, 1888-12-20

In this the general made mistake.
The links that unite us were welded when
we stood together as comrades on holy
ground, fighting for eternal right Where
Is holy grOundp Ii anywhere 1T Is where
u man freely dies for his fellow-men.
That sublime privilege was the crown of
Lincoln's tame, and we of the Loyal lie.
gion and our comrades of the grand army
can reverenty thank God that we were
permitted to stand by Lincoln in the
deadly crisis of our nations history.
What shall be the teaching which the
Loyal Legion shall give to the companions
of the order? II goes without saying that
the ideas we fought for are the principles
of the Loyal Legion. Those ideas, with
out regard to sect or party are
hat the American Republic, in
h language ct the supreme court, is
IAN indestructabie union of indestruct-
able states The general government
was threatened by the doctrine that the al.
legiance of the citizen was due only to his
state. Our faith in that the citizen IS allie
glance is to the United States aud that
the United States is. in authority aud
duty, in the fullest possible sense nation.
The contention OF our adversaries was that
slavery was national, perpetual, and OF di-
vine origin. Our faith is that the statute
false and fatal phautasy that man can
hold property in man. The cornerstone
Of the slave'holdiug system was the inn
pious dogma that might makes right"
The trait of the serpent rs over all human
society and is found where the
footprint of slave was never
seen. The faith Of the Loyal
Legion Is that universal suffrage ls essen
tlal to liberty and that there can be no fit
ting exercise and no full enjoyment of the.
right or suffrage without universal educa-
tlon. Weaker nations around us with
whom we deal, the Indians, the children
or misfortune, OF poverty, of evil habits
and Of crime. who are Mt all our doors,
the faith we learn in the school of war
with respect 10 them all. is that they are
the offspring OF our comuIon father aud
that social distinctions, wealth, learning
and other advantages outside of the char
acter were of little await in that bloody
trial, and that everything there was de-
ferred TO manhood. Therefore we would,
in sympathy with manhood and respect
for manhood wherever it is found. Above
all. our faith Is in America and American
principles. We have no quarrels with
Europe or any foreign people, bur we pre-.
ter that their notions, follies, vices and
perils should remain on the other side of
the Atlantic. We have enough vices, fol-
lies aud perils of our own; we import
from Europe altogether too many. We
believe in an American bone and in the
character aud virtue of American women
which make American homes happy.
When great trials came and calamity was
to be met and sacrifices made
Mr.. Lincoln could say: IF all
that has been said by orators and poets
since the creation of the world in praise
,E
America 1t would not do them Justice
for their conduct during the war; God
bless the women of America. Finally,
one of the mistakes of the rebellion was
unduly to exalt what they call sovereign
states" They thought each state should
have its own flag, each would represent
separate government, and all of
them would wave helplessly and miser-
ably over states discordant, discovered,
billgerent." The faith of Loyal Legion
is the reverse of all this. We believe that
the whole of the American republic, every
state and every acre in every state, be-
longs to one flag, the old flag, the stars
and stripes, the flag of Washington and
Lincoln, the flag OF tine United States. II
represents people great. prosperous and
happy, whose heritage will be as long as
they are guided by wisdom and justice,
enjoyment of unbroken harmnoy and per-
petual peace
AT the conclusion of General Hayes
speech the bauqneters stood aud drained
their cups to the health and longevity of
the Loyal Legion. Other toasts were re-
sponded toby Lieutenant J. s. Ostrander,
Captain Eugene Cary of Chicago, Colonel
ID. w. McClurg and Colonel ID. r.. Dwyer
of st. Louis. The attendance of distin-
guished soldiers from all over the country
was very large.