St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-07-05
MERRIAM AT CROOKS FON. l..
He and Lawler Fired the Popular
Heart.

in this city, there being nearly ten
thousand strangers here. Train loads
began coming III early this morning and
continued till noon. After the parade
Gov. Merriam and Hon. ID. w. Lawler
addressed the people. They were the
principal speakers of the day. There
are about one thousand veterans here
who came from all over the state to at
tend the Park Region annual meeting,
which extends until Thursday. The
races at the park were well attended
and some good time made in the 2:29
trot. Bell w won, with Alkali second
and Bessie third. Garrett won the
green irot, with Time second and
Medium third. Flora McDono won
the mile running race in 81 seconds.
The half mile bicycle race was won by
w. j.. Baldwin, with Nj. E. Farmer
second. This event ended the exercises
for today. Tomorrow the purses,
which are hung up, are larger than to-
days and still larger crowd is ex-
pected. Fisher won the ball game
from Croekston-13 to 9.
GOV. Merriam, in the course of an
ell Quent address. said:
Today we stand upon the dividing
line between the first and second cen
tury OF constitutional government. No
clouds hang over us. and there are no
evidences of cOnvu Sions under our feet.
what shall he our condition when the
second century of our national existence
shall have passed? We have thus far
met each eXigency as it has arisen:
snail we be able to maintain ourselves
when entirely new conditions in our
social and intellectual existence arise?
we may lCOk for continuous growth
of population and wealth. Our cities
will expand; the vast unoccupied
territories to the west and south
will become the home of the hus-
bandman: Art, that refnes and acts
as clvIl:zing influence, shall flourish
10 a degree only experienced in other
lands old i'll age and rich III history.
Science in all its varied phases shall add
It's part to our development. Bright
with hone. the future is as dazzling as
the widest imaginatiOnc can paint. What
shall be our social condition? With
growing cities and fully occupied lands.
with the spirit of unrest that comes
with large numbers of unemployed men
and wOn-the result of largely increased
population-We may be met with con-
ditIon hitherto unknown in the
states, and one that may lead to vast
distress and anxiety, and possibly revo-
luton. A great floating mass of human
lty ready for any emergency that may
arise is always dangerous factor in
society, and should be guarded against
by every reasonable means.
In the Years before us, denser and
denser will the throng of people be-
come, OF people intent upon securing a
livelihood; the competition that now
prevails in commercial operations will
he sharper, and we, no doubt. shall see
a repetition of conditions existing in
the tnickly populated portions of the
old world,
But the new conditions will be met,
and the American people may he de-
pended upon, loyal and true, to meet
the new situations and new surround
lngS. and overcome them with resultant
honor 20 themselves and to the country.
l cannot refrain as | look upon the
old soldiers scattered about in this au-
dience from calling your attention to
the fact that in the pages Of our history
as state which tells of the deyelOpe-
ment and the remarkable progress of
Minnesota. which speaks of our fertile
soil, of our hidden mines, OF our magni-
tcent forests, and of our fair cities and
hamiets; which tells of Our mighty
river capable of bearing upon its broad
bosom the commerce of hundred
cities; of the beautiful lakes which dot
our fair Landscapes; there are none that
burn with more brightness than the
ones which tell Of the achievements of
our citizen soldiery.
Soon after l first landed in st. Paul
on a bright October morning in 1851. |
stood by and saw the Second regiment,
Minnesota volunteers, preparing for
their march to the Southern country to
take part IN putting down the great re-
bellion. l see them now as they
marched down the street to the grand
music of war with banners flying and
bayopets glistening in the autumnal
sunlight. l see here and there one
drop from the ranks for moment to
say goodbye to mother or to a wife, or
to f0ndle some little one, and with
hurried embrace pass OH with the great
crowd to the theater of war. Isee them
in camp, upon the picket lines, with the
stars as their only comrades; l see
them IN the hospital sick with fever: |
see them upon the battlefield wounded
and dying; l see them in the prison
pens with famine and disease and death
upon all sides of them.
Some are buried in unknown graves,
with no slab to mark their last resting
place, and with only the Southern pines
waving over their forgotten graves. /
aside their napsackS and again going to
the fields, to the counting room and the
workshop; their work done, their coun-
try regenerate and slavery a thing of
the past. Grand history of grand men,
who fought that the nation might live
and the stain of slavery be forever
stamped out as an institution from the
land. The history of this regiment is
the history of hundred regiments. An
other regiment of Minnesota fought at
Gettysburg one of the mos: memorable
contests OF the war. This engagement
was the decisive battle of the rebellion;
ard the Union soldiers were triumph
ant.
The war forever settled two truths:
that no state or any number of states
have the right to secede from the union.
and that slavery should be forever
blotted out as one of the Institutions of
the land-two mighty truths to this Re-
public. 1t cost thousands of lives and
millions of money to learn these facts.
but 1t was worth all 1t cost, because il
meant free and undivided country, in
which all men are free and equal before
the law. What the result would have
been had the contest been determined
otherwise, we can only see in magma
sAOA Ooo WI loiii1y LILO mag utuCdnt dS-
gregation of commonwealth would
have melted away into unimportant
states and as nation we
should have been blotted
out from the map of the world; and to
you, my friends, who wear the button,
l am permitted to state that you have
much left for you to perform that will
he OF service to the youth OF the land.
You are to tell them the stories of your
battles and explain to them the rea-
sons why you fought; you are to teach
them devotion to their country and
obedience to the law; you are to show
them the battle flags and teach them to
understand that patriotism is one of the
highest and noblest attributes of human
character. You are to teach them that
not a star upon the blue field of the
flag is to be erased, and not stripe to
be dragged in the dust. You are to