Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1902-05-31
Veterans of Grand Army Lead in Paying
Tribute 10 Fallen Comrades.
GRAVES OF BLUE AND GRAY KEPT GREEN
Nations Chief Executive Bvokes Storm Of
Applause with Eloquent Words.
CHEERS AGED HEROES IN BROKEN RANKS
only Really VitsI Task of Country's
Life, President Says, Was Per- ;
formed by Federal Soldiers
of Civil War.

was observed today perhaps more generally
than ever before. The announcement that
President Roosevelt would deliver the ora
tion at Arlington brought to that historic
city of the dead a vast concourse Of people,
among whom were numbered thousands NJ
veterans who journeyed to the cemetery to
honor the memory of their comrades who
had died in their country's cause or who,
having survived the struggles of 1851 and
lSSS had passed since into the great un-
known.
The local arrangements were in charge
OF the Department of the Potomac and in
cluded a parade Of all the Grand Army of
the Republic and other patriotic organiza-
tions. the decoration OF monuments and
graves and addresses by men prominent in
the affairs of the government
At Arlington. where the principal exer-
cises were held a national salute was fred
at ~ o'clock by the Fourth battery, United
States field artillery. Music was rendered
by the Marine band and by the Memorial
choir. Upon arriving at Arlington the pro-
cession marched to the tomb Of the un-
known. During the decoration of tombs
by the special committee, chosen 'om the
different Grand Army OF the Republic or
ganizations and auxiliary societies tha
Marine band played an appropriate selec-
tion. The procession then broke up and the
decoration Of graves began.
Decoration of Confederate Graves.
A touching feature Of the work Of deco
ratioN was the strewing of flowers over the
graves Of the confederate dead who lie bur-
led in a section of the cemetery.
In the meantime vast crowd had as
sembled at the eNamphitheater, where the
services were conducted. The familiar
strains Of Nearer, My God, TO Thee" by
the Marine band. marked the beginning Of
ra'ely planned. President Roosevelt,s ar
rival was the signal for an outburst OF ap-
plause which continued for some time after
he had taken his seat on the platform.
After the invocation and the rendition Of
several numbers by the band and choir, Mr..
Il. b. Hsy read Lincoln's Gettysburg sd-
| dress. President Roosevelt followed, and
as he arose he was again greeted with
cheers and the plaudits OF the immense
audience, which stretched far outside the
| limits of the amphitheater. His remarks
were given the closest attention and he was
frequently Interrupted by bursts of ap-
plause. The president spoke as follows:
Address OF the President.
1t is gooo custom for our country to
have certain solemn holidays in commem-
Grafton of our greatest men and OF the
greatest crisis in our history. There should
number il to cheapen them. washington
and Llncoln-the man who did most 10
found the union, and the man who did
most to preserve it-stand head and should
ers above all our other public men, and
have by common consent won the right
which commemorate the turning points in
American history, Thanksgiving has a sig
we 1'ce Celebrate the BIRTH Of the nation; on
this day, the SOth OF May, we call TO mind
me II live shSsS %So e All tba ae
holds dear for the great prize Of death In
battle, who poured out their blood like
structure raised by the far-seeing patriot
ism OF Washington, Franklin, Marshall,
Hamilton and the other great leaders OF
the revolution, great trainers of the con-
stitution should not crumble into meaning
You whom / address today and your
comrades who wore the blue beside you
in the perilous, years during which strong,
load of national leadership, performed the
one feat the failure TO perform which
thing which makes the name America a
symbol of hope among the nations of man.
Reeessary nene oH task R which has ever fallen % to
the lot of any men on this western hemi-
During our four generations OF national
life we have had to do many tasks, and
some OF them Of tar;reaching Importance
you did, the task of saving the union.
Upon your success depended all the, future
of the future of mankind as whole.
You left us a reunited codntry In war
ana ,he ~ pyds pwisest ' of lessons to us ana our
children and our children's children.
Trying and DImcuIt War.
Just at this moment the army OF the
United States, led by men who served
among az Sed m ns small but pecuisTiy trys
ing and difhcult war In which Is involved
not only the h4noF OF the the nag. ta but S thS
stand for the black chaos OF savagery and
barbarism. The task has not been as din
Comrades, the men in the uniform OF the
United states, who have for the last three
pioned the American cause in the Philip
pine islands rare are your younger h,,i1: eroth,srs:
not unworthy OF you and they are entitled
to the support of all men who are proud
These Younger comrades of yours have
fought under terrible difiiculties and have
received terrible PROPAGATION from a very
cruel and very treacherous enemy. UndeRs
the strain of these provocatons I deeply
deplore to say that some among them have
and commit, in retaliation. acts of cruelty.
The fact that for every guilty act COM
aets Of 0 far Shs greater % aToey have Seea
committed by the hostile natives upon our
abiding natives who are friendlv 20 US. can
not be held 20 excuse any wrongdoer on
ort SSE SSs must be made and ans Is bens mds
to md out every instance OF barbarity on
the part OF our troops TO punish those
guilty Of Il, and TO take IL possible, even
stronger measures than have already been
taken TO minimize or prevent the occur
renee of all such instances in the future.
Traducers of the Army.
From time TO time there occur in our
country, TO the deep and lasting shame
Of our people, lynchings carried on under
circumstances Of inhuman cruelty and
barbarity-a cruelty infinitely worse than
any that has ever been committed by our
troops in the Philippines; worse TO the
guilty OF it. The men who fall to con-
demn these lynchings. and yet clamor about
what has been done in the Philipptnes
are indeed guilty OF neglecting the beam
In their own eye while taunting their
brother about the mote IN his. Under
stand me These lynchings AFFORD US no
excuse for failure TO stop cruelty In the
Philippines. Every effort IL being made.
Continued on Fourth Pass.l