Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-08-02
Noted Men Who Gathered About the
Completed Monument.
Principles that Came with the May
Councils. Should Ac. Upon

ing the completion Of the work begun so
long ago, brought together of course a much
larger assemb!aze, and were ia all other re-
spects mos flung. They passed off with
complete sm pothness and the whole day has
been a just and appropriate honor to the
virtue ami prowess of the Pilgrim Fathers
The Grand Masonic loIige of Massachu.
setrs accompanied by several Communicates,
proceeded TO the monument at half past nine
and there performed the Masonic iedicatory
service.
The general procession was formed at II
O'Clock and consisted of seven divisions.
The first was male up Of the Grand Army
posts Of Plymouth and vicinity. The second
division WAS ma ie up of carriages containing
W. c. z. Breckinrdge. the orator; John
Boyle O'seiIly, the poet; Joha ID. Long,
president of the Pilgrim society; Congress
men Lodge and Greenhalge, William I.
Davis, chairman of the executive committee.
more than two score The Masons fl.ed the
third division and the Odd Fellow. the
fourth. The fifth division consisted of the
officers and members of the Pilgrim society
firemen and public school children coming
last.
The great dinner, where the speech making
of the day took place, was served in an i'm
mense tent. gayly decorated for the occasion.
Hon, John ID. Long, the preside IT Of the
association. was the first speaker of the day.
He said il was simply his duty TO bid the
assembly welcome to the coming delightful
cheer of eloquence and poetry. In speaking
of the monument itself, Mr. Long said
Beautiful and sublime in its colossal sim
plcity, it looks over the sea that bore the
MAY flower to the rock at its feet, aud is
backed by that mighty republic. stretching
from ocean to ocean AMI from gulf to polar
sea, IN the march of which the Pilgrim
landing was the first great heroic step. IL is
the eloquent voice of a mighty nation of
more than G0.001. 900 happy and enlightened
people, uttering their tribute to the nations
founders and signiiying their faith in its
foundations of education. morality, law and
liberty, The celebration of the completion
of the national monument 10 the Pilgrim
Fathers would indeed, he lwarfed in the
grandeur of its purpose if every State in the
Union, anl every race and color that is an
element OF the American people. were not
paft pant in person or in interest in its
de iication, for the Pilgrim still lives where
ever the American flag floats. He shines in
every star of its constellation and waves in
every stripe in its folds His stock has
characteristics and influence. moulaling its
Institutions, have spread more widely still.
The great Federal Union, mlghtcst among
the nations of the earth is itself substantially
the expansion OF his compact ia the capin ct
the MAY flower
Ms Long ther in a few well chosen
words. introduced Congressman William c. |
= Breckinbriige of X ntueky, as the orator
of the occasion.
Congres ssman Breckinr1ge delivered
most eloquent address, dwelling Mt some
length on the enduring virtue and example |
of The pil1rim Fathers.
The poet of the day was John Boyle |
or lily of Boston who was next introduced |
by President Long. The Pilgrim Fathers"
was Mr.. o'Reillys subject aud in graceful |
verse he paid just and glowing tribute to 1
those pioneer heroes Of centuries ago. The /
sylc and sentiment are well illustrated By /
the following verse
Here, on thi- rock, and on this sterile soil,
u, 1an thu Kingdom not nf kings but men
Began the making Of th" world again.
Her" centuries sank, and from the hi'her brink
A new world achc,i and rails, d Az old world link,
WLon hngll.h hands, by ~itcr vision taught,
ia -4w down the feuIal bnFS the Nuruans brought
A Mt here revived. in spite Of snnrd and stake.
rlrir aneicai freedom, Of The Wapcntake,
Her, struck the srrd the ilgrns' ronfc-s town, Z
" hese equal gats and equal bonds were set,
" here all tie p ope equal franehised met, t
wh,ru ooum was writ Of privilege and crVsp;
Where human brehih blew ali me idols down,
Where crpsis were nought, wher" vuliure flags /
furird
A nd common men began to the orld
The Grafton and poem were followed by
speeches by Senator lIosr Hon Henry Ca
bot Lodge. Lieut.. Gov. Bracket and Con /
yressmen W illiam Coggswell AMI Elijah IL. |
Morse.
Henry Cabot Lodge.
OF the many misstatements in regard to
the Pilgrim Fathers none perhaps is so mis- |
lealing as that which alleges that they came
not as the conquerors come. Whatever else
they were or were not the Pilgrim Fathers were !
conquerors. The little hand |
full of God fearing men who landed here on |
that December day. ever sacred now TO menu
ory of great deeds, and that other bands of ad |
venturous Enlishmen who built their cabins
in Virginia. were the heads of two great col |
umns which came for the conquest of the t
North American continent,
History records no conquest vaster than
this, and il is the great prototype of all the |
couqnests of the English speaking race which /
now surround the world and stretch from
pole to pole In the presence of such I
achievements we may well ask what it is that
conquerng races of other times.
The conques.s of the early eastern EN-
pires were mere subjugatious; but some
Thing still was lacking. something which
should be always vital and should never
wither That something was the principle
of representation. 70 suhjusation and in
representation in government
was added by that great conqueriug race
which has bult up commonwealths all over
the globe--the English speaking people.
This principle which they brought with them /
to this continent was planted here by the l
Pilgrim Fathers. as it was planted in Vir- 1
giniA by the London adventurers, and spread \
ing from those points IL has reached wider !
extension and greater Influence in the
United States than in any other country in
the world.
10 referring to TIE exemplificatiou of this
principle in our national council, Mr.. Lodge |
said The House of Representatives. from
one cause and another. certainly from en-
tirely false theories of government, has tied
itself up by network of rules of its own
making until it is reduced to simple inactiou.
The majority has ceased to rule and the
minority is unable to govern Great meas
ures demanded by three-quar'ers of the peo
pie withou, regard to party aud favored by
tbree-I 1arters OF the House came up oiis W
be strsngled. and the acme of Sbsur'iity is
reached when great representative and leg
islative body lives under rule which for
bids it to add to an appropriation. but only
allows il TO decrease one
The body which ought to represent today
in its finest flower the great principle of rep
resentation does not hold the position nor
have the opportunities which belong to it
The national House of Representatives of
the United States does not embody properly
the great principle of representation planted
on these shores more than $50 years ago by
the men who landed on yonsier rock
Lieut. Gov. Bracket, in the absence of
Ames, spoke for the State of Massachusetts
One of the most interesting features of the
post prandiAl exercises was the singing of
Mrs Heman's ode. The breaking waves
dashed high BY Myrou W. Whitney
The banquet was followed by = series of
open air concerts. This evening there vas
a display of fireworks, and the day closed
with a grand ball at the Armory.