The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-05-31
An Eloquent Tribute to the Boys in
Blue Who Fought and Bled
for National Unity.
STEPHENS POST DECORATES
The Graves of Old Soldiers In ut.
Zion, Red Mems and Mt.
olivet Cemeteries.


At 8 o'clock, the post members, large
delegation of school children from
Richie school, led by Miss Sarah A.
Scott, and a firing squad made up of
spanlsh-Amerlcan war veterans, as
sembled at the posts hall, corner Of ia
cob and Thirty-slxth streets, and
marched to Mt. Zion cemetery, where
the general exercises Of the morning
occurred. Arrived at the cemetery. the
usual rltuallstic services were held over
the grave of soldier. and then follow
ed the Grafton Of the day by Mr.. Frank
w. Nesbltt. who said:
Mr.. Nesbitt's Address.
The names Of patriot soldiers who went
down To death sublime.
Pour an everlasting lustre d"''S thc long
nrcudcs OF time!'
at is most fitting that We gather to-
gather in the bright spring OF each
happy year to give expression to the
gratitude we feel toward those whose
blood purchased much OF the prosperity
We now enjoy Most fitting that with
the advent OF the season OF flowers we
turn aside from our daily aNocations 10
bedeck with choicest blossoms the mai
lowed graves Of the departed heroes OIL
'6l-'6i.
"To us OF a later generation the
memory of the lads who fought foT the
preservation of our glorious union
should ever remain temple OF grateful
veneration, guiding star to light our
footsteps In the true path of patriotism
a pillar OF cloud by day. pillar OF hre
BIS night. It was they Of 81 who struck
from the limbs of three million dusky
slaves the clnnking chains Of thraldom;
It was they who with their hearts
blood purged our proud eScutcheon OF
its one foul blot: It was they who made
II Dosslble for our beloved Columbia to
look all the world in the face. conscious
Of her own purity; II was they VINO
made our forefathers' declaration All
men are born equal" not alone a the,
ory, not merely an end TO be gained
some day. but living, breathing fact
upon our shores.
IAN this have they done, and yet not
half has been told. They delivered our
national integrity from the rending
grasp of those whose mistaken ardoi
tempted them to tear asunder the fab
firmly reunited nation; united not only
in name and boundaries and geograph-
ical position. but united In spirit, IN
interest. in aim, in fact.
LET him who doubts the fact OF our
present essential nntiona! unity. who
doubts the bond'of loyalty and patriot-
ism that unltes the north and south,
but review the events Of the late
Spanish American war. and he will
there find such a lesson In the plhlos-
ophy Of history as will teach him that
the greatest event In the lie Of man
kind since our Savior's time occurred
beneath the folds Of our starry banner
when the boys IN blue and the boys In
gray put on the robes OF peace, and
beat their swords into plowshares and
their spears into pruning hooks, what
do / mean? l mean that when, Mt the
close OF the Civil war the American
soldiers, north and south, put aside the
fierce weapons OF battle. and in their
stead took up the implements OF peace
ful Industry, all uniting FOR the COM
mon good OF a common country that
then the American nation arose to an
altitude on the heights OF Christian civ
Ilization never before more than dream
ed OF: never before even distantly np-
preached by any people.
Then and Now.
why. thirty-Hve years ago our
land was split In twain at Mason and
DIxon's line; In 1895, Grant and a Lee
marched side by side against a COM
mon enemy. In 1852 the Yankee Mon
itor and the Rebel Merrlmac engaged In
deadly duel: in 1895 into the mouth Of
f,n
from the state OF Alabama steered the
American Merrimac, To-day the blue
uniform OF your Uncle Sans soldier
boys is welcome at rebel Chickamnu-
ga: and the thrilling notes OF Dixie
mingling with the strains Of the star
Spangled Banner, echo over hill and
dale from Maine to California and from
the lakes to the gulf. o. 1t is glorious.
this peopIe reunited. PhoeRiN-like the
American Eagle has arisen from the
ashes OF dissolution. and to-day she
scars nearer the zenith than she ever
reached before.
North and South have shaken hands,
One sweet country. one proud nation
Not slave In all the land
This is the heritage bequelthed to us
who stand on the threshold Of the
twentieth century, by those who wore
the blue.
century ago Europe looked With scorn
upon the young republic OF the west
tbey called us an experiment, an i'm
practicable Utoplan scheme. incapable
AZ DEVELOPMENT and doomed To dlsap-
polntment. Little did they dream that
in the ten short decades Of the nine
tsenth century. the puny bird OF liberty
would grow and wax strong until at the
twentieth century's dawn the very
shadow Of the American Eagles wings
would cause the thrones OF Kings 10
tremble. When our Evolutionary fore
fathers fought 10 secure the blessings
az liberty for themselves and their pos
terIty, little did they think that the la
Dor expended, privations endured and
blood poured out 70 that end would
mark the laying Of the foundations that
support the superstructure OF the
mlghtiest temple OF liberty under the
blue dome OF heaven. little idea had
they that the nag under whose starry
colds The Immortal washington led
them 10 victory, would a century later,
he the proud emblem Of the proudcst
republic on earth. the symbol OF life,
liberty and love Of home TO seventy
million freemen; and yet such Is the
fact.
Honor to tho Flag.
ION this day made sacred to It's de-
tenders, our duty would be but half
done were we to fail to do honor to the
nag. tits the banner that waved over
the victory Mt Yorktown. It ia the em-
blcm that floats over the tomb OF the
Immortal Washington. il Is the es-
cutcheon on which the finger Of God
has written In letters Of living light,
Tint magic word. Liberty. II Is the
roof tree in whose protecting shades
seventy million free Americans enjoy
the blessings Of the recognized equal