Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-05-30

Oo III OAN - b1 ~
ings the principles so dear to the
American heart, and so unique. even
after the lapse of these additional
years. that they are still regarded as
distinctively American principles.
Il am not here to hurl anathemas
against the men of the south. can
not allow myself to say one word in
depreciation of our former foes. Such
action would have two fold infiu>
ence 1t would detract from the hon
or of the men who defeated that foe
and would class your speaker TODAY
among those so small as to be able to
see only the bitterness of the struggle
and not see the larger effects of that
struggle. Your speaker will not say
one word calculated TO fan into life
any one of the old feelings of animos-
ity and bitterness. 1t was a fearful
war. and those on both sides of the
line had to taste the bitterness in large
measure. Nothing is accomplished.
and no good purpose is served. by
keeping the old feeling of hatred alive
| am even going to say that does no
or better. to constantly retel. with
smack of lip and apparent pleasure,
of the sufferings inflicted on the men
on the other side. 1t is too late in the
day for such glorying, and. as l hope
to show. the men on the other side
are worthy of better treatment.
Your speaker does not intend to try
to protray any of the great battles of
the war. Two reasons might be given
He was not there. and such rehears-
ais are not in keeping with the pur-
pose before him.
Visits to BattIefelds
Il have seen three battle fields. II
rode up the inclined railway to the top
of Lookout Mountain; and as l stood
on the point, and looked down where
Hooker's men climbed up, l thought
they must have been more than men
to climb such a path in the face of
such a foe. | rode through the valley
which possibly some of you here to-
day had to cross. And as l saw the
valley, and rode along the crest of
Mission Ridge, up which you struggled
in n battle not ordered and TO a vic
Nol y H'N CAJCtACNl. Dul lOu8IlI ana
gained only because you had to do it:
and as l read Bayard Taylor's thrill
ing description of the battle, | said
again, How could men do it?" / rode
Chicamauga's fearful field
Have you been there of late years?
Then you will have noticed what
saw, and which have reminded me of
many of the men who were there
10 years ago. l refer to the wounded
trees-those Georgia pines hit by bull
let and shell. The bark has grown
over them. and scared the wounds;
but the flesh of the trees never filled
up. They have borne their scars these
40 years, and have stood mute wit
nesses of the severity.
NO, no attempt shall be made to
depict the horrors of Lookout Mount |
ain, Mission Ridge, or even of bloody |
1t might possibly en- |
terrain for the moment, but it would |
De at the expense of better things.
The suggestion was made a few |
ago that the victorious army |
accomplished something more than
merely saving the national life. II
want to say now that they did some,
hing even better than that. They
'eally made a national life. Think
he matter over calmly and intelli-
gently, and see if your speaker is not
light today when he says that prior
O 1865 there was no real national life
a national life in its true sense.
There was an aggregation of states
IN aggregation, but not congrega-
ion. They were united by the forces
If adhesion, but not by those of CO.
lesiOn. These states were, in fact.
individual nations. eacl, with
state life, state principles, ana
tate rights, distinct one from the
'ther. and not to be yielded for any
ther one. or for all the others togeth-
r. And this statement * probably as
rue as those states north of Mason
nd DiXon'S line, as of those south of
he line. All virtue did not reside even
n New England. nor was all the sup. !
'osed inhumanity inherent in the
nuth. Slavery was maintained in
massachusetts, rs long as 1t would
ay. High moral sentiment came in
fter it was discovered that it would
ost less to pay free labor. and allow ;
to clothe and feed itself, than to
ave slave labor at the cost of the
alue of the slaves. plus the cost Of
ousing and clothing and feeding !
hem. No. no; the southern people
-ere not sinners in this matter above ,
IL others. Slavery paid down there.
nd so it was maintained as a good
BUSINESS principle, and a good bible
rinciple.
Produced New National Life.
THE differences in the inherited I
rats of the people of the different '
ections Of the country, which every :
man must recognize as :