The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1896-07-03
MEMORIAL ADDRESS.
EXTRACTS FROM a SHORT
SPEECH OF "A. PICKETT.
Delivered on Memorial Day to tho Old
k~oluiers Al Hardy, Arsxansa.-Batt:e.
ssil to I.e fought-Esils That Grew
Out nj the War.

what a u man knows about war,
anyway-and l wish to admit in the
beginning that he doesn't know much
and that little has been gained by
reading. | have no "reminiscences to
relate of the wal but what have been
related before. The past is interesting
only as it contributes to the present.
Now is ever the time for all patriotic
and pure thoughts. If the past re-
cords mistakes, the present and the
future must correct them. We cannot
go back. Forward is the command Of
duty and progress. If l had been old
enough, l might have been a rebel,
as my father was-but living now, l am
an American citizen proud to live in
a united country. Though an orphan
OF the rebellion, | feel no resentment
against the Union soldier. The effect
of my widowed mothers tears has
been to create in my mind a horror of
all war.
War makes widows and orphans on
both sides-and these are all human
beings. Religious and political views
are OF no moment in the presence OF
human suffering. There the heart
speaks. The heat of the hardest battle
ever fought on American soil never
SO hardened the heart of q good soldier
on either side but that he would give
up the last drop Of water in his can
teen to the dying soldier of the other
side. Sword, shot and shell cannot
SAVIOR fhl TO nf motherhood Inv uhiob
human hearts are bound to each other
in times of suffering.
God never created men to butcher
each other. Christ came to earth to
preach peace on earth. good will to
men" The true honor of a nation is
to be found only in deeds of justice
and in the happiness of it's people, all
of which are inconsistent with war.
Senator Plumb said of Grant that his
greatest honor was that he, a soldier,
opposed war. Sherman pronounced
war a failure-and even the great war
rior brigand Napoleon said, while in
exile at st. Helena, that the more he
studied the problem the more he be-
came convinced Of the inability of war
to create any permanent good.
Owing to the weakness of man, war
sometimes seems a necessity-but that
is no justification for it's crimes and
desolation. Wal is a terrible thing.
however you may consider it.
Slavery was WrOng-but more money
was spent in the war thar would have
been required to purchase and liberate
every slave in Americana the lives
lost were Of more value thar all the
gold and silver that was ever mined
since Judas betrayed Christ for thirty
pieces of silver until America was
mortgaged to Baron Rothschilds for
gold.
But let us grant that the war could
not be avoided, that it was settled right
and that all bitter feelings are now
dead.
There are still evils growing out of
that war that affect us all to-day.
There We're men who did not respond
to their country's call-men who hired
substitutes-and n of them is now
president OF the United States.
| wish to read a prophecy of Abra-
ham Lincoln. This letter was written
to Uncle Danny Hanks, who was an
early day partner of Lincoln in rail
splitting in Rock creek township,
Sangamon river bottoms, Macon
county, Illinois, at the close of the war
in 1864:
Uncle Danny Hanks lived until SEN
TENDER, 1890, and gave out this letter
for publication. This letter was only
one Of a number Uncle Danny received
from him during the war. This letter
read:
II see in the near future a crisis
approaching that unnerves me, and
causes me to tremble for the safety of
my country. AS a result of the war
corporations have been enthroned, and
an era of corruption in high places
will follow and the money power of the
country Will endeavor to prolong it's
reign by working upon the prejudices
Of the people until all wealth is aggre-
gated in a few hands and the republic
is destroyed. | feel at this moment
more anxiety for the safety of my
country than ever before, even in the
midst Of the war"
You know how much of Lincoln's
prophecy has already com true. This
is perhaps not a proper place for me
to enter upon the discussion of a sub
ject that is now agitating this coun-
try from center to misunderstanding
money question. Lincoln foresaw the
s~fr,,goJe the country was apnrOachinp