Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-31
Made By Ex- Congressman Bar
tine of Nevada,
ON OBJECTS OF THE DAY
Story of the Blue and Gray Was Told
and til: Lessons That Should
Be Learned.

About the last and among the best part
Of the Memorial day exercises was the
ora.ion Of Hon H.. L. Eartine, who spoke
in part as follows:
Scarcely two weeks have elapsed since
my arrival in the state of Montana and
the city of Anaconda. To the most Of
you l am a total stranger. But as 1 am
here to remain, to abide in this fair noun
tain town perhaps the full term of my
natural life, l welcome with especial
pleasure the opportunity of being with
you and taking a small part in the OBJ
Eervance of this Memorial day.
1t is now more h thirty-eight years
since the first shot was fired in the
American civil war. and just about
thirty-four years (mOre than the averag,
span Of a human life) since the thunde,s
of that conflict died away. Probably four
fifths Of the present population Of the
Republic know literally nothing of that
mighty struggle save as a matter Of his
tory.
Upon the lowly graves of their dead
the members Of the Grand Army of the
Republic annually lay the floral tokens
OF their remembrance Tenderly, rever-
emily, they have performed that pleasing
duty today. And meanwhile their
thoughts fit backward to t he days Of
long ago. Looking down through the Wis.
ia of a third of a century they recall the
time when this great country now Sc
peaceful and happy lat home at least,
was rocking in the throes Of internal
strife, and engaged in a life and death
struggle for its very existence; when
brother was arrayed against brother and
father against son. when for a period Of
four consecutive years upon the battle
field or in the hospital, the lives OF our
young men were being ~extinguished at
the average rate Of nearly 400 a day. And
here, my friends, we nave the lessons
that this simple teaches and
the duty of which it is a constant re-
hinder. Every thought engendered is
~elevating, %ennobling and we'll calculated
to fill the heart with the tenderest emo
tons. AS a mere matter of sentiment it
is a most exquisite conception that in the
beautiful spring time, when the birds sing
their sweetest, the flowers bloom their
brightest and all nature is clothed in her
richest garb, q day should be set apart as !
sacred to the memory of the nations
dead. But in its effect upon our substan-
tial welfare as a people, it possesses a far
greater import. 1t suggests how easy it |
IS for the sunshine Of peace to give way
to the storm-cloud Of war, with the suf-
ferlng and the sorrows which lie in it's
wake. 1t entails upon us the duty Of
cultivating a spirit of mutual confidence,
kindly regard and generous concession
among all classes of our people and all
sections of u country. Conflicting in
terests there are bound to be. Laws are
certain to be enacted that will bear un-
equally upcn the different sections of our
widely extended country, and some may
appear to involve rank injustice. But
we should remember that the great body
OF the American people intend to be just,
that absolute perfection in the laws is i'm
possible so long as the human mind is it.
self imperfect; that the wrongs of which
we so frequently complain are usually the
result Of unsound judgment rather than
malice, and that in a country like ours.
where the will of the people is the highest
law, with intelligent discussion and pa
t1ent forhearance the right will triumph in
the end. And the fact must never be lost
s1ght OF hat the stronger we are as a
nation, the more potent will we be for
every good end useful purpose, for our
own protection n for the advancement
or the cause of humanity throughout the
world. In union there is strength This
Is 2 Well-worn trueism. We therefore in
vlte all classes of our people to join us in
c~u1tlvating this sentiment, in the hope
that 1t may so expand and
mat in the not distant future the Ameri-
can Union may stand as the prototypo
ana model of a world of republics in
Whlcf the great principles of liberty. ius-
tice and equality shall universally pre-
vail.