The Mankato free press., 1901-05-31

! III.
that wherever the lawful authority OF
this government shall send the flag OF
the union, there it is the duty of the
American soldier, on land and sea, to
defend it. To cause all men, yea, all
nations, to respect 1t, and to crush
out all rebellion, and insurrection
against its lawful authority This
the soldier and sailor of the Spanish
American war have done. We know the
names of but the few, Dewey, Schley,
Sampson. Shafter, Roosevelt. Lawton,
Merritt, Macarthur and others are
names familiar to us. But to the God
of the oppressed, are familiar the
names of all those heroes, living and
dead, who have offered and given their
| lives for the cause of humanity, and
who have triumphantly carried the
flag of our country around the globe.
ALI honor to them. l can pay them
no grander compliment than to say
they deserve to stand, shoulder to
shoulder, with the soldiers of the war
of the rebellion.
Those heroes of the rebellion, to
| whom we now turn our thoughts.
They fought not for conquest and
spoil. They went forth to battle for
| their common country, to suppress re-
bellion, and to stamp to the earth the
great conspiracy against the govern
ment. That conspiracy and rebellion
which grew out of southern solicitude
for the institution of slavery. Slavery,
which had been a bone of contention
between the north and south since the
| foundation stone of the government
was laid. All agitation of that ques-
| tion in the north, drove southern
statesmen into frenzy. Slavery and
the southern conception of states
rights, were dearer to them than the
union of the states. So, while the
spirit of freedom grew stronger in the
north, the south became the more
firmly welded to the doctrine of
human servitude, and more and more
despised every advocate of universal
freedom. | have stood in the city of
Alton, Illinois, where Lovejoy was
| shot for daring to publish an anti
slavery paper. Have stood where his
! printing press and the contents of his
office were thrown into the Missis-
slppi. Have listened to the murmur-
ing ripple Of the waters as they seemed
! to chant requiem over the brave
mans noble words. And I recalled
the fact, that by aid of the waters of
the Mississippi, the Union army after
ward cleft the confederacy asunder.
In the same city, have stood in the
old hall where Lincoln and Douglas
held one of the noted joint discussions
of 1853 and the walls seemed to echo
, Lincoln's solemn words: -. - - -
"After all, the question is, is slav.
| cry wrong? that is the issue, and thai
: is the issue that shall continue in this
country when these poor tongues OF
Judge Douglas and myself are silent
forever"
Such words as were uttered by mer
like Lovejoy and Lincoln, set the
north to thinking and alarmed the
south.
! They viewed with alarm the grow
ing sentiment of the north against slav
cry, and all attempted Legislation
agai nst the spread and extension oi
slavery. And when the sentiment oi
the north began to center and crystal
ize around the fearless Lincoln, as the
coming leader; when the Republican
national convention in Chicago,
nominated him as the Republican can.
didate of president of the United
States, then southern leaders declar.
ed they would never submit to the in.
! dignity of living under a government
with black abolitionist as president.
But the limit of northern forebear.
ance and Cancellation had been reach
ed. Threats to dissolve this Union up
on any pretext, at once aroused the
great patriotism of the people of tn,
north. Lincoln was elected, and tht
north rose in its might and said ht
should be inaugurated, and that tht
nation should be preserved.
You know we'll the history of wha
followed. No act by the north haG
been done in violation of even the
southern version of the constitution
No act had been committed to menac,
the institution of slavery. Yet be
tween the election of Lincoln in No
vember, 1850, and his Inauguration il
March, 1861, every preparation wal
made by the southern states, to dis
solve the Union. State after state Sc
ceded, and in February, 1861, the Sc
ceding states had founded southern
confederacy, southern congress haC
be en- formed, and all the functions O.
government were being carried on
in defiance and violation of the funda
mental law of the nation.
/ These states had determined to sci
! up new government, based upon tn,
corner stone and sure foundation O.
(, human slavery. 1t was in vain tha
the patient Lincoln protested anC
| pleaded In vain he declared that al
the legal rights of the south should b,
preserved, southern statesmen led by
traitorous governor of South Carolina
even denied to the president the privi
lege of sending provisions to the starv
ing little garrison in Fort Sumter
And when he insisted upon his righ
so to do, and so did, the hydra head @
rebellion raised itself on his han,
struck the first open, violent blow a
the life of the nation. Like an elec
trio shock, the news flew throughou
the free north. The stars and stripe
had been fired upon, Sumter had beel
bombarded and had fallen Th
authority of the national government
had been defied and set at naught, an
an internecine war with all it's horrors
was forced upon us. 1t was then tina
the patriotism of the north-of a.
men, loyal to their country, manifesto
itself. 1t was seen that the spirit O
liberty brought to the American shore
by the Pilgrim Fathers and vindi
Gated on many subsequent battlefield
had not slept. but was still stron
passion and principle in the hearts Q
the people
4 When President Lincoln issued ca
for volunteers to put down the rebel
lion it met with response seldor
witnessed in the history of the world
1t is true that the governors of th