The Portland daily press., 1888-07-04

OF Constitutional YlndleattOn, In another OF
Constitutional Interpretation. But in any
phrase may be used. Conflicting convictions
interests, passions, were all so absolute. 30
complicated, so powerful, so denant, that,
however the lover Of peace and OF the mild
sway OF reason may deplore the tragedy, II
was forecast in the nature OF man. The issue
at stake was ostensibly the nature and vital
ity OF great political union. But beneath
and beyond lay the problem OF q social and
industrial system lnextricably involved Dy
the compromises Of the Constitution with the
national conscience and the national life. IL
was war without precedent for the grand
eur OF its significance, for the vastness OF lts
resources, and for the stern tenacity Of its
combatants. 1t was contest not Of regular
armies nor Of mereenary leyies to crafty dy-
nastic ambition or to extend ruthless con-
quest but Of republican citizens self-organ-
lied into military hosts TO maintain conflict
ing principles held with equal sincerity and
defended with equal courage. Only Ameri-
can yalor could hope successfully to assail
American Union, and nothing but the same
val0r could successfully maintain IT, Yet
even that heroic devotion might not have
wlthstood the fiery onset Of an equally reso-
Lutte political conviction. But when Union
became identical in the mirds Of its defend
ers with human liberty and human welfare,
then the stars in their courses, the hopes and
prayers Of mankind, fought for the Union,
and even IL the conflict had lasted hundred
years the final event Of the mighty assault
upon the Union would have been typifed in
the last, brave, desperate deed upon this
field upon this day twenty-five years ago, the
steady, stern, magnificent, her0ic,-hopeless,
charge Of the gallant Pickett.
But that the glory OF this day, and OF Amer
lea, and OF human nature, may be full, IL Is
the veterans and survivors Of the armies
whose tremendous conflict Interpreted the
Constitution, who today, here upon the field
OF battle and upon It's twenty-ffth annlver-
sary, clasp friendly hands Of sympathy to
without precedent in history. No field Of
the cloth OF gold, or Of the grounded arms,
no splendid scene Of the royal adjustment Of
conquests, the diplomatic settlement Of treat
les, or the papal Indictment Of erusades,
this simple pageant. 1t Is not for one who
dld not bear arms In the strife to attempt to
express the emotion which fills the heart OF
every veteran upon this field at this moment
and which the glowing words Of welcome
and response that have been already spoken
by those whose title to speak is the highest
possible, have adequately and eloquently ex-
pressed. Nor would you ask of me to repeat
to you the details Of a battle Of which you
were the c0mbatants, battle in which every
soldier was hero, where dauntless courage
and sublime resolve contested every step,
and where, amid the awful scene, as a
thousand fond traditions tell, the truest and
tenderest and l0ftiest qualities Of American
manhood, in life and in death, were equally
displayed.
Twenty-Five years ago, soldiers Of the gray
breaking up on the Rappahannock Just a
month before this day, your hearts beating
high with the joy Of many victories. yoar
hopes bent upon turning back triumphantly
foe, and crossing the Potomac moved swiftly
forward up the Cumberland valley, your
fires by night flashing against Wonder noun
tains, your long stretched lines by day press
ing forward until they hoyered around this
spot, reaching In sudden incursiOns even
across the Susquehanna and meditating in
the tranquil heart Of great and prosperous
commonwealth. a mighty blow which should
shake the capital. dishearten the people and
practically decide the issue of the war The
last sun Of June sinking behind the western
mountains saw your force concentrating
yonder to the northwest, perieously near TO
this little town and TRANQUILITY awaiting the
dawn Of day Of anticipated victory. Mean
while, soldiers OF the blue, long-tried. untir-
ing ing ana undlsmayed, marched farther to the
northward on various lines, uncertain OF the
point where battle would be offered but
pressing steadily under burning sun, look
ing Tor the foe, undlsturbed although upon
your march your Commanding General was
changed, still pushing Jon toward the spot
which sheltered hitherto In happy obscurfty,
was about to be baptised with fire and blood
into fame as wide and lasting as that Of
dhermopyla, and Blenheim, and Bunker
The sun of Gettysburg rose on the first of
July and saw the army Of the gray already
advancing In line Of battle the army of the
blue still Fastening eagerly forward and con
yerging to this point, The glory Of midsum-
mer nlled this landscape as Ii nature had
arrayed a fitting scene for transcendent
event. Once more the unquailing lines SO
long arrayed against each other stood face to
lace. once more. the inexpressible emotion
mingled OF yearning memory, Of fond affec-
ton. OF dread foreboding, Of high hope, OF
patriotic enthusiasm. and Of stern resolve,
swept for moment over thousands Of brave
hearts, and the next instant the overwhelm-
Ing storm OF battle burst. For three long,
proud, immortal days It ragged and swayed,
VOLTS Hill and Culps Hill, then sweeping
back. with desperate fury striking the Peach
Orchard and dashing with flash and roar
upon Little Round Top, raging in DEVILS
the sky obscured; with shouting charge, and
rattllng volley, and laundering cannonade
piling the ground with mangled and bleeding
biue and gray, the old. the young, but al
ways and everywhere the devoted and the
brave. Doubtful the battle hung and
paused. Then formidable bolt Of war was
forged on y0nder wooded height and
launched with whitening blasts and roar of
IRE against the foe. 1t was living bolt and
sPea as Il Iesistiess. IL reached and touched
pierced the line. For one brief moment in
the sharp agony Of mortal strife il held its
own. IL was the supreme moment Of the
peril Of the Union. 1t was the heric crisis
9I the war. But the fiery force was spent.
In one last. wild, tumultuous struggle brave
| men dashed headlong against men as brave.
| and the next moment that awful bolt Of dar-
ing courage was melted In the fervent heat
OF an equal valor, and the battle of Gettys-
burg was fought.
/ If the rising eun of tho Afh 81 T.1.. 5000
looked upon sad and unwonted scene. q
desolate battlefield, upon which the comba-
tants upon either side had been American
| citizens, yet those eombatants could they
have seen Alright would have hailed that day
as more glorious than ever before. For a.
the children Of Israel beheld Moses descend.
ing amid the clouds and thunder Of the
sacred mount bearing the divinely illumin-
| ated law, so from that smoking and blood
drenched field on which all hope of future
/ Union might seem to have perished utterly,
| they would have seen more perfect Union
| rising, with the Constitution at last immuta.
| bly, interpreted, and they would have heard
before they were uttered by human lips, ths
words OF which Gettysburg is the immorta
pledge TO mankind, government Of the peo
pie, by the people, for the people, shall no
| perish from the earth.
The sun that set on Gettysburg had no
seen, indeed, the end Of the war. The army
that withdrew from the deld maintained
l
skill, courage, and persistence. which
| although they could not summon on eithei
side Drawer men than fought at Gettysburg
called larger armies to the field and demand
ed still greater sacrifice. The actual ssu.
was long delayed. But not one army alon,
determined the result, 1t was the co-opera
tion Of the East and the West which a
length prevailed. Here at Gettysburg Meade
and his illustrious lteutenants had writer
their names in our history. With othel
fields the famous captains of the last grea
| chief Of the war have identified their renOwn
Sherman, who has Out-lived all foes ant
calls every true-hearted American his friend
the silent, noble, generous Thomas; Sheri
dan, our romantic Murat, our chiyalrit
| Rupert, whose laurels will crown with un
fading lustre the memory of the bravest O.
the brave; and a great multitude OF gallan
| officers worthy TO rank with these and Il
lead men as dauntless as the men the,
fought. But by happy Providence 1t wa
decreed that the leader of all these leader,
and OF the united armies should be patriO
with whom, at the head of million Of vic
torions soldiers, American liberty was a,
secure as 1t was with Washington, who's
magnanlmity was worthy of his country
who, dying, knew no section and no foe, ant
by whose bier, forecasting the happy day
that we behold, walked, mourning and hon
Oring, the lieutenants Of Lee, his old foemeI
in the field. Might people not justly con
slider itself the favorite Of heaven which, le,
by Washington to Independence, then tori
by angry domestic strife, should find itsel
brought to perfect and enduring peace, will
malice toward none, with charity for all. b!