The record-union., 1893-05-31

this country; we can recall their trials
with savage beasts and more savage men;
thelr hrst few settlements, their rugged,
hardy, independent life fraught with toll
and danger, their gradual increase until
their colonies became the richest tribu-
tary TO The richest country on the globe.
| we see this infant nation casting aside its
sWaddllng chothes and standing forth in
! the pride Of its early youth and manhood
TO battle Tor liberty and freedom. We
can see the whole world with astoniSh-
ment view this new candidate for national
life and stand aghast at its bold declara-
ton OF mans equality.
we follow the long struggle that added
new pages to history, and taught new
philosophy and political economy, until,
It's power recognized, it commenced
national existence. Periodically and
1ondly we pursue its early struggles and
! Its experimental stage until equality and
( freedom in nation were assured facts.
Not only we, but all the world, have
placed those who brought it through its
early years upon the highest pedestal of
tame. We see this government of the
people, by the people, for the people,
steadily growing in strength, until thirty
years after It's Inauguration it is able to
cope with Its mother country III open
warfare. Steadily we watch its growth,
| forgetting, in our pride and eXultance at
! us success, that its great principle Of
| equality is being trampled upon in its
midst. In the light of history we can
now see that while one portion of this
country advanced, while one portion of it
recognized no aristocracy, in another
/ part was being gradually built the
! superstructure OF that system which was
ultimately TO fall in war and bloodshed.
! We see in that part the old declaration OF
the equality of man unheeded.
suddenly there comes the day when
! the monSterw we had nOurished is displayed
in all its detormity and hideousness. In
one section this monster is 50 firmly es-
tablished that to destroy it it seems neces-
Sary to destroy the country itself Then
came again the Old war for liberty, not
with parent country outgrOwn, but
brother against brother. Then was it
you had to complete the work Of the
revolution, and well have you done il,
Though the loss was terrible. though
treasure untold was sQuaudered, The
price was paid for eternal liberty. With
all its sorrow ana bereavemeuts, its bitter
hostility, blighted hopes and ruined
homes, yet we do not regret that war.
An awful price was paid, but human
liberty IS dearer than all il cost, and now,
| thirty years alter, when we can plainly
see the fruits of that dearly bought boom
who would regret that war? You did
your duty well. Forever in this country
| have you made all men Tree. on have
left us grand and glorious. a united and
a homogeneous nation. While forgetting
nothing OF our debt TO you-while yicld-
ing none OF our pride and our reverence
Tor our soldiers, we OF this generation
have also our duty to perform. We must
perpetuate and carry forward the prin-
clpIeS which you established with your
blood.
We can now cross the bloody chasn.
clasp the hands OF our brethren in the
south, and forgetting and forgiving, all
unite in behalf OF liberty and progress
We can all be American brethren, and
may we IN the future meet the dangers
that threaten our country from within
and without as you did in the troublous
and terrible time of war. You have be-
queathed TO us free country, free in all
/ things. AS you made it possible for all
men 10 be free, so must we not permit
your work to be undone, but keep free
dom Of conscience, and freedom of
speech, throughout this entire land
If there be any part of this land where
man cannot fully and fairly express his
| honest sentiments, and where, unre-
strained and without fear of violence, he
cannot do as his conscience dictates, then
your work Is yet incomplete, and we of
this generation must do our part.
1t is fitting on such day AS this. ave.
it is patriotic, that while il retrosDectjOn
we proudly proclaim the deeds of the
past and recall to memory our great and
noble countrymen, that we look to the fu-
ture that we may better preserve what vOu
have bequeathed to us. Dolts and mad
men would we be if we cOntented our
selves alone with ,self-congratulation for
our past, and in the recital OF the brave
work OF our heroes If we gave no thought
to the preservation of what was so dearly
bought. You have left us a heritage no
other country possesses, SURPRISING in its
grandeur that of any people since man
was born.
With this heritage you have left a
solemn duty to guard this nations unity.
its national life and its integrity. With
US is now the battle; not perhaps mid
roaring of cannon, bursting of shell, tur-
moil and bloodshed, but contest deli
cate, difficult, and requiring hearts as
true as those that went forth in 81. No
angry sedition, armed and resolute. with
the same blood as ours, now threatens us.
No hostile nation with threats of grim
war menaces us; yet from within and
without dangers, whose consequences are
traught with perils equal to civil war, de-
mand all the steadtastness and LOYALTY
! which you have bequeathed to us.
| In the short period that has elapsed
since you, 10y force OF arms, subdued re-
| Delllon, and made this country forever
| free, we have doubled our growth and
] ~
our wonderful progress has amazed the
world. With our prosperity and our con
tinued growth, however we are con-
tr0Eted with the social problems Of older
countries, and for ourselves we must
solve these problems. We have seen OF
late years the concentration of the
wealth OF this country i'll few hands and
/ the alarming increase OF poverty in our
midst. We have seen perhaps an aris-
tOcracy rearing its head amongst us not
OF blood but of wealth. We have seen
perhaps this aristocracy arrogatingr to
itself the rights and the privileges that
belong to tile aristocracies of the older
world and we have seen the poor becom-
ing poorer, until in some parts of this
country they are little better than serfs.
1t may be that before us is dawning
another day OF terrible war. 1t NAV be
that ere long, as the classes among us he
come more distinct, as the poor become
poorer, and as hunger drives men TO
desperation, that we will be confronted
with problem again as serious as that
which confronted the statesmanship of
this country at the opening OF the rebel
hon. 1t may be that men in this country
driven to desperation by their wrongs,
suffering for the common necessaries of
| life, Will go forth from their starving
families and engage in another rebellion
against wrong ana oppression that will
eclipse in its bloodshed and its fierce
ness, in its lawlessness and its slaughter
any the world has ever seen. Fremont
tory symptoms here and there have made
this felt OF late. May God ward OF from
us any such contest as this.
But if such contest does come. if at
any time during the life OF this genera
tion such a struggle does ensue, NAV We
be found in the future, as you were in the
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