The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-06-07

which marked the struggle for national independ-
ence The progress Of civilization has always oeeu
by great steps, alternating with long stops, ana
sometimesIwith refrigeration; yet, each step for
vyard marks a gain which is never lost and which
gloriies the eIs In which 1t lie taken. Such step
MAS taken in the great struggle TO suppress the
rebelIion of the slave power.
In The ueht of experience and history, we can
now zee that the struggle was inevitable; that 1t
was I'm possible that our country should continue
one half free and the other half slave states-One
half abreast with the enlightened spirit of the age
and the other half holding TO the feudalism Of the
dark apes The conflict came, not through tiny
action Of the north, but because the leading men OF
the south recognized the fact that the tendency OF
the age and the progress of humanity was against
their Institution of elavery, and that TO cave that
institution they must dominate the government or
eel up one Of their own. Recogniz ng this, they
struck st the government which their ablest states
man had pronounced the best that the world ever
saw struck at the flag under whose folds they had
been protected at home and abroad, and struck az
the advancing spirit of civilization with boldness
wo. thy of a better cause. With the government
In their hands, they were enabled TO make their
preparations and to monopolize nearly all the army
and war material OF the country. We all Temem-
Der how the people of the north failed TO see the
coming storm, and refused 70 believe In the pos
sibility of war, till the sound of southern guns
awoke them from their dream of peace and reused
them TO action. We remember the great rising
that followed when every patriot, with hands up
lifted TO the old flag swOre to uphold II and 70
maintain the unity ana honor OF our county,;
four long years, till that oath was tulhiled. IL Is
for us to up results and recognize the obvious
moral. ,..,s,u,
ions of people from the tyranny Of foreign taxation
our civil war freed four millions from serVltnde,
compared u which that OF our latneTs was as
nothing Whether t. zee freed millions shall
nroft by their emancipation Is problem for
themselves TO work out The glory or the act
belonps 10 the brave hearts and strong hands or
the union soldiers. More than THE they set free
a. ,yb{ and
dAtion that resulted from the slave system even
more TO them tran TO the slave himself May
not cay we have freed ourselves and the north from
many errors and preJudices! lhe 81 uRgle has
given us lofer views of patriotism, OF uneelfsh
Geyo ion to country and its Nag; has shown us
that underneath the every day busine IS OF common
life there runs current Of chivaIric devotion TO
right and duty that only requires an occasion 10
bring Il forth. We have leaned to appreciate the
comradeehip that comes from common tolls and
common dangers in great ard noble cau5H. with
this feeling Of comTadeship we come to-day with
reyerent steps to lay Cfering on the graves OF
those who we're not permitted to see the glorious
end of the struggle.
A wagon load of flowers and wreaths of
evergreen furnished by Mrs. A. W. Terrell,
Mas b. j. Smith, Mrs. Plummer, Mrs.
Darlington, MIS-. Ryan, Mrs. Gilbert and
Mrs. Dompsky, was forwarded to the
cemetIies where they were distributed
upon the numerous graves by several
ladies and the following gentlemen: Col
onel Burke, Colonel DeGress, and Messrs.
Friedman, Richardson, Anderson, PurnelI,
Gilbert, Thomas, Stoddard, Smith, Bennett
and Mcdonald. The ladies assisting were
Mrs. w. II. Tobin and sister, Mrs. Nc
Collam, Mrs. Ntff, Mrs. Coggeshall, Mrs.
Kicker, Mrs. Gilbert, Mrs. Thomas and
Mrs. Friedman.
The graves decorated in the state GENE
terry were those of Gov. E. j. Davis, Gen
eral Albert Sydney johnson, General Ed
Burleson, General August Buchel', Col. L.
w. Ward, Colonel Frank W. Johnson,
Lieutenant Governor Donald Campbell,
Captain Forbes Britton, Capt. 7. Ii.
Williams, Chief Justice John Hemphill,
Amos Clark, j. @. Walker, w. M. Varnell,
II. Mcleod, w. L. Cakes, W. 7. Wilker-
son, Robert Creedrupt, Geo. W. Smyth,
w. L. Hunter, A. l.. Lipscomb and some
others. And in the city cemetery, Gov.
Il. M. Pesse, Maj. W. A Ryan, Major
DeNormandie, Mayor W. A. Saylor and
numerous others. There were, perhaps,
a hundred ladies engaged in the noble
work of decorating the graves of friends
in the city cemetery.