The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-05-31


grew to understand that the triumph
would come, but by hundred painful
land tedious campaigns. In the Eas
and the West the columns advances
and recoiled. swayed from side to side
land again advanced; along the coast
the black ships stood endlessly on am
on before the hostile forts; generals
and admirals emerged into the light
each to face his crowded hour OF sue
cess or failure: the men In from
fought; the men behind supplied ant
pushed forward those In front: and tbs
Ianal victory was due to the deeds oi
all who played their parts well and
Imanfully. In the scores Of battles. In
the countless sklrmIshes, In march. In
icamp or In reserve. an commissioned
lofiicers. or In the ranks-whereve and
whenever duty called them. Just 30
it must be for us In civil life. We can
make and keep this country worthy OF
the men who gave their lives 10 save
La. only on condition that the average
man among US on the whole does his
duty hravely. loyalty. and with COM
mon sense, In whatever position life
allots to him. Exactly as In the time
OF war. courage Is the cardinal virtue
OF the soldier. so In time of peace hon-
esty, using the word In Its deepest and
broadcast significance. Is the essential
basic virtue. without which all else
avails nothing,
National greatness Ia Of slow growth.
1t can no, be forced and yet be stable
and enduring. for Il Is based funda-
mentally upon national character, and
national character ls stamped deep in
! a people by the lives OF many genera
tions, The men no went Into the
army had 10 submit to discipline, had
TO submit to restraint throught the
government OF the leaders they had
chosen. as the price OF winning. 80
we. the people. can preserve our lib
erty and our greatness In time of peace
only by ourselves exercising the vir-
tues OF honesty, of self-restraint, and
OF fair dealing between man and man.
In all the ages Of the past men have
seen countries lose their liberty. be-
cause their people could not restrain
and order themselves, and therefore
forfeited the right to what they were
unable to use with wisdom.
It was because you men OF the Civil
war both knew how to use liberty
temperately and how to defend II a,
need that we and our children and ouI
chIldren's children shall hold you II
honor forever. Here, on Memorial day
on this great battlefield. we commem'
crate not only the chiefs who actually
won this battle: not only Meade, ant
his lleutenants. Hancock and Rey'
nols and Howard and Sickles. and this
many others whose names flame in oul
annals: but also the chiefs who haC
made the arm Of the Potomac what 4
was, and those who afterward led Il
In the campaigns which were crowned
at Appomattox; and furthermore thos'
who made and used Its sister armies
Mcclellan. with his extraordinary gen.
Illus for organization: Rosecrans, Buell.
Thomas, the unyielding. the steadfast
and that great trio Sherman. Sheri
dan, and, last and greatest OF all, Gran
himself, the silent soldier hose ham
merlike blows finally beat down evei
the prowess Of the men who tough
against him. Above all we meet her
to pay homage to the officers and en-
LISTED men who served and fought an'
died, without having, as their chief
lhad, the chance to write their name
on the tablets of fame; to the mel
who marched and fought in the ranks
who we're buried in long trenches OF
the field Of battle, who died In cot
marked only by numbers In the hospl
tails; who, II they lived, when the wa
was over, went back each to his tasl
on the farm or in the town, to do hi
duty In peace as he had done II y
war: TO take up the threads Of hi
working life where he had droppe
them when the trumpets OF the natio
pealed to arms. Today, all over thi
land our people meet to pay reveren
homage to the dead who died that tn
nation might live, and we pay homag
also to their comrades who are sti
with us.
All are as one now, the sons Of thos
who wore the blue and the sons 9
those who wore the gray and all ca
unite in paying respect to the memor
Of those who fell, each Of them givin
his life for his duty as he saw 1t; an
all should be at one in learning fror
tho deaths Of these men how to liv