Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-31

WASHINGTON, May 80. - Decoration
Day was observed as a general holiday in
this city, and all the Government offices,
departments, banks and many business
houses were closed. The day was clear and
pleasant, and large numbers of people at
tended the ceremonies at the various GENE.
teries. At Arlington the exercises began al
noon with national salute by light Bat.
terry c, Third United States Artiiley. This
was followed by music by the Marine Band
and vocal music by the Mozart Club.
A procession consisting of the committee
Of arrangements, invited guests, members oi
the G. A. R., ex-soldiers and sailors, orphan
children and citizens formed in front of the
Arlington Mansion, and headed by the
Marine Band, marched to the tomb of the
unknown" where halting, the band played
q dirge. The march was then continued by
the main road to the cemetery where the
procession separated and the graves were
decorated. After the decoration of the
graves, the procession again formed and
marched to the Amphitheater, where the SER
vices were held.
THE ORATOR OF THE DAY.
Congressman Boutelle, of Maine. deliv-
cred the oration. The address of Mr.. Bou'
telle at the Arlington Cemetery was a nota.
bic one. He spoke of the Righteousness o.
the Union cause. 1.-THE man who rallied tc
the defense of the Star Spangled Banner, ''hs
L., L. Al
Union, bat marched in the vanguard Of
Christian civilization" Then the orator
held up the reverse of the picture. He
said:
This cannot be said, and nothing like it can
ever be truthtully said, of the cause of those
who sought by rebellion to destroy the Govern
ment. The Rebellion was a conspiracy organ
ized in the interest of human slavery. II
sought pretext for precipitatinC bloody con-
flict, with the purpose of establishing slave
holding confederacy or ultimate empire, to
embrace large portion of the territory OF the
United States, including great sections of ter
rItory that had been purchased by the whole
people 1t was a conspiracy against popular
government, revolt against the authority of a
Government elected in accordance with the re-
quIrements of the constitution and laws.
THE HIGHEST REVERENCE
Comrades, we pay the highest reverence to
the memory of our dead when we strive most
earnestly to remember and to impress upon
Others the nobility of the cause for which they
SO steadfastly fought. We have no desire to
revive unhappy memories or fan any "embers
of sectional strife" and so far as 1 have OBJ
served the tanning of those embers has been
principally the work of our brethren of the
South.
General Robert E. Lees desertion of the
flag was referred to, and then General
George H. Thomas, another Virginian, was
eulogized for mis- Loyalty to his country and
the flag. Reference was made to the scenes
at Richmond during the past few days, and
Mr.. Boutelle expressed ''a little more than
regret" at what he said could not fail to
shock true sense of pfopriety. He pro-
tested against the lavish display OF rebel
colors, and said that ex-Con federates who
displayed the rebel flag to glorify it were
not true to the parole granted at Appomattox.
PLENTY OF APPLAUSE.
Mr.. Boutelle's oration, which was lib
orally punctuated by applause of the storm
lest kind, concluded with quotation from
Lincoln's famous Gettysburg speech. The
applause that followed was tumultuous
The great audience in the amphitheater
stood up and cheered the sentiments until
every throat was tired.
At the Congressional Cemetery, Repre-
sentative William E. Mason, of Illinois,
was the orator. In the course of his ad-
dress he said that as a boy he regretted he
was not old enough to fight with the vet
erans, but be was old enough now to fight
for them. He said:
would rather be able to hang upon my
walls an honorable discharge from the Union
army than to plaster my walls with the finest
masterpieces of art That is the feeling, let me
tell you, that this generation bears toward the
Grams fear that their memories will ever be
lost.
There is one note of warning, however that
you must let me utter at this time must
earnestly protest against occurrences IN that
fair Southern city at the unveiling of General
memory of a true and virtuous man if they
VIII. but let me say that the broad sky over our
country is broad enough
ONLY FOR ONE FLAG,
and that the Stars and Stripes, and when a man
waves any other he is in his heart as much a
traitor as he was 30 years ago. Do not misun-
derstand me, brethren, but would be false to
the memoryof brother who fell at Gettvs-
burg and to the memory of the MANY brave
men who lie around us here if / did not protest
at this the first occasion have had against the
act of men who Haunt the flag of secession IN
the face Of the boys in blue who fought SO nobly
for their country.
II there is boy in gray lying in this ceme-
teIy let us decorate his grave as of man who
was brave and who lost his life in a cause he
thought was right but let no one wave over his
grave that flag that was the symbol of insult to
the boys in blue.
AT THE NATIONAL CEMETERY.