The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-05-31

WStp a. btAVt 4" Wv lAVH wv
Mod the assertion OF those who claim
that they werc equally patriotic. They
wore earnest, brave, faithful, but they
wero not patriotic. Tho war for tho
Union was right, forever right, and the
war for secession was forever wrong.
Moro than any other thing, patriot.
Ism constitutes tho state. From 1861
to 1865 our soldiers aero our govern.
mont It was not the powers ut Wash.
ington that were tho government, No,
1t was tho soldiers on tho, field. They
were the state.
THE MEANING OF IMMORTAL DAY.
what means this flower day p Mr..
Atkinson asked, and then continued:
1t mculs moro than the simple flowers
on the graves Of your dead comrades,
Yes, 1t means a world Of memories and
OF deeds, u world OF tears, a. world OF
sorrows and a world OF Iglories, as un.
fading, as the sun. When the strong
arm OF rebellion attempted TO pull down
our flag, the government at Washington
said, we must have n half million men,
who are willing 10 die to save tho flag.
Those soldiers, who sleep In the GENE.
teries to-day, went out under that flag,
knowing we'll what tho inevitable would
bo; and now they lie In the d.eamluss
sleep OF death. Three hundred and
forty thousand soldiers went down to
the grave. sY1 gtf
Tho lesson taught BY Decoration Day
Is not n Of bitterness, not ono Of re-.
vcnge; 1t Is the Lesson OF the immortal.
ity OF the truth; 1t Is n lcsson OF what
men Will do for principle; it Is n lesson
Of patriotism, Of endurance, Of solf.sac-
ridce and love.
Tho people cherish n great love for
tho citizen soldier. These citizen sol-
diers destroyed tho rebellion and grye
us n llag instead Of two.tI Men like
these Will never DO forgotten.
Ono thing was settled by tho war, and
that is that no rule or ruin party can
ever have q healthy existence in the
United States. Tho Southern people
tried that doctrine when President lin
coin WINS elected. They said: "jVe will,
not submit. We will ruin the country If
we are not allowed TO rule it," But
they were the ones that were ruined.
The wal settled that labor was OF God,
and that popular government is real
and abiding and strong.
at tho conclusion OF Mr.. Atkinson's
speech, Chairman Robertsonintroduced
Mr.. ". II. G. Curtis, the son of the late
Gen. ". B. Curtis.
Death itself can only obliterate, Mr..
Curtis said, the memory Of those val
liant deeds, those examples OF noble
daring OF the multitude who once
answered to roll call, but now inhabit
the cities OF tho dead. 4 few OF their
comrades arc here, but they arc slowly
tolllng down life's rugged road.
The late war was a contest between
union aud disunion, between right and
wrong, in which there was no neutral
ground. With the soldiers Of the North
activity in the defense OF their country
was the soul OF duty. They we're VIC
torious in the struggle, but OF course
did not live to see the grandeur Of that
monument reared upon their blood.
They did not hear the loud bosannas of
peace that fell upon the ear OF this
nation in April, 1865. No, they were
gone. They had died with that heart
felt JOY and f~ullnesa OF satisfaction that
they had died in defense OF their
country, which all the wealth, all the
pageantry and power on earth can
never purchase. They foil, and,
although thousands in the graves. !
'uNMARKED BY MONUMENTAL sLAn
or storied urn, and none but wild winds
sound a requiem dirgc as they moan
through tho tall grass that waves above
their lonely gravcs-yet tho cheering
light OF their meritorious achievements
sheds a halo over their graves, &which
grows brighter and brighter every day,
as our nation grows grander and grand
er upon their sacrifices. And when tho
laurels OF statesmen shall have faded,
tho devotion OF these mon to their
country will DO green in the memory OF
every loyal American citizcn.
The people OF this vast country should
be taught that they owe u debt of graf
itude to those patriots who gisked their
fortunes and their lives that it might
DO made possible for all men in tho
Unitod States to enjoy tho inalienablc
rights, and that this might be made a
government OF living, truthful d~eclara.
tions, and not one OF falsohoods. Cen.
turtles shall roll away before the memo
ries Of 81 and '65 shall disappear. The
names OF Ericsson, Sheridan, Sherman,
Hancock, Logan, Grant and Lincoln
will bc
REvERED AND REMEMBERED
as long as the name OF the immortal
Washington. The world will never for
got what these men and their heroic
legions accomplished, unless the his
torians refuse to toll the coming genera
tons the simple story of the Monitor,
the Wilderness, Devils Den, Shiloh and
Ap%polnattox.
But how changed are the scenes in
this nation since the surrender OF the
Confederate troops. All the dark clouds
OF war have d]isappeared; no battle
smoke obscures the blue canopy Of
heaven; the sun. moon and stars shine
more brightly; tho flowers have r
richer fragrance; nil nature has donned
n @ carb; the people are more cheer
full and happy; that dcar old flag that
waves over us has caught up in its folds
now luatrc and added other stars to her
constellation. Our national 7 glory.
greater than that OF any other nation on
earth to-day, hides from us the bloody
features OF war. Tho wounds and
groans Of those bravo boys who persisted
OH tho field Of battle should only be re-
membered to restrain tho mad passions
OF ambitious C The cleaning sword
has boon sheuthed. Instead of the
blood.stained garmenta OF wal We have
the white standard Of peace, around
which We all gather and sing, with loyal
honrts, "Thc Star Spnnglcd Banner"
These veterans wa SEQ hero to-laynre