Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1891-06-17


not to wait for the Inauguration of the new
Observation-Disclosures to accomplish all they
could while the government with all fts of-
| hcers from president down to the postmaster
at the Confederate cross roads were In the
hands of the south or its friends.
On the 9th of December, 1850, and mora
than two months before the Inauguration of
the new spresident the rebels seized Forts
Moultrie and Pinkney, dszd as already stated.
on the 9Th OF January. 1851. the rebels fired
upon and drove the steamer, Star of the West
loaded with provisions for the starving sol.
diers out of Charleston harbor. Thus war
with all its horrors was commenced before the
Inauguration of President Lincoln, and while
the government was In the hands of the demo-
cratic party. with no effort to stay or ston n
thus proving the sincerity of their assertion-
all we want is separation and separate 0ov
eminent" plot to assassinate the president
as he passed through Baltimore was planned
but this was discovered and thwarted. and ON
March 4, 1851. President Lincoln was ouetlv
ana peaceaoly maugurated. And there was
turned over to him by the retiring president
the most gigantic rebellion the world has ever
known, with an empty treasury, no arms. am
munition or navy. ALL all was carried info
the southern confederacy. thus adding theft
| ~-0~'-O~' DNS AOoIuOhC LinCOll at once set
himself to tho task before him. 1t was beliey.
ed that this treason was only skin deem and
that 1900 troops could wipe it out IN about
20 days. These were therefore called for
Tho loyal RESPONDED to this call and the
quota was filled In Q few hours after tho 70
QUESTION was received by the various states.
and here let me say to these young men-sons
Of Veterans-before me, and whose fathers
gave their best days-poured out their blood
aud even gave their lives freely for this 1.-The
land OF the free and the home OF the brave"
Never. under any circumstances under rate an
enemy. Take 1t for granted that an adversary
10 just as courageous just as wise as you are.
and should you afterwards discover him de-
ncient in any of these qualities that go to make
up the good soldier, Ii will inure to your bene-
Mt, and in studying the art of warfare consid-
er the relative positions OF the contending ar
mics, give the side making the attack in the
enemys own country and on his own field, on
grounds OF his selection; double the force OF
the other in order to make both sides oompar-
atively equal. This is the reason why the col
onies gained so sigHal victory over the moth
er country. They had to come here and attack
us in our homes. We knew all the by-paths
the natural fortresses and how and when to
surprise them, and our cause being just, they
fell an easy prey to such largely inferior
numbers. And so 1t was and always has been
in our wars with the Indians. We had to go and
hunt them. and we always found them just
when and where they wanted to be found, and
even so was it during this rebellion, We had
to hunt them and they always selected the
place for us to find them.
But to return. At the end Of the first three
months the war had not really begun, and
from that time on for four long years soldiers
were called for by the hundred Thousand and
responded too irrespective of party and tho
length of the war, the numbers engaged in 1t
from time to time, the sufferings, hardships,
privatlons and deaths while IN the service, and
the short life to which the soldier now lives,
fully attest the fact that we greatly under
rated the enemy we had to contend with, and
especially does this appear when we look at
the death rate among the old vet
Grams since the war, clearly demonstrating the
untold hardships the soldier had to endure
during the four long years of strife. This
brief history, young men, sons of these old
crippled and almost worn out veterans will
the more on able you to tell why we are here
! this day.
The war was brought to a successful termin-
alton, and the American union emerged from
ITO lOoA PCAAOOB blACu anu puTlu0u ny uIO, duu
| now all the nations of the world look to the
| American union as permanent, founded on the
eternal principles of truth and justice, free
dom and equality before the law. But an OBJ
| lection is raised to the G. A. r. because, they
| say, 1t tends to keep up the present bitterness
between the people of the north and south.
If there is person present to-day who harbors
| such an idea, let me forever d1sabuee his
| mind on that subject. The south do not want
peace and harmony unless upon their own
terms-unlimited control of the government,
as they had it before the war. They have dis
| carded the school books used in the north be-
| fore the war and won't let one of them come
| into their houses, and have substituted those
which teach the business of the rebellion and
hatred of the north, and this is taught from
| tho cradle to the grave. Again 1t is said
| when the older people die of, this hatred will
| die with them. Believe II not, for the young
| men of the south are ten times, If possible,
| more bitter than the old ones who carried
musket and knapsack and endured the hard
| ships and privations of the war. In one OF
their songs, an old soldier calls his grand ohil-
dren around his knee and teaches them a song
which they will sing until 1888:
! Gather near mo children,
Stand you close around my knee,
For my voice is wearing feeble,
And your forms scarce can see;
Brief the time ere must leave you,
But before am called to leaYey you
There is something must tell you.
And think 20 I'D like to knew.
This old form that braved mistaken
Showers of shot and showers Of SHE'LL
Calmly went through many a struggle
Where its friends by thousand fell,
| Shakes and trembles like an aspen,
| Now (tis passing strange to me.)
At the merest glimpse or mention
Of a tyrant's gallows tree.
When the end came my children,
| When the south had ceased to be,
When that proud and generous people
Claimed no longert to be free,
Then the viotors flushed and maddened
BY the taste of blood and gold,
Pounced upon the conquered regions
Doing all that victors could.
| While every thought was plumber;
Where to plumber. when and bow,
| Quietly the country glided
Into what you see it now;
The victorious chieftain marking
! Great advantages 1t gave,
Taxed its cunning till the victors
Each was made tyrant's slave.
You have read my little children,
Standing at your teachers knee,
How a great and bad rebellion,
Rose along the southern sea,
You have read of how the nation
Rallied to the right and how
One good man led on the armies,
Winning lAureis for his brow,
You have read OF how the traitors
Fell beneath his might, and you
Too have read of how that conflict,