The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1889-06-06
ON SACRED GROUND.
Veterans Rally at Their Comrades
Graves With the Mute ElO-
Quence of Flowers.

FARBAULT, Special, May 3O-Memorial
day services were begun at sunrise by
salute by the Shattuck battery, and
at o'clock national salute
of thirty eight guns, continuing while
the soldiers graves were being deco
rated by committees from Michael Cook
post At 2 p. IN. a procession under the
command of Lieut. A. T. Abbott, U. s A.
formed on Main street The procession
marched to Central Park, where the
following programme was carried out:
Music by the band; opening by
the commander of Michael Cook post; vocal
music; prayer by Rev H. f. Norton; music;
address by Rev. =. Danehy; decoration of
the cross; music by the band; benedtction
Sunset guns will be fired by Shattuck bat
tery. The address of Rev. Mr. Danehy was
as follows:
Weare assembled here to- day at the call of
love and graLitude-loVe of country and graft
itude to the men who preserved IT. The child OF
q the ages, our country was born o. love for
liberty and nurtured in struggle and adversely,
yet she had passed the age OF three score and
ten when her severest struggle came upon her,
She had met and battled successfully with the
most powerful nations of the cart h. and II might
seem that she had entered on her way to glory
untrammeed, Barry and Decatur and Perry
had borne in triumph over ali the seas that flag
which Washington and Madison and Jackson
at home had uniurled and held aloft in peerless
spleudor Wisdom in her councils and valor on
the battle field second to none OF which history
keeps the record, had made her name the terror
of tyrants and the hope of the oppressed. In
word. she America Yet America was re-
public and republics were but things of day,
ending in calamity and failure. SO the prophets
of the Old world assured us, and when our civil
war Of 81 broke out they wisely repeated. Il
told you SO
in 1861? Was the war war for the emancipa-
tion Of the colorcd race? Was it a war upon
states rights? Was it a war of externnation
wagCd bV one section OF our country upon au-
other? Not all, nor any of these; II was
in defense of the unity of our country: it
war which fixed forever the meaning of our con-
stitutiOn in its most essential pOiLt; it was
war to prove to the world that our COVE
is French revolution democracy; IL was
war to prove that our real constitution Is in the
constitution of The people. older than Jefferson,
or Washington, and greater than they, and was
generated, not written; 1t was a war to estab-
lish before the nations of the earth the truth
that the political people is the sovereign of
America, and 4 sovereign, too, that may be
trusted to do right. True, war does not
make of wrong a right, nor prove that true
which before was false. But it may prevent
wroug-doers from assailing the right, and error
from usurping the throne of truth. And the
of 1861 did this more sgnally than almost
any other known to history. 1t was a long,
costly and sanguinary war But out of it has
come united country, nation OF free men lr-
respective OF color, blood or creed, purer
America America heuceforth was synonymous
with the truth. All men are, as God made them
to be, equal before the law.
All honor then. to the men who quarter of
century ago leaped TO her rescue at their
countryS call. Men never drew the sword in
more righteous cause. and whether they still
survive to strew with flowers to-day the graves
of their fallen comrades, rest beneath the soil
which they made holy with their blood, stood
they high in command or fought in the trenches,
their unfaltcling devotion to their countrys
veal entities them to her undying gratitude;
and yet who shall say that among them all some
have not a special place in affection? Shall
not the names of Grant, and Sherman, and
Sheridan, and the great American Lincoln, touch
the deepest chord in our hearth So long as our
starry flag shall float above a free people, let
their names be in benediction throughout all
the land. And let US, to prove US worthy of the
heritage which they have bequeathed to us, hold
our country dearer than our lives, our fortunes,
or our sacred honor.