Omaha daily bee., 1891-05-31
IIONORLD THE NATIONS DEAD.
Memorial Day Appropriately Observed
Throughout tie Wet.
FLOWERS AVID EyERGsssNS II HsBaA3KA.
Business Generally susprnded While
the People Participate in
Decoration Services The
Day in Kansas.

FngHoNr, Ncb., May 3o Special to TIE
BEL, The Decoration day ceremonies here
today were very elaborate ana Impressive.
TnG city was dressed in holiday attire, with
stars and stripes living from every business
mouse and many residences. At II O'Clock
exercises were ned at the opera nyusc
where largo audience gathered. After
singing by the Cleo club and rea,tation,
''lhc Blue aud the Gray" by Miss Smith,
cX.Ccugrcssmau Dorsey Introduced General
Brooke in neat little speech, briefly detail
ing tho patrouc service OF the distinguished
soldier. General Brooke was warmly
greeted by the audience. He spoke but
bllnuy Thirty years ago, he said, ne along
with the most Of the other living sUlGtcrs
WHO res pouucd to their country call for de-
ieudcrs Of its Liberties ana It's institutions,
WvIe young men. Today the veterans whom
l. saw before him were growing gray, but
b. knew that they were still all young IN
rl4!t a"d that patriotic hearts beat beneath
{; eir coats.
J. ftcr General Brooke had finished Mir
Webster was introduced in glowing terms of
praise. He spoke for "a little moro than halt
al hour as follows!
General John l.. Webster spoke as follows:
The deep impressions Of battle live only
in memory. Neither the commander nor the
men of the line can picture IL in words. They
each heard the morning call, and came from
lIltlI SItfIAUE LtlllS 10 sue tlllpS ElllltllllB
everywhere in the morning sun The sluTn-
bcrs of the night had been broken by the
Clinking of steel and the clearing OF guns.
The dear old flags are seen streaming like
meteOrs, and beautiful as the ratnDOWS OF
promise. The hour Of battle is about to
Uegn. The Ougcs are calling. Tho com
maudcrs are riding fast, but the multitude is
stIll, Soon arc heard the rattle of musketry,
and the raindrops of bullets and every man
stands to his place. The shricK of a shell is
hoard lilEp tho Vail "A lost SDlrlt. II
brings a shudder to the soldier, but still he
braves the danger. Then come the swarms
OF bullets sweeping the lines, New columns
move into their places as II eager to share
the danger of death. AS the punglng shot
tear away the comrades, their souls are seen
to dwell IN their eyes. Batteries roll IKE
heavy drum beats, and the air shuddcrs with
Kissing shot. AS there are birds above
above human distresses to look to
the wounded and the dead. Then
comes the hull in tho battle, more terrible than
the tempest Expectation walks aloft with
the spirits Of the men. The charge is to be
made. The immcnsity of space seems pierced
by the glittcring bayOncts, Then comes into
line the cavalry with the sweeping swords.
The da! Is to be soon lost or won. The rcgi-
mental COlOrs still wave in the sight OF the
men. They have become riddlcd and tattcrcd
and torn, like the ranks OF tho line. They are
tho pride of the soldiers, and the soldiers fol-
e low TO protect them as they would their
honor Brave and lOyal hands hold those
flags aloft which seem like immortal things
The men march alter them aud fight with he
r0iC grandeur. The guns are sicnCcd. The
enemy has fled. The battle is won. Victory
is shouted along the lines. War has scrawIed
its autograph upon the field The dead are
gathered. Today we speak to their memory
They can utter no word Their story is writ
ten on the field of Shiloh. 1t is scrawled on
the hiIltops at Gettysburg. 1t IS sanctiticd
Mt Chickamauga. 1t is glorifed on Lookout
Ia.
today silently studying that story. 1t is the
key to ripCning craftsmanship, patriotic
grandeur ana national love and honor.
DESCRIPTION OF THE REBELLION.
Tho war of the rebellion waged through
long and drcary years. The states that united
under the palmetto flag of the confcderates
threw OFF their allegiance and defed our gov
crnment. They obliterateu from their con-
stitution and laws every vestige of reCogni-
ton OF tho federal constitution, They dis
Carded all obligations and OathS taken to
support the constitution of the United States,
and took, instead, Oaths to support the con
federacy Their senators and representatives
dehantly bid farewell to the halls of con-
gress and went forth, one to become their
president and others to command their armies.
>Ihey seized the nations property within the
limits OF their states as If it were their own.
They laid hands upon our forts and munitions
of war, and used them in battles against our
people They declared by law every citizen
of the United States an alien enemy. They
coniiscated the property of loyal people and
turned it into their depleted treasury.
For years they besieged our capital and
sent our bleeding armies back from Bull Run
and Manassas to the sanctuares of our ma
tonal power Their pirates seized and
burned our merchant vessels on the
high seas. Sixty thousand of your
comrades died from exposure and
starvation in their prison houses That war
oblitorated an army which, in marching
column, would reach the world around. 1t
shook the earth at Donaldson. 1t thundercd
all over the mountains of Virginia. Its in
vasions reached into peaceful Pennsylvania.
1T made tho Potomac the battle line of safety.
1t bowed its bloody head at Auuetam 1t
tramped all through tho valley of Shenan-
dOah. 1t blOOmed anew along tho winding
Tennessee. 1t caused "A stream of blood from
Chattanooga TO Atlanta. 1t fled away with
Sherman to the sea, 1t sank into the earth
with the fall of Richmond, 1t led to devasta-
tion like the blasting cyclone 1t slaughtered
armies with merCilCss power ltstrcWed the
land with cOrpscS. II sent the wall of lameu.
tation into "A million homes.
At last as the outgrowth of the hatred en-,
gcndered by tho war, and rs last attempt
10 reSusctate desparing hope by revenge,
our president, Lincoln, was assassinatcd and
became martyr.
That rebellion stands recorded in the writ
ten pages of the opinions OF the supreme court
of the United States rs 1.-The cauSeless wag,
ing against their own government of wal
which all the world acknowledged to have
been the greatest civil war known in the his
tory of the human race
1t shook the pillars of the holy temple Of
our liberties. The nation our fathers brought
from the revolution seemed to tremble in tho
storm. The hnbilatOns of the people were
-~Hlled with mourning and sorrow for theil
beautiful slain.
speak thus of the cnormty of the rebel
lion only to show the charity of our country
TO CRUSH REBELLION.
To crush that rebellion tho call to arm:
was winged messenger that gathered the
mon from the farms and workshops into
marching colu+ +'ps. Wherever the flag was
displayed volun' ers gathered about IL
Wherever tho drum beat was heard the
brave boys fell into line,
To crush that rebellion every loyal either
IN the land held his life and the children ol
his homo a sacred trust for the common de
fense Gray headed men, with falteriul
steps, bid farewell to vigorous sons Chill
dren, released from fond Carcsscs, watched
the departing footsteps of a father Wives
leaned over the gate posts to have the last
glance OF u loving husband Mothers stood
in the open doorway rs their ties to earth
passed out of sight
70 crush that rebellion the fields became
neglected, the huryCsts uuCathCrcd, while
husbandmon freely went forth TO be enrolled
among the hundreds of thousands the Couu
try called for its army
To crush that rebellion we took the lives
and the DrOppTtS of the good and the lust