Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-06-05


moral sense, may well expect finally
to be compelled to wipe out her dis
honor with fire and sword. "What-
soever man soweth that also shall
he reap" Our nation reaped what
it had sowed. It reaped the bitter
fruit of temporizing and compromis-
ing with "a moral and national wrong.
May the present profit by tile teach
ing Of the past!
When Beauregard fired on Sumter
be fired on the nation, he attacked
the fundamental principles of our
existence, namely, that we are a ma
ton. The flag upon which he fired
stood for the nation. Men forgot
slavery in those early days of the
war, and thought only of the nation
whose life was imperilled. The
burden of every loyal heart was that
the union must preserved at all haz-
ards. Men were willing that slavery
should continue to exist, rather than
that our union should be disrupted.
AS to slavery the North stood ready
to compromise, but secession was
not to be tolerated. So the war was
caused by slavery because war for
the union. Loyalty to the stars and
stripes, far more than hatred of
slavery, sent the boys in blue down
in Southern swamps and wilderness
es to face the leaden hail. Could
the rebellion have been crushed in
three or six months, slavery would
not have been destroyed. But AL.
mighty God had determined to purge
our land of this foul stain, even
though it must be through the dread
ordeal of fire and sword. In the
second and third year Of the war,
men began to see with Lincoln
that "our land could not exist half
slave and half Free" Men saw that
the fruits of this prolonged con-
test would be lost unless slavery
were destroyed. The success of the
Northern arms actualized the eman-
cipation proclamation, and whatever
may be the mistakes of the North
in dealing with the negro since the
war, certain it is that Northern arms
struck no nobler blow than that
which struck the shackles from the
slave. The union for which they
fought was preserved, but they
builded wiser than they knew when
the policy of peace affirmed the ex-
pedient of war, and the black man
was declared citizen and no chat
tel.
The world never witnessed more
momentous struggle than this. The
fate Of republics hung on its issue,
and the possibility of self-govern.
ment. 1t decided the question
whether America was to be sec
ond Europe, occupied by several
hostile and jealous powers. 1t af-
firmed for all time the unity of our
composite race. IL established the
United States as the strongest and
proudest nation on the earth. 1t
materially changed the political his
tory of the world ever since. 1t
prevented the dissipation of the
mighty energies of our united coun-
try, and gained for our loved land
the proud title of the ideal govern.
ment of the world.
Do we not well then 10 call to
mind this day the valorous deeds of
the soldiers living and dead. De.
tenders of their country were they,
brave men and true. They fought
not as hired mercenaries, as the war
riors of Alex ander, not to extend the
confines of their land, as the legion.
aries of Caesar, nor to realize the
Wanting ambition of one man, as
the soldiers of Napoleon. They
fought in obedience TO the truest,
noblest instinct of the patriot. They
fought for Fatherland, for the flag
of their country. They barred their
breasts to the shafts of war, that no
harm should come to the nations
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