The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-05-31

- H. O11y3 Soi L. IA. leooOf toi ~ l..
York, c. F. Lang, Geo. H. Roberts, Gen.
j. D. and Lieut.. Samuel Fessenden,
Lieut.. o. w. Burnham, j. Yeaton, Jr.,
and H. j. Horr. The F. & E. Club of
the 18th Maine placed their usual tribute
on the graves of their old members, and
Chandler's Band on that of Comrade
Young.
At City Hall in the Evening.
The gathering at the hall last evening
was one of tho largest meetings ever
held in that building. The exercises of
the day had been exceptionally pleasant
and successful, result especially graft
fying to the veterans and their friends.
Chandlers band entertained the audi
ence until the appearance of the veter-
ans and their friends who had been in
vited to occupy seats on the platform
with Major Green, the city marshal.
Among the latter were Mayor Baxter,
Mayoy Sawyer of Deering, DR.. E. B.
Randall, Rev. c. E. Bean, Rev.. S. F.
Pearson, Rev. W. S. Ayres, DR.. A. NJ.
Parker, Mr.. George Russell, DR.. S. A.
Packard, Lieut.. John G.. Berry of the
cutter Woodbury., Lieut.. K. W. Perry of
the Dallas, and Assistant Engineer D. P.
Remick Of the Dallas.
Prayer was offered by W. S. Ayres,
after which Major VIM. H. Green made
brief Introductory speech in which he
referred tenderly to the comrades who
were gone. During the day nine hun
dred and thirty-three graves had been
decorated in the vicinity of Portland as
follows: In Eastern cemetery, 4; in
Western, 1903; in Calvary, $50; in Forest
City, 112; in Evergreen, 1914; and in vari-
GUS cemeteries, at Cape Elizabeth, 100.
Referring to the veterans present he
said that there were representatives from
all the great armies,
Men Who had Fought With Mcdowell
and of many famous naval combats. In
conclusion Major Green referred briefly
to the subject of pensions sCan a
grateful country ever forget the services
of her sons? Will the nation ever see
them suffer for the necessities or even
the comforts of life? No! Thrice no!
We have a country that has done for it's
soldiers Of the late war thrice what any
other nation ever did for her defenders.
The pensions will be paid in the future
as in the past. But voice the senti-
ments of old soldiers when I say that
if there are any fraudulent pensions, cut
them off [applause] once and forever
Shaw's Quartette rendered, ''We
Deck the Graves Alike Today after
which Comrade Shaw was introduced.
H. III. Shaw's Address.
Two opposing principles involving the
gravest question of human rights, were
imported to this new world for settle
ment at the very beginning. The one
began with the sale from a Dutch craft
of 20 black captives to the colonists at
jamestown. 1t developed into the sys-
tenn of American slavery, an institution
which tended to make the master bru-
tai, domineering tyrant, and the slave a
miserable, covering wretch. An institu-
ton the wickedness, of which was des-
tined to deluge this whole land in
blood
Another craft landed at about the
same time, company of Pilgrims fee
ing from oppression. Their burning
desire for freedom and education devel-
oped the fundamental principles upon
which should be erected the most mag
nificent governmental structure human
architecture ever planned. Their first
contest, our conflict, began in the con-
vention to form a new government 1t
reached its awful crisis in the dark days
which came in ga. From the firing of
the first gun at Sumter. the men of the
North and West rushed to arms From
every walk of life they came out, and
gave up all their plans, positions and
prospects to save the nations life Seven
ty-fve thousand, 100000, 100000. 1--WE
are coming Father Abraham, 300, 900
more'A until 1850, 553 made the fearful
sacrifice.
A hundred indecisive battles had been
fought at countless cost of blood and
treasure. Donnelson and Shiloh, Vicks-
burg and Gettysburg and come and gone
and dealt the enemy staggering blows.
The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Hanover
Court House, Cold Harbor. and a con-
oIdHI udt VIC VI 1oO udyS D0IOI0 Iol0IS-
burg and Richmond, had drenched all
these fields with blood and filled them
with graves. Still there were great arm
les to conquer, great victories to win.
Treason was rampant. Treason in
city, town and hamlet, and in our very
camps. Traitors over in Canada were
plotting the nations death; planning to
send fire and plague where rebel armies
could not go. There were more British
troops there than were required for po-
lice.
Over beyond the Atlantic a'conclave of
crowned heads peered across the water
and prophesied that this American expe-
riment, as they called this government.
was about to perish from the earth and
thrones succeed it here Already the
French Emperor had sent an army of oc-
cupation to Mexico and ,enthroned the
Austrian Prince Maximilian there.
The war was telling on the resources
of the North. A national election was
pending The result was in doubt. Op-
posing orators and journals were deelar-
ing the war failure and victory impossi-
BILE.
Shouts from the Union lines informed
the Confederates that Lincoln was re-