Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-05-31

peSlnnlnS and close of our first fou
wars. A great lesson should be Learned
from this and that is that we must b,
| prepared. If upon the declaration o
war; we had had an army and navy
pfoportionate to our real power as
hatlon this war would shortly end Will
victory to our arms.
we are people of tremendous en-
erSy ana great resources and the
facility with which we have organized
and put an army into the field may
wei command the admiration of The
World but our people must remember
that the best way to preserve peace is
to be prepared for war.
before the world the causes for which
TINS nation has fought must justify oul
acts. In the first, the War of the Rev
olution, we determined to be indepen,
dent and to establish for our people q
government of freedom and equal
rights. In the second 1872, we fought
tor the protection and rights of Ameri-
can citizens against foreign interfer-
ence.
In the war with Mexico we main
tanned tine integrity of our territory.
In the Civil War the great blot upon
our country, slavery. was wiped out
and we proclaimed to the world that
every citizen of the United States
should be a free man. and today We
have said to Spain that war against
people who are seeking what we
sought and fighting for what we
fought, liberty and self government
must cease, mankind never before, in
the history of the world knew such a
bold demand to be made upon any ma
ton for the freedom of it's colonies.
Such have been the causes Of our
wars and you veterans We're actors in
the greatest struggle of them all.
The primal cause of the great conflict
in which you took part. slavery, was
recognized by the Constitution of our
nation. a stranger to our government
and institutions in reading the conSti-
tuition might not recognize that fact,
but we know when it was provided
that the migration or importation of
such persons as any of the state now
existing shall think proper to admit,
shall not be prohibited by the Congress
prior to the year 1908, it referred to
the importation of slaves, and when it
said that when n person held q service
or labor in one state under the laws
thereof escapes into another he shall
not he free from such service, but
shall be delivered up, it authorized the
passage of the fugitive slave law.
When the representation of states in
Congress was to be determined by
adding to the whole number of free
persons including those bound to SER
vice for a term of years and excluding
Indians not taxed "three-1ifths of all
other persons" We know that each
slave was to be counted as three tbs
of a free man in the right of represent
tation.
For three quarters of 4 century this
recognition Of the institution of SlaV-
cry remained Il part of the fundamcn-
tai law of this nation. For three quar-
ters of Il century n people who for
seven years, with a firm reliance ON
the protection of Divine Providence.
had offered their lives, their fortunes
and their sacred honor in establishing
and defending that magnificent state
that they are endowed by their Crea =
tor with certain unalienable rights, that
among these are life. liberty and the
pursuit Of happiness" had lived with
Il constitution thus clearly recognizing
the institution of slavery. a strange
contradiction, but what else could they
do. when after 4 struggle of seven
years they sought to preserve to their
posterity what their sacrifices had OBJ
tanned? They were patriots, conceS-
sions then meant and obtained ulti-
mate liberty for all. through great sac
rifices: but had there been no conces-
sions made. no union could have been
formed. and what is now our own
great and free nation would have been
several separate and distinct powers,
part free. part slave.
From the nature of our people such a
| condition could not continue. a people
! who had sought these shores to find
| freedom. who had elected to brave the
| hardships Of the wilderness and the
merciless savage to escape the dom
nation of oppressive kings. would not
| forever tolerate the oppression OF
their brother man, the conflict must
come and You veterans saw and took
part in it.
Concessions We're made, compromises
offered: in the North men honestly diff
| fered, there were those who heart dnt
soul believed in the freedom of the
| slave and saw no compromises; others
| believed that bounds might lie fiXet
beyond which slavery should not pass
| others that, by amendment of oul
constitution, slavery might be 50 fully
and completely protected as to satisfy
the South and prevent war; but all at
tempts at settlement failed,the die was
| east Sumpter was fired upon. and az
| the echoes reverberated from tht
| hills and mountains and across the
plains of the North. the people rose
with one accord, and demanded thai
slavery and oppression should cease
With one God. the God of battle
with one faith, faith i'll their country
with one baptism, the baptism OF 1lre
YOU offered your lives for your coun'
try. for humanity, for freedom ant
equal rights.
The world never witnessed noblel
sacrifice than was made by the sol
diers of the North. You fought no
for YOUR own liberty for you were lree