Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-06-04
IN MEMORY OF THE DAY AND
THE MEN.


Charleston, announcing the assault on
and the capture of Fort Sumpter.
The kilograms were brief, but they
contained volumes of history. First
came the demand from General Beaure-
gard directed to Major Anderson, to
surrender the fort to the South Caro-
lima authorities. Then came Major
Anderson's prompt refusal and then
the announcement that Fort Moultrie
and the floating battery of the seces-
sionists had opened fire on Sumpter.
The telegraph Office at Charleston
was in the hands of the secessionists
and their deeds were magnified.
THE floating battery works well"
was one of the announcements. This
meant that the schemes of the conspir-
ators were about to be realized. Then
came the dramatic episode, when Wig
fall, the picturesque Texas senator
made his appearance at one of the port
holes of Fort Sumpter, demanding its
surrender. Not long after, came the
news that the beleagured fortress held
by United States troops, was on fire,
and that the magazine containing the
ammunition was in danger. Then
came the short but painful details of
the surrender and with it the insult
Ing message to the entire north:
with mortar, Paixhan and petard,
We tender to Old Abe our Beaure-
gard"
The great uprising then came with a
determination that government of the
people, by the people and for the peo-
pie should not perish from the earth.
a
1t was an lunprovoked rebellion and
this can not be too often repeated and
emphasized. The south was not in
danger! it's institutions were made Sc
cure by constitutional guarantees; its
negro slaves were guarded by federal
enactments, the northern owner of
the stolen mule would have been
laughed at if he had followed the
tracks of his animal to the south, and
demanded that the planters of that re-
gion should aim him to reclaim his sto-
len property;the owner of the fugitive
slave could follow his quarry to any
state in the north and invoke federal
and state authority to assist him in
capturing his property" in man.
The rebellion was aimed not only
for the purpose of secession but to de-
stroy the United States as nation and
finally to absorb the free states into
the Southern Confederacy and thus
make great slave empire in Amer
lea. The men who resisted this con-
spiracy, put down the rebellion and
restored the Union were greater in
their day than they themselves had
ever dreamed of being; the Union was
worth to them no more than it was to
others but they took upon themselves
the task. the dangers of defending and
preserving that Union which was not
only the salvation of the country as
1t was then but it secured the bless
ings of free government to the gener.
ations that are to follow them. If the
young men of that period had been
less brave and patriotic; if they had
given themselves over to ease and lux
ury they would have been content to
let the Union go. The young men of
the SOS were, however, drilled in the
hard lines of life; as rule they were
the sons of poor men either from town
or country; they had no great estates
to support them; they had nothing ex.
cept willing hands and strong hearts
to rely upon when they returned, after
three or four years service in fighting
the battles Of the country. 1t was a
school of patriotism and the lessons
! there implanted should never be for
gotten. 1t is for these purposes that
Decoration Day was inaugurated and
1t is a hopeful sign of the times tina,
instead of interest dying out, the re
currence Of Memorial Day is looked
forward to with undated attention
The veterans themselves are growing
old but their posterity has been wei
drilled in the lessons of national life
and 80 long as they survive, at least
will Decoration Day be observed,
The great civil war, although il
brought train of incidents that are
harsh and forbidding, as all wars be
get cruelty, gave to the nation new
birth nct. only of freedom but of senti
ment. Prior to the war of the rebel
lion. the orators reference to the flag