The National tribune., 1901-05-02
GENERAL ORDERS.
Commander in Chief Rassieur Admonishes
Comrades to Strict Observance of Memo
rial Day.
St. Louis, Mo-, April %, 1901.

ST LOUIS, NO., April -, 1JoA.
General Orders No. 4.
We are again reminded by the change OF
seasons that the time Is fast approaching
when according to the well-established GUS
tom of our Order, it will be our sad duty To
| lovingly and earnestly devote day 10 our
heroic dead, departed comrades whose records
| in this life are closed. Each Post or the
| Grand Army of the Republic is therefore ad-
monished to repair, on Thursday, May 30, to
| the nearest cemetery containing the eaFthly
remains of Union soldiers, sailors and
| marines and there decorate their graves with
the flowers Of Spring and the flag they loved
so well, being particularly careful not to over
| look the graves of those heroes whose head
stones indicate that the names are unknown,
as such an interment almost invariably indi-
Gates that the earthly remains there deposited
belonged to one who fell where the battle
was the thickest, and where the time OF the
living did not admit of careful Identification
and Interment Of the slain.
Let the services prescribed by the Service
Book" be conducted In reverent spirit. Let
the great debt Of gratitude Of our country
to our dead comrades, the brave defenders OF
the Union, be made manifest.
To recount their special deeds OF unseIhsh
devotion and sacrifice, of distinguished d
bravery and valor would require US to read
the brightest pages OF our country's history,
covering four long years of the iercest inter
necine struggle of all times, task imposs!-
bic in the tine allotted. To do less, however,
than TO rec1 II at this time that these patriots
were sincerely opposed TO such a war when
It was forced upon them by the firing upon
Fort SUMTER that pure and qnenchless fire
of patriotism caused them voluntarily to for
sake peaceful pursuits and forego the CON-
forts and safety of home, and to assume the
priVations and dangers Of soldiers life In
order to preserve the Integrity and indlvisi-
bilty Of their country, the only hope OF
future constitutional liberty, would require
us to be faithless TO our trust. To permit
that war to be called, in history, mercy Il
"war between the States Of this Union, or
| to lose sight of the fact that 1t was nothing
less nor more than q gigantic rebellion
against the eproperly-constitutcd authorities OF
the United States of America, would bnlitte
their great sacrifices and be an act OF grave
| injustice TO many hundreds of thousands OF
Union people who, although citizens of South
ern States, and as such exposed to the erron-
e0us teachings Of Southern leaders, and ia
social ostraclEm invariably invoked to aid
secession, remained true to their country un
der lndescrbable peril. Hence, while truth
fully concedlng the valor of the Southern sol
| ders in that war and that they fought fOi
what they believed to be right; let 1t be clear
| ly and firmly enunciated on this occasion that
| the Southern armies fought not only for a
| ''lOst cause" but for wrong cause and foi
wrong principle: namely, the principle Of Sc
| cession, which could not be correct or right
| because at variance with the inherent or
ganic principle Of self-preseryation belonging
| 10 every Government and which. our fore
! fathers could not therefore be deemed to have
| conceded to the States under the terms Of the
| Constitution. Let it also be clearly made
| known that this erroneous principe Of seces
| sion was Invoked by Southern leaders for the
main purpose of perpetuating human slavery
When these indsputable facts are clearly i'm
pressed upon future generations, there cannot
| be any reasonable doubt, even In the South
| as to the right or justice OF our cause, anC
the glory due our brave comrades for theiI
secrifces in preserving this Union viii neve
fade or be obscured. They will be enshrin {
in the hearts Of all good citizens as the say
Iors of. our Government, together with tht
forefathers who are revered as the bold found
ers thereof.
The Sunday preceding Memorial Day
possible, with appropriate exercises In tht
churches of all patriotic congregations am
communities commemorative of the unselfisI
herolsm Of those Of our brave comrades VIII,
have closed their earthly careers
| The Southern Memorial Fund, contri
buted heretofore for rendering assistance I,
| Posts and comrades IN the South to enabl
them TO properly decorate the graves of od
dead heroes In that part OF our country OF
Memorial Day being amply large to meet thi
expense incident thereto for this year, tn,
usual annual call for contributions for tina
purpose Is omitted. Contributions for tn
sufferers In Galveston and vicinity hayin,
been literally made during the past year b,
the comrades of our Order is another goo
reason for this course.
BY order OF
LEO RASSIEUR, Commander-in- Chief
B. n. STERRETT, Adjutant-Genersl.