Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1895-06-07
.HONORlNCOuR aEROG S.
Mem orial Day Slightly
MARRIED by the
.& ~ Rain. # -
A Fine Parade and a Good
~ Grafton. =.

Every nation honors those who
died for their country" This was
one Of the pregnant sentences in the
magnificent Grafton delivered by
Rev. ID. Donovan yesterday. Mem
orial day has become the most sig
nificant of our national holidays. 1t
is the complement to the Fourth Of
July. On one day we celebrate the
deliverance of our land from foreign
yoke, and on the other we commem-
crate those who secured the. per-
petuity Of it's government The
great men OF revolutionary times
are mere shadows to us; they are
relegated to the domain OF history
But the men and events OF 81 are
still vivid and fresh. The war is not
80 far away but that its survivors
are Lying lesson to us of patriot
ism and loyalty which dares all for
country's sake. In this lesson which
it teaches Memorial day has &C.
Quired a deep and solemn signifi-
canoe. The exercises and grafton OF
yesterday served to impress this up
on qll-that in honoring those who
laid health and life and all on the al
tar of their county, we honor our
selves.
Yesterday opened dark and lower
ering. A slight rain fell in the morn
ing and it was hoped that the
weather would be clear enough for
the exercises at the cemetery. The
organizations taking part in the
parade met at the city hall. and the
march began at 1850. The line OF
march was from the city hall west
to First street; thence north to First
avenue northeast; thence east TO
Fourth street; thence south 10 Oak
land cemetery. Marshal H. S. Clyde
and aids, Chiefs Bailey and
Stuart. OF the Police and Fire de-
partments. led the way, followed by
the Rich Prairie band, the Select
Knights of America. &. A. r. and
other old soldiers, Sons ut Veterans,
school children, firemen. and city Of
ficials. At the cemetery rain,began
to fall so heavily that, after a selec-
ton by the double quartette, a file OF
soldiers was left to decorate the
graves, and the rest adjourned to
the court house. The court room
was crowded to the doors. After a
selection by the band. Rev. D. Don
ovan, of New Paynesville, Stearns
county, was introduced as the
orator of the day.
Mr.. Donovan began with a REFER
ence to the rain which had driven
his listeners in doors, but which was
so necessary that there should be no
complaint. He spoke of the pleasure
it gave him to again visit the town
where he had lived for many years.
and which was associated with
some Of the saddest and tenderest
memories of his life. He was glad
to he once more among Old friends
and comrades, and to see the evil
dences OF growth and prosperity in
the city. He then spoke Of the fu-
neral of Mr.. Crosland in the morning,
and OF the glory of such burial on
such dav. He went back to the
davs before the war, and showed
how the idea of state sovereignty
had been tested during the early
days of the republic, and found
wanting. True that the states acted
together in front of British aggres-
sion. but after the Revolutionary
War the Articles of Confederation
were not enough to hold the nation
together, and so the Constitution
was proclaimed. The Southern
statesmen assisted in the making OF
our country's fundamental law, yet
in Article vi the constitution is de-
clared the supreme law OF the land,
anything,,in the laws OF any state to
the contrary Notwithstanding. Thus
the statesmen of the South who
taught state sovereignty were vlo-
lators of the constitution. The men
of the North honored the soldiers OF
the South for their valor, tested on
many bloody battle field; they
were ready to greet them as fellow
citizens with a common interest In
the glory and welfare of the nation,
but there they pause. They will
not cOncede that the South was
right, but was overwhelmed; they
are as opposed to state sovereignty
as ever, that doctrine which was
founded on the liberty OF the state
but took no account of the liberty
of slaves. The men of the North OF
every creed and rank had gone forth
shoulder to shoulder united in a
common cause. On ;One side OF the
speaker an Irish catholic had fought
and on the other q German protest
ant. This showed that the cause OF