The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-05-31

unjust laws. A the hand OF the oppres-
sor rested ever heavier and heavier. the
voice Of an OTIS thnndersd back the de-
fAtton fs tyranny. and the eloquent
tongue Of a Henry proclaimed the
warning. Caesar had his Brutus, Charles
the First his Cromwell, and George the
Third-may profit By their example
They pesifioned and demonstrated. re-
mindinG the king and his parliament IN
respectful terms OF those immutabse
fion stones OF q new nation. Govern
ments derive their just powers from the
consent Of the governed All men arc
created free and equal They were an
swered with the sword and bayon.t anil
then began the seven long. dark years o.
struggle. We see the smoke OF Bunker
Htll. the dark night of Valley Forge, the
bright sunlight of that October day al
Yorktown. when CORVALLIS surrendered
10 Washington and Lafayette Their In
dependence had been gained. new ma
eminent founded upon principles OF civil
liberty and human equa..ty- We honor
all those heroes Of the pen and sword
who achieved for Us and for all mankind
this mighty victory for humanity They
are gone now. the monuments that mark
their resting places are crumbiing into
dust. but their names and their achieve
ments are fresh In our memories on this
Memorial day.
We look again and we witness the
second great struggle OF our nations
fs,os,. against the opprsssions Of the
for the freedom Of the seas Again our
win.
Climax Of Rattle.
The years passed on and our nation
prospered and grew apace But the time
had come when II must enter upon an
awful struggle for life or death. The
time had come to determine whether q
popular government could survive. The
Hberfy-loving people OF tho world looked
on with GREATNESS suspense and anxious
Tear, kings and potentates with iil-dis-
Our nation had been established by the
Union OF thirteen independent sovereign
states Other states carved out OF national
plane OF equality. With the growth OF
population and OF wealth and the multi
piicafion OF questions Of great public In
terest and importance. the inevitable sfrug-
gle between the sovereignty Of the state
and the sovereignty of the natton-between
the Independence OF state government on
the one hand and national unity on the
other-hecame more imminent One great
evil had remained In our national system.
which was destined to precipitate this
struggle. II was an evil which UNDER
national existence-she principle of human
freedom and human equality. Four mill
lions of human beings were held as slaves
The slave system had built itself UP In the
into the fabric OF all Its snrinl and civic
institutions. The South had not vet learn
ed that every compromise with wrong Is
defeat; that the dynamic force of truth
must inevitably overthrow error and de-
stroy evil.
The party of IAncoln was successful.
and that great man was elected and In
augurafed president of the United States
Lincoln and his cabinet hoped for pacfica-
ton and offered compromise. The South
believed the struggle was inevitable: and
lie rlwAk - = -
could he. no compromise. One by one.
South Carolina, and then her sister states.
attempted TO sccede from the Union. Then
came the attack on Fort Sumter. War.
with all Its blonlshed and its horrors was
upon the country. The irTepressible con-
fiict had begun. Tho North was aroused,
and with zeal that until then had never
known parallel responded 10 the nations
call. Armies were quickly mustered in ana
moved to the front At Bull Run and Balls
Blum, they met the flower of the South
1t was a struggle unto death The greatest
war of the ar wss about to be fought.
Hundreds of thousands of men were mus
tered into service on either side. As the
OF Fort Henry and Dtnelson and Corinth:
OF second Bun Run and OF Antietam.
Lee. with hundred thousand men crossed
the Potomac and invaded Pennsylvania.
He was met by Meade with an equal army
on the field OF Gettysburg. and there. on
the 'irst three DAYS Of July. 1861 was fought
n %
nation. The world beheld the event In
breathless amazement. Two-thirds OF
Lees splendid army OF brave Southern sons
were killed. wounded or missing-4e0oo
men. and one-fourth Of the army OF Meade.
After the close az the war when a
youth. jus, entering my teens. 1t was my
privilege 10 spend TWO years al Gettysburg.
While the awful devastation Of that fear
often wandered over its fields. from Sem
iuary Ridge 10 Culp's Hiii from Cups I'm
10 Round Top. To witness those scenes
then was 10 MI the heart of youan with
awe az the thought of the dreadful earn
age, with reverence for the memory OF the
brave dead who were buried there In their
prida la the glorious victory for the right
For the brave men who fought with
saeh stern herossm In the Confederate
army. have never entertained any feel
Ing but 81 compassion. They were sons OF
common patriot ancestry They fought
fer the maintenance OF Institutions upon
which sheir social fabric was based; for
civic principles which they had cherished
through the generations Though wrong.
they believed they were right else they
could never have FOUGHT as they did tAp-
riausel Bur | have m compa ssi0n. no
sympathy no word 70 uai,isa,e the bitter
contameiy ] have ever felt for the copper
heads In the North vho without the cour-
age os their convictions, secretly gave aid
and comfort To their nations enemies and
sought 80 undermine and destroy eur gov
er0nfefff- 'Anplausel Nar have any more
tolerance for thia same class Of men in the
present day who seek 10 sow fiscori and
discomfort among our uationis soldiers and
who egGtea ser 30 pgiSv the hand ~ our
nation executive sn the hour ~ conflict
tprolonged applause,
The war went on There was nearly
two years more OF carnage and az blood:
tyut the end came April lssS Witnessed
the Surrender If the araiy uf Isee 10 the
army os Grant and 4 likewise witnessed
the tnaRuanlnkty ~ tie brave 10 the
brave. The immortal Lincoln saw the
.na~tae return OF peacv-and then. az the
aSsasssn's hand. gave up his life. a mar
tyr to the Caus@ Of human liberty. The
natten vaS again united, -Four millions
~ human beings rad bgen made fr9sgnen.
Our constitution was anne nsesi 50 that the
curse az human slavery should be forever
abolished. and tue blessings of clyli lib
sst$ forever established AMI pre- rived TO
ali oar people, The Stars aBd stripes
again Heated over fHc &sugtn and breadth
81 ear fansk fseFss 1tezE4 "a oceaF, frcyn Ina
great lakes "a the xuif~and ali who - ao1
sseHsAEh SIS tet8s acre fsec
TIA That war mere thsn two and bali
millions 81 inen had beer enrolled in the
Ifssen army. and three hundred thousa nd
- them bad Elvsn 9p ffsetr lives ia the
cause - freedom snd az fasnr- The pros
eeas{ou & that war bad cess oar national