The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-06-01

brought to the theme new brilliancy and bright
ness of thought, it is worthy of notice that the
patriotic endeavor to pay homage to the nations
dead heroes called forth, on Memorial Day,
many forensic efforts deserving more than the
passing notice which they receive on such an
occasion. Right here, at the National Capital,
local incident of the late war served to bring
about an address which has at least the merit of
novelty and which may be considered 'interest-
ing reading' by THE SUNDAY HERALD's
readers, although it can be placed before
them in translation only, the address
itself having been delivered in German by the
editor of our German contemporary, the Jour
nal, Mr.. d. Skutsch. The incident referred to
is the death, at the beginning of the war, of
two of the German volunteers composing the
Eighth Battalion of the District of Columbia
Volunteers, called into service on April II,
1861. These men, whose names were Kicks
and Oil, are buried at Prospect Hill Cemetery,
about a mile and half north of the Capitol
Building, where many other Union
soldiers of the German nationality
have since been inferred. Kicks and
Oil fell in some outpost skirmishes near the
Little Falls of the Potomac, and their comrades
of the Eighth Battalion, under whose auspices
the memorial exercises at Prospect Hill and st.
Mary's cemeteries took place, held special SER
vices over their graves, when Mr.. Skutsch deliv
cred the following address, which may be prop
erly characterized as plea for German unity
on this side of the Atlantic, but for patriotic
purposes:
Now that all nature is again in verdure clad;
that fields and forests, gardens and groves, ap-
pear again rejuvenated in the garb of lovely
spring; now that new life has sprung forth where
the lev breath of winter had held all animation
s11cpnn1p6 find ourselves. in the midst of all
these evidences of life and health, here, at the
home of peace, of seclusion, and of eternal rest,
to look back upon the dead past.
We are assembled to-day to pay our tribute
of love and devotion to those who are past all
earthly sorrow and trouble, who have returned
to that bourne whence, as the poet says, mo
traveller ever returned"
This our tribute, this homage is paid to those
who in patriotic devotion to the country of their
choice, the country which most closely ap
preached their ideal of land of liberty, took up
their arms for its maintenance as such, who
helped to fight its battles and to win its glorious
victories, until they themselves have passed over
to that great army beyond whose silent, endless
legons our minds cannot conceive
Wars noisy activity has long since ceased:
those who We're once arrayed in sanguine war
fare against each other have long since returned
to the calm occupations of peace over the graves
of dear friends the hands of the men of the
North and the South have long since grasped
each other in fraternal spirit, and in common
they are now strvingto contribute to common
country's greatness and prosperity. 1t is not in
spirit of hatred, therefore, that we are here
united to-day-we would but recall anew low
ipply to our memories thoughts of the dear de-
parted and of the duties which they, as our ex-
amples, have left US as heritage.
OF these duties we adopted citizens are re-
minded by every last resting place upon this
hallowed spot-a silent admoniton of the dead
and to ourselves
Not upon the field of honor alone are there
duties to perform for the patriotic citizen, there
are also duties which claim our obedience
in the calm pursuit of peaceful development.
Not only should our own welfare claim our eX-
ertion and attention, but there are common in
terests which must be preserved.
If the German element of this country does
not wish to expose itself to the wel-grounded
charge that it places material success above all
other aims and objects of human existence, then
it will have TO devote itself to those duties in
the future in greater degree than 1t has done
heretofore But it will then also find that it is
much easier to prevent unjust and oppressive
legislation by attacking the evil at its roots
than to avoid the consequences of such legsla-
tion when it has once assumed legal force.
In nine great States of this Union no Gov
eruor no Legislature, could be elected if they
should be unfriendly disposed toward the just
claims of the German element, If it would but
assert its Inherent power and political strength.
No man could be elevated to the Office of Presi-
dent of the United States by one or the other
of the two great parties of our land who should
bear upon his brow the Gains mark of know
nothngism.
The principle of political equality, upon
which our entire system of government rests,
places into the hands of every one by far the
most powerful weapon of self-defense mans in
genuity ever creRted-the elective franchise.
Has the German element properly appreci-
ated this weapon, has it done justice to its re-
sponsibility as an important, integral part or
this free nation glance at the political sit
uation of to-day will show it. Let us look be-
yond the narrow confines of the place where
we, an insignfcantly small portion of that ele-
ment comprising millions of the inhabitants of
this Union, are assembled to do honor to our
dead, the heroes of the Union.
Let our eyes wander to yonder stately dome
under whose massive colonnades are enthroned
not only the legislative power of this country,
but also the highest judicial tribunal which
passes in judgment upon the DEGREES of those
legislative bodies. We find that this German
element, one-seyenth of the entire population
of the Union, is neither represented upon that
judicial tribunal nor in the Senate OF the United
States by but single voice. We find that
among the hundreds of Representatives from
all parts of this great land in the National
House of Representatives hardly a tftieth part
speaks as the mother tongue those sounds so
welcome to our ears and our hearts. Can there
be valid reasons, in system of government
based upon the broadest foundations of univer-
sal equality, for such disproportionate represen-
tation of popular elements claiming common
rights? Such supposition would be hardly
justihable. There is not a city of any extent
in this country where men of German origin dc
not hold places of honor among the foremost
members of the legal fraternity. There are not
many portions OF this great land in which meI
of German descent have not made their way tc
the front ranks of citizenship by their great
personal qualifications, by their brilliant sue
-cesses upon the fields OF industry, commerce
the arts and sciences, or by their success in car
-np for nublic interests or by their philanthropy