The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-05-28

Thoughts On Memorial Day.

| oPN>iS % Nay W the IicLlOIle.
OF the soldiers of 1S61-5 it naturall,
met with enthusiastic approval, a:
there is in the human heart a ven.
Grafton for all that is heroic and self.
sacrificing In the history of the hu-
man lace. The world is full OF monu-
ments that commemorate public and
private virtue in her heroes. The diff.
erent countries of the world have, and
have had their heroes, Greece her Le-
onidas. Germany her Fredrick and
Bismarck. France her Napoleon.
Switzerland her Tell, and amid the
crags OF the Highlands of Scotland the
memory OF Bruce is cherished, Eng
at her Westminster Abbey has crown
ed and buried her rulers, philosophers
and statesmen for eight hundred
years, and the United States her
Washington, Lincoln, Grant and a
host of loyal citizens, who are the her
| itage of our own, buried in the vast
number of cemeteries and lonely
graves scattered throughout our land,
set apart and consecrated forever by
free people as the sacred places of this
Republic, wherein repose the remains
OF brave and loyal men who were will
to sacrifice to the cause of liberty and
union. These graves which are deco
rated this week by loving friends and
comrades of the Grand Army of the
Republic are found scattered from
Maine to the Pacific, from the Gulf to
the Lakes.
There are, too, about sixty National
Cemeteries in which are gathered the
| remains of those who were denied the
privilege OF resting place by their
own streams. In them are gathered
the thousands that fell where only he
roes fall, at the front where men are
willing to brave kissing bullets and
shrieking shells for principles sake.
Thirty-two years have passed by and
yet what memories these cemeteries re-
call, Shiloh, Seven Pines, Antietam,
Cold Harbor, Gettysburg, etc. To
mention these is to bring to mind the
greatest struggle ever waged in free
dom's behalf. "There are others that
when mentioned, almost causes the
heart to shrink and the tongue refuse
utterence"-Florence, Libby, Sails
| bury, and Andersonville.
The National cemeteries constitute
the source from which the people
draw their inspiration and we hope
that they shall remain cherished and
protected by grateful people, as to-
kens OF a priceless heritage.
The conflict at arms in which quar-
ter million freemen fell and of which
part of the G.. A. r. survive, was a
conflict over principles that underlie
free government, civilization and hu-
man progress.
The issues between the forces in
volved the integrity of the Nation and
the destruction of the Union and lib
erty.
The one sprang to arms contending
that the right to secede was reserved
the states, that capital should own its
labor, buy it, sell it. The other came
| to the field of war with the conviction
that the "Union is one and insepara-
ble," that labor should be free. "L ID
erty, then, must cast her fortunes
with the Union or perish on the conti-
nent"
Under the protection OF states
rights slavery could exist within lines,
but the fear of being circumscrlbed or
eliminated by the growing sentiment
OF the North, became aggressive and
sought to make itself national. 1t
had converted to itself nearly the
entire South and having established
and entrenched itself in various places
of the north having in its service a
part of the press, invading the army
and navy and influenced the courts
| It trusted no man not faithful TO Its
| interests. For thirty years dominant
in this Republic, commanding the al
legiance by favors of office and emoiu-
ments of station and patronage 1t
merged iss thirty years OF secret con-
spiracy into open rebellion, leaving
Douglass to lead a forlorn hope, CARR
ed the platform of the Charleston
convention into the structure of the
Consederacy, Haunting in the face OF
the nineteenth century the abomln-
able declaration: aBuild we here a
new government whose corner stone IS
human slavery"
From an executive who held the
same "rod of empire that Jackson
held" came the cowardly response
athe Republic surrenders-" And now
came the herald of another era-Lin-
coin. who found the rebellion organ
lied, consolidated, defiant, the govern