Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1896-06-04
MEMORIAL EXERCISES.


years go Dy, ana appreciate more and
more the benificence OF her institutions.
l love my government better since
have lived in and visited other coun-
tries, and desire above all other
things the prosperity OF all our people
under government that shall grow
stronger each succeeding year.
But our country is great enough now
in territory, unless 1t comes to us
peacefully and naturally. We have
vast resources yet NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
OF scope and space for many generations
yet to come. would not 90 to war to
acquire single island Of the sea or
any adjacent lands. Let other coun-
tries have their colonies and conquered
dependencies. Let Us retain land OF
freemen, speaking the same good old
English language and having common
interests, common privileges, and the
same rights of citizenship everywhere
within our borders, and we shall grow
great and prosperous; and have no
cause to fear, or TO be jealous of any
other nation. And we shall be able to
preserve our liberties, and to main
tain forever our free form OF govern
ment, if we shall but emulate the
patriotism of the men whose memory
we revere this day.
You remember, my comrades, the
spirit of our people in 1861. You oder
people also remember IL, and the
younger have read its story which has
become history. 1t was no standing
army of trained soldiers, with years of
warlike experience, that was called
into the field to put down the rebellion.
The call was made upon body of II
peaceful people and most noblv did
they respond. a more magnificent
uprising Of the people TO defend their
liberties and their government was
never seen in the whole history of the
world.
From all classes, from every ayoca-
ton in life, the young men tiocked TO
the standard of their country. They
came from the farm, the store, the
shop, the school and the office Many
of them had never seen military COM
pany; many of them had never fired "a
gun even in sport. None of them had
ever seen actual war. Many Of them
were country lads, some of whom had
never been twenty miles or a week
away from the parental roof. Yet,
these men, fired with the love of liber-
ty-fighting for home and country
became in a few months an army of
veterans, capable of any suffering or
sacrifice for their country's welfare;
and with valor and endurance, in the
cause of freedom, not surpassed in his
tory, and which has been recorded in
the blood of many battlefield, and in
the torture of scores of prisons.
In that great conflict the North
stood, not only for the unity and in
tegrity OF a tree governmental govern
ment of the people, for the people, and
by the people-but it stood for the
liberty of all men in its largest and
fullest sense; IA liberty that took no
thought of color, caste or condition; a
liberty that declared the equality OF
all men before the law. 1t stood for
human progress against the darkness,
the superstition, the evil, and the
wrong, that must ever be where any
form of human slavery exists.
The right triumphed, but it
triumphed because there were stout
hearts and strong arms to carry and
follow our banner in the field; and be-
cause, behind us, at home, were
patriotic men and women to furnish
the supplies, the siaews of war; and
whose prayers and tears were nerving
us to renewed energy and endurance
every day in the year.
II this same glorious spirit of 1861
can be kept alive in the hearts of our
people, the future prosperity and per-
manency of our government is assured,
and we can die content, knowing that
our descendants will keep intact and
inviolate the privileges and franchises
we here enjoyed.
Citizens of Otisco, it has been over
thirty years since you have been called
upon to give OF your best blood, of the
best beloved of your households, TO the
service OF your country. | remember
many, who were my plavmates and
school fellows, who never came pack to
grace and bless the homes that sent
them out in their country's defense.
They were cut off in the bloom and
promise of youth. No one can tell the
possibilities of goodness and greatness
they might have achieved had they
been permitted to return. What
wealth of love and duty TO father and
mother, sister and brother, To wife and
children, has been lost by their un-
timely deathsp Who can fathom the
anguish and sorrow of those in the
home who never saw them again after
they crossed its threshold IN thai, ,vav