The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-05-31
IN DEATH REMEMBERED.
Tho Graves Of the Nations Defend
srs Strswn With Flowers
Of Loys.
Impressive Memorial Services
Held at tho Auditorium In
tho, Afternoon

Grafton by Hon. >. p. wssd-coA san.
dsrs Makes = speech-Ths Other
Exercises
Bright sky and warm sunshine wsrs
prominent features Of Memorial day y
Helena. II was pretty nearly = general
holiday. The banks and al the pnbNc
Offices were closed. a. weTs most OF M
business houses. Az 10 O'clock In tho morn
ing tho members Of the Grand Army. and
auxiliary sooietiss assembled IN fsonS q
Grand Army hall on FxSk avsAue. snd wisn
Ed 8. Walker a. marshal Of the day. tool
NJ tho line Of march In the following o.
der: Higgins Cornet Hand. Wadswosih
Post No. s. Grand Army Of The Republic
U. Il. Grant Camp. Sons Of Veterans,
Wsdsworth Woman's Relief Corps. y. >.
Grant Ladies Aid Society. The march was
By vay OF Park an Benton avenues TO thu
old cemetery. where the impressive situal
Of the Grand Army was gone through With.
The graves Of the union dead, were strswn
with flowers. none being forgotten. On
the return from the cemetery, the process
sion was met at the corner OF Benton ana
Lyndals avenues by the national guard and
escorted to Grand Army hail. whore the
parade was dismissed.
The services at the auditorium In the
afternoon were very impressive. The hall
was full. Over the stage loated tho ma
tional coloYs, and under shem were the
prominent members OF the Grand Army
and tho auxiliary socistiss a the Others
who we're to take part In the exerc'sss.
Col. Frank p. Sterling, the president OF the
day. called the assemblags to order, and
Past Department Chaplain S..E. snides de-
liyersd the invocation. A selsetion BY the
onartette-Mrs. Medini-C Cassidy and MIS-
Toote. and 4. @. Russell md II. J. Caasdy
followed. Little Clara O'Connsr reeited a
touching piece, and after music BY tbs
band. the orator of the day, Hon. u. u.
Weed was introduced. He said:
Veterans. Ladies and Gentlemen: This
day. to my mind. 10 the noblest OF the year.
The influences that dow from 1t from year
to year soften the national life and deepen
and strengthen tho tide of patriotism. To
day tho nation pauses In the struggle 70.
wealth md position to place a wreath upon
the brow Of heroism. A gratitude which
fills the great heart Of the republic. covers
the soldiers' last resting rlace with flowers.
the men, brave and true. who struck down
treason. gave unity and honor 70 the re-.
public and liberty TO mankind, Ths war, OF
the rebellion was the logical effect OF causel
which had been PRESENT in our system Of
government since the original union OF tho
dependence in 1778 there were thirtesu
wholly distinct and independent colonies.
scattered along the Atlantic ssaboard,
Only the emergency OF war with dreAt
Britain forced these separate government
into u temporary alliance: There y
a. 10 the unity Of the thirteen original COL
onies. There was no unity. They were
separate governments. Each had, its own
executive, its own courts. Its own loRisla'
ture. They were widely separated in dis
tance. In those days the railroad and tel
had not fastened together distant comuun-
titles with hooks of steel. Interchange Of
ideaa uniAes the race and makes tho world
cosmopolitan. The daily Newspaper, with
its b%swildering mass of information gath
cred from the fou corners Of tho earth,
was then unknown. PHILADELPHIA was far
4hsr from New York In 1776 thRn Helena ID
to-day. Washington was farther then from
Boston than 1t 10 now from st. Petersburg.
Before independence came the colonies
had a common relation to the mother coun-
Sry and they spoke the same language. But
in 70 ms of government, in social rela-
tions, in commercial dealings. they were
separate sovereignties. in NO way depend
ent tho one upon the other. I here were also
wide differences of opinion, conflicting am
Litiona, PROVINCIAL %jealousies, a general
want of harmony anu sin9leness of pur-
pose. And 80, in this fertile soil. the idsa
Of state sovereignty took root and grew. II
t-A-.# AN AS@ 49,
lion. In 1T7 the continental congress-.
composed of representatives from each Of
tho thirteen colonies, adopted the articles
OF confederation. This WAS a league of In
dependent and sovereign states. largely for
purpoxes OF defense. and went into effect
in 1871. The confederation had NO general
governmental power or authority. except
by consent of the states. This form Of
government was soon found 10, be ~unsatis-
factory and insufficient. II was succseded
in 1887 by the federal constitution, the in
tention of which was 70 transfer tho gem
eral power T. ON the states to the national
popu ar will. But the seeds of state SOW
sho state government 10 higher than the ia
tional government took Arm root in
e Of the %'No people, 1e The e', sishs Of s''~ an,
state to withdraw from the union at will,
had been taught to CHILDHOOD and rsitsr-
aleu- Dy age " OoCUN0 u VoGb " tu0 pun.
lie thought. In opposition to this was the
firm belief, by a large majority OF oil the
people, that the union MAS not q mere rope
Of sand, to be broken and dissolved by the
caprice OF this or that section, but q ma
tion in fact a. we'll as In name, sovereign.
4 cat and free. Here were the seeds OF
discord and d~tsunion. They grew from
year to year, with changing phases OF pub
lie opinion. The wind had bscn Gown. II
was inevitable that the whirlwind should
be the final harvest.
Follow the history of this country from
1776 to 1881. on to 1889, down to 1860, whom
the nlarm Of war aroused tho patriotism OF
the republic. and you will mud thar IL was
the contention Of these two ideas that threat
ened the national life again and again and
again. In 1920 this conflict Threatened 10
disrupt the union Peace for a time was
brought about ~ what was known az the
missouri compromised" In 1899 il mem
aoed the welfare Of the nation. and the mas-
terful hand of Andrew jackson throttled IL
into silence. In 1860, aided BY the smbi-
tions of one GLASS, and the unwise onthus-
iasm Of another. it fain would tear asundsr
the national structure. built by the wise
patriotism Of Washington. In that year.
in old Fanueil hall. that place of histo 10
uttetance. which for more than a century
has been tho gathering place Of "a.
triotism, one Of the ksensst OBJ
servers Of his time. Rufus Ohoats,
used these words: ''Thers are influences
that never sleep and which are creating and
ditfusing . public opinion. In whose hot
md ,niaonad htaath. hafore "a vat narN.iva