
cheer Gen. Z. p Halstead, president of the
First Army Corps Association, opened the
exercises and introduced Bishop Newman OF
Washington, who, in q fervid invocation,
gave thanks for the bravery and heroism dis
played here in the maintenance of constitu-
tional liberty.
Gov. Beaver was enthusiastically received,
especially by the veterans. Gen. John c.
Robinson, orator of the occasion, thanked
Gov. Beaver for his cordial welcome ex-
tended the first army corps veterans and
comphmented the Keystone state on her
constant and substantial testimonials of ap-
probation of the soldiers. He considered
this a great day for the first army corps to
meet after quarter of a century on the field
made historic by their valor, and asserted
with emphasis that not half has been told OF
the deeds of this command in this, one of the
most important engagements during the en-
tire battle; giving full credit to what Others
had done here, he thought it should be re-
membered that here the first corps held in
CutCh IOT SiA uOuib Vi OAC SohiCu-
crate army.
George Frederick Smith, the war governor
of New Hampshire, on being introduced,
counted it one of the most important events
of his life to be present, and after brief re-
marks closed with the expression that he
should never cease to hold in highest regard
the men who had done this great country
such service as was displayed on this spot.
The confederate general, James Longstreet,
was next introduced, and received hearty
cheers. He said he was not on the field in
time to witness the engagement between the
LIST corps and the troops of the South was
glad to be present and participate in these
exercises, for he saw in them the development
of sympathy such as was born in the
hearts ofall who know how to appreciate that
feeling, and thought none knew better how to
manifest these feelings than the troops of the
LIST corps.
After speaking of the advantages of the
federal position he said that here the south
ern army met it's fate, but not for want of
valor he said: "Picket's charge has not a
parallel in the annals of war" and touching
ly alluding to the dead said, ''such is the
same service sometimes demanded by the
usages of war;" glancing toward Round Top,
lyon crowning heights are now far more
pleasant for fraternal meetings." In closing
he said "The, ladies are present, God
bless them, and may they dispel all al
lusions that may come between the people"
The band played Dixie before Long
streets speech, and yankee Doodle" after
which Gen. Fairchild was introduced and
started out with the sentence: twenty-five
years have made it possible to sandwich a
confederate and a yankee between Dixie and
Yankee Doodle"
He did not know a better object lesson for
the young than these fraternal gatherings of
those two once hostile armies He agreed
with Gov. Beavers opening remarks concern
ing the use of the Sabbath for this purpose,
and thought no day too holy to visit these
scenes and hold memorial services over the
dead. In times of war it was not too holy to
the heart this was not too holy day to pay
well-merited tribute to the dead.
Prof. Williams, of Providence, r. l., Prof.
Estine, historian of the first corps, and sever
al others spoke briefly.
SECOND DAY OF THE GETTYSBURG REUNION.
There was q strange similarity between this
day (the 3rd Of July) and that of twenty-five
years ago. Then the armies of Meade and
Lee confronted each other, So to-day the
federals and confederates were once more on
field and again was the one on Seminary Ridge
and the other on Cemetery Hill. Nothing
unusual occurred to break the monotony un-
til the Unions and Confedrates met once more
at almost the same hour at which they had
joined in deadly combat twenty five years ago.
The signal corps association of the Army of
the Potomac. Determined to erect an impos-
ing tablet on Little Round Top COM
memorative of the work done by this
branch of the army in the battle,
At the conclusion of the parade Rev. Twitch-
ell of Hartford, Conn.,, opened the exercises
with prayer. Gen. Robinson of New York
presided. The poet of the occasion, George
but part of his poem was read by Gen. Hora-
ito c. King, secretary of the Society of the
Army of the Potomac. When the orator,
George William Curtis, was presented he was
greeted with hearty applause. Mr.. Curtis
spoke as follows:
On this field we consecrate ourselves to
American union. In this hallowed ground
lie buried not only brave soldiers of the blue
and gray, but the passions of war, the jeal-
ousies of sections and the bitter root of all
our national differences-human slavery. As
the fate of Christendom was determined at
Tours, that of American Independence at
Saratoga, and that of modern Europe at
Waterloo, the destiny of the American union
was decided at Gettysburg. Fellow Ameri-
cans, in telling any part of the story of
America we seem to boast. The simple
statement of the truth sounds like fairy
tale. What other civilized state stretches
from ocean to ocean with such unchallenged
continental dominion, with such q varied
realm of natural grandeur and beauty, with
u u,
80 Industrious, SO contented? Not easily nor
rapidly can the passions sprung from bitter
local differences and cherished and strength
ened for a generation disappear. Often in
hot and reckless protestation those dying
emotions will break forth like the distant
muttering thunder of a retiring storm. But
the central fact is bright as fixed star. The
line across the Union drawn by the flaming
sword of hostile, social and industrial insti-
tutions and irreconcilable theories of the
nature and power of the government itself
this latent revolution and nascent civil
war have disappeared forever. At the end
of 100 years the Union is the sacred seamless
garment of equal rights, of harmonious in
stitutions, of accordant views of the govern
ment, in which &C, 900, 900 of people in thirty
eight states are harmoniously arrayed. The
suffrage is the handspring, the. heart of our
common life, and whatever affects Injurious
~ touches the national sensorium and the
whole country thrills. No community politi-
caIly founded upon the legal equality of the
suffrage can habitually disregard that
equality without moral deterioration, grow
ing indifference to the authority of the law,
and destruction of
THE DEMocRATIC-REPUBLICAN PRINCIPLE.
If ignorance and semi -barbarous dominance
be fatal to civilized communities, not lees SO
is constant and deliberate defiance of law.
In national union of states, where fair cleo
tions are assumed, systematic fraud or vio-
lence or oppression of votes, in the event of q
closely contested poll, would inevitably de-
stroy the conviction that the apparent re-
suit would be challenged amid disorder. 1t
is not enough that national election be
fair; it must be the national conviction that
It is fair. The citizens Of this magnificent
commonwealth cannot reach across the Po-
tomac ahd impose their will respecting the
suffrage upon the mother of states nor can
the States of New England dictate legislation
td the states Of the Northwest. But the Vir-
ginian knows that the Pennsylvanian is Wit
ally interested in his action. Iowa and Wis
consin know that Maine and Rhode Island
have common stake in such local laws, and
as Washington and Pinckney. Jefferson and
Madison and Martin took counsel with Alex.
ander Hamilton and DR.. Franklin and
Rufus and Roger Sherman, bent upon
common purpose, but with due re-
gard to every local condition, 90
will their Sons confer, fraternally forbearing,
until the great problem Of the suffrage and
all other problems are solved. Can We wrest
from the angel of this hour any blessing 90
nriceleaa A the common fea0lnti0rl that ~