The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1897-07-08

crossed the Potomac and several small en-
gagements had already occurred. On the |
LIST of July the two great forces--the
flower of the Confederate and the Union
armies-met in what was to be one of the
greatest battles of modern warfare The
world knows the sanguinary glory Of
Seminary Ridge, Rock Creek Cemetery
Ridge, Little Round Top and Oak Ridge,
and the great deeds of Meade, Reynolds,
Hancock, Sickles, Howard, Sedgwick, Lee
Longstreet, Hill, Early and others. For
three days the country stood aghast and
trembling, but when the Fourth dawned
Lee was In full retreat back across the Po-
tomac.
Nor does Gettysburg stand alone in
making July 4, 1868, eminent. Vicks-
burg comes in for share In the distinc-
ton. For many long weary months
Grant by land and Porter by water had
been besieging the strong city on the
banks of the Mississippi From the latter
part of May the investment was complete.
The doomed city was bombarded without
intermission day and night, and 1t Is esti-
mated that 10, 900 shells were thrown in
to its streets every day. Capitulation
was only question Of days CT at the most
of weeks, and on the Fourth the wornout
army Of brave defenders surrendered, and
the triumph of the Union forces was COM
plete General Halleck, in speaking of the
tactics that secured this victory, declared
that "no more brilliant exploit can be
found in military history" Together,
Vicksbusg and Gettysburg have made the
Fourth of July one of the most notable
days in the military annals of this country.
Tho Great Portland Fire.
Portland, Me-, has impressive II not
agreeable reason to remember the Fourth
of July. 1t was on the evening of that
day in 1866 that the city had display of
| fireworks unequaled before or since.
| Nearly one-half of the city was destroyed
| by fire. A tract ~ miles long by one
quarter of a mile wide was burned over.
| The city and county buildings, churches
banks, wholesale business blocks and pri-
vate residences were destroyed. Over 80
buildings were blown up to stop the prog.
ress of the flames, which, however, were
not under control until the afternoon of
the next day. The loss was 1000, 900,
and the insurance only half that amount
A quarter of the population Of the city
was made homeless. This was the most
notable event ever recorded in the history
Of the state of Maine, and until the Chi.
cago and Boston fires followed r few years
later 1t stood as the most disastrous con.
hagration ever known in this country.
| A National Convention.
| Only once has national convention of
q great political party been called to as
semble on the Fourth of July. That sim
| gle exception was the Democratic conven-
| tion of 1868 at New York. The country
was in disturbed condition. The war had
left its legacy of passion and of depression,
that always follows civil dscord. Presi-
dent johnson had become separated from
the Republican party that had elected him
as Abraham Lincoln's 8 associate, and the
reconstruction measures, the carpetbag
governments of the south and the use Of
the United States military in the states
lately in the rebellion were the burning
questions Of the hour. 1t was felt that
the Democratic party had now a fair
chance to return to power, and the Fourth
of July was selected as a fitting day for
the convention to meet, in order to initiate
the campaign with eclat. And on the
same day soldiers and sailors conven-
tion was also held in New York and in
dorsed the Democratic nominees in ad-
vance. The Democratic convention sat for
several days and on the twenty first ballot
| nominated Horatio Seymour for president.
George II. Pendleton, Andrew johnson,
General W. S. Hancock, Sanford K.
| Church and Thomas A. Hendricks were
prominent candidates, and 1t is almost
forgotten political history that Chief JUS
tice Salmon p. Chase-Although Repub-
lican-was seriously considered in connec-
ton with the nomination. But when elec.
tion day came Grant defeated Seymour,
The Amnesty Proclamation.
July 4, 1868, was even more distin-
guished by the famous amnesty proclama-
ton issued by President johnson to those
who had been on the Confederate side dur
ing the war. Devoid of its preamble and
whereases this is the historical document;
Now, therefore, be 1t known that l, An
drew johnson, president of the United
States, do by virtue of the constitution and
in the name of the people of the United
States hereby proclaim and declare un-
| conditional and without reserve to all and
to every person who directly or indirectly
participated IN the late insurrection or re-
bellion, excepting such person or persons
as may be under presentment or indict-
ment in any court of the United States
having competent jurisdiction upon a
| charge of treason or other felony, full
pardon and amnesty for all offense or
treason against the United States or of ad-
herring to their enemies during the late
civil war, with restoration of all rights of
property except as to slaves and except
also as to any property Of which any per-
son may have been legally divested under
the laws of the United States"
Deaths of Ex-Presidents.
Three ex-presidents of the United
| States have died on the Fourth of July
Two were signers of the great document
that Is commemorated on that day and
both died on its semiannual anniversary
Thomas jefferson, who drafted the Decla-
ration of Independence, died at Monticello,
| Va, in 1896, at the age of S3. He bad
lived to see the republic firmly esta blished
among the nations of the world and him
self abundantly honored by his country
men. On the same day in Quincy, Mass
John Adams, who had been jefferson g
associate In the stormy days Of the repub-
lie, passed away at the age of 81. One of
the last acts of his life was to send from
his sick bed to the Fourth of July cele-
bration Of the town of Quincy this toast
~ give you independence forever" His
last words were Jefferson still lives, 4"
but Jefferson had already by a few hours
preceded Adams to the land of the here
after.
Five years later, in 1881, James Mon
roe died In New York city on the Fourth
Of July. He was buried In the marble
cemetery on Second street, east of the
Bowery, but in 1858 his remains were re-
moved to his native state, Virginia.
Chief Justice Marshall, who did more
| r,arhan no than apv nthar Darsnn ~ his tiYna