The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-09-12
COL. INGERsoLL's LATEST ELo-
QUENCE.

Thursday. 1t is remarkable, not only
for its broad and patriotic spirit, but also
for the hopeful view he tai es Of the flu
ture of the United States. OF course
there are portions of it that southern men
will not approve, but there is very little
that would not fluid cordial commenda-
ton here. We never read anything Col.
Inger8oll says without regret that a nan
of bis splendid endowment should be
wanting in that faith which is chiefest
of all endoWments.
In this speech he was talking to his
old comrades in arms as they We're pre-
pairing to go to the great G. A. R. gath
ering. Small men use such occasions to
revive bitter feelings and to wave the
bloody shirt. We make room for two ex-
tracts to day to show how eloquent,
broad and patriotic were the utterances
of Col. Ingersoll. 1t will be difficult to
find sweeter and more elegant exor-
dunn to an address than this
cit gives me the greatest pleasure to
meet again those with whom became &C
quainted in the morning of my life. 1t
is now afternoon. The sun of life is
slowly sinking in the west, and before
evening comes, nothing can be more de-
lightful than to see again the faces that
/ knew in youth. When l knew you the
hair was brown; it is now white. The
marks were not quite so deep and the
eyes were not quite so dim; and mingled
with this pleasure is sadness, sadness for
those who have passed away-for the
dead. And yet am not sure that we
ought to mourn for the dead. l do not
know which is better-life or death. And
it may be that death is the greatest gift
that ever came from natures open hands;
we do not know. There is one thing of
which / am certain, and that is, that if
we could live forever here, we would care
nothing for each other. The fact that
we must die, the fact that the feast
must end, brings our hearts together,
and treads out the weeds between the
paths. And so it may be after all, that
love is little flower that grows on the
crumbling edge of the grave. So it may
be that were it not for death there would
be no love, and without love all life
would be curse. | say it gives me
great pleasure to meet you once again;
great pleasure to congratulate you on
your good fortune-the good fortune Of
being a citizen of the first and grandest
republic ever established upon the face
of the earth"
In all the G. A. R. addresses delivered
we doubt if any ex- Federal soldier has
viewed the true situation more wisely
and philosophically than Col. Ingersoll
in these words:
"And let me tell you here to day am
somewhat older than | used to be; have
a little philosophy now that had not at
the 0 o'clock in the morning portion of
my life and do not blame anybody.
do not blame the South; | do not blame
the Confederate soldier. She the South
was the fruit of conditions. She was
bora to circumstances stronger than her
self, and, do you know, according to my
philosophy, which is not quite orthodox,
every man and woman in the whole
world is what conditions have made
them. So let us have some sense. The
South said, "We will not submit; this is
not nation, but partnership of
States" l am willing to go SO far as to
admit that the South expressed the orig
inal idea of the government.
But now the question was, to whom
did the newly acquired property belong9
New States had been carved out of that
territory the soil of these States has
been purchased with the money of the
republic, and had the South the right to
take these States out of the Republic?
That was the question. The great West
had another interest, and that was that
no enemy, no other nation, should con-
troll the mouth of the Mississippi. re-
gard the Mississippi River as Natures
protest against secession The old Mis-
sissippi River says, and swears to it,
that this country shall be one, now and
forever What was to be done? The
South said: "We will never remain,
and the North said: "You shall not
go" 1t was little slow about saying
it, it is true. Some of the best Republi
cans in the North said, "Let it 60" But
the second, sober thought of the great
North said mo, this is our country,
and we are going TO keep it On the map
Of the world. "
If the Mississippi river had reached
the ocean any other way than through
the South, it is doubtful if the West
would have furnished 50 many men for
the war. Their prosperity depended too
largely on the Mississippi river for them
to permit its mouth to be closed to their
commerce. Col. Ingersoll has empha-
sized what the wisest men of the South
foresaw, to wit that the Mississippi
river was the great "protest against Sc
cession."