The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-09-21
THE ADDRESS.
Mr.. Watterson spoke as follows:

That promissory note, drawn by the
city Of Louisville, Endorsed by me and
discounted by you in the city of Pitts
burg year ago-it has matured-and
am come to pay it You. who were so
prompt and 30 generous about it, will
not be displeased to learn that it puts us
to no Inconvenience to pay it, On the
contrary. it having been one Of those OBJ
legations on which the interest COM
pounding day by day, was designed to
eat up the principal. its discharge leaves
us poor only in the regret that we may
not repeat the transaction every twelve
months and convert this central point
of the universe into permanent en-
campment for the Grand Army of the
Republic.
Except that historic distinctions have
long been obliterated here, it might be
mentioned that appear before you as
the representative alike of those who
wore the blue and those who wore the
gray in that great sectional combat
which, whatever else it did or did not,
left no shadow upon American soldier
ship, no stain upon American manhood.
But, in Kentucky. the war ended thirty
| years ago. Familiar intercommunica
ton between those who fought in it upon
| opposing sides, marriage and giving in
marriage, the rearing of common prog
eny. the ministrations of private friend
ship, the all-subduing influence Of home
and church and school, of wife and
| child, have eliminated in such closely
knit web of interests and affections that
none Of US care to disentangle the
| threads that compose it, and few Of US
could do 80 il we would.
| And the flag God bless the flag! As
the heart of McCallum More warmed to
the tartans do all hearts warm to the
| flag! Have you upon your round OF
sightseeing missed it hereabout2 Does
it make itself on any hand conspicuous
by it's absence? Can you doubt the 10y
al sincerity of those who from housetop
and rooftree have thrown it to the
breeze? Let some sacreligious hand be
raised to haul it down and see! No, no.
comrades, the people en- masse do not
deal in subterfuges; they do not stoop
to conquer; they may be wrong; they
may be perverse, but they never dissem-
BILE. These are honest flags, with hon
est hearts behind them. They are the
symbols of a nationality as precious to
us as to you. They fly at last as Web
ster would have them fly. bearing no
such notices as What is all this
WORTH" or Liberty first and union
afterward," but blazing in letters of liv-
ing light upon their ample folds as they
float over the sea and over the land,
those words dear to every American
heart, Union and liberty. now and for
ever, one and inseperable."
And why notf What is left for you
! and me to cavil about. far less to fight
about? When Hamilton and Madison
agreed in supporting a constitution
wholly acceptable to neither of them
they compromised some differences and
they left some other differences open to
double construction. and among these
latter was the exact relation of the
States to the general government. The
institution of African slavery. with its
irreconcilable conditions, got between
the North and the South, and. But
l am not here to recite the history of
the United States. You know what
happened as we'll as l do, and we all
know that there does not remain shred
of old issues to divide us. There is not
Southern man today who would recall
slavery il he'could. There is not South
ern man today who would lightly brook
the effort of State to withdraw from
the Union. Slavery is gone. Secession
| is dead. The Union, with its system of
statehood still intact, survives; and
with it power and glory among men
passing the dreams of the fathers of the
republic. You and may fold our arms
and go to sleep, leaving to younger men
to hold and defend property tenfold
greater than that received by us. its
ownership unclouded and its title deeds
recorded in heaven!
1t is. therefore, with kind of exulta-
ton that l fling open the gates of this
gateway to the South! bid you well
come in the name of the people whose
voice is the voice of God. You came
and we resisted you; you come and we
greet you; for times change and men
change with them. You will find here
scarcely a sign of the battle; not remit
niscence of its passions. Grim visaged
war has smoothed his wrinkled front,
and whichever way you turn on either
side, deepening as you advance-across
the Chaplin hills, where jackson fell, to
Stones river. where Rosy" fought
and on TO Chattanooga and Chickamauga
and over Missionary Ridge. and down by
Resaca and Kenesaw and Allaton a.
where Corse "held the fJrt." as second
time you march to the sea-pausing
awhile about Atlanta too look about
with wonder on a scene risen as by the
hand OF observation-disclosures returning