Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1905-05-31

tiOns Of our land, and is Fastening o.
the era of peace and good will.
What then is the value of this day
First Memorial day calls our attention
to the permanent elements of our nat
ional life, and to the enduring princi
pies upon which our government is
founded, Our memories are busy a
this hour. And as you sit within
these walls and participate in the ex-
ercises of this day, you live again
through the struggles of your day
You are again in the midst of battle.
You hear the boom of the cannon and
the shriek of the cannon ball as it
plows its death dealing way through
your ranks. You hear the rattle OF
musketry. and smell the smoke of the
| conflict. You hear the hOarse COM
mands Of your officers, and you feel
again the shock of battle as the armies
meet in a death struggle. You feel
again the exultation of victory, and
the binding sense Of defeat. And as
you experience all This, you ask what
it was all for.
When you have answered that ques-
tion satisfactorily you have touched
upon the vital principles underlying
our national life. For deeply involved
in all the great conflicts of our country
there has been some moral question;
some eternal principle of right has
been at stake.
After these many years we are now
able to look calmly upon our nations
wars, and in more or less judicial
the permanent; and to realize that
sooner or later the decisive struggles
must have come. Underneath the var
ious phases of the agitation and con-
tests OF our Civil war, there was pres
ent the question of the morality of the
institution OF slavery. That question
had to be settled, and settled it was by
a resort to arms. And as we pass in
review all the great wars of our coun-
try, we como to understand that this
government owes its existence. not to
the caprice Of accident. or the blind
ness of some fate, but to the es tablish-
ment and maintenance of p inciples
founded upon the eternal rock of liber-
ty and righteousness. And Memorial
day is Of value inasmuch as it calls our
attention to this truth.
Second, Memorial day rem nds US
ever of the terrific costs Of the bless
ings we enjoy and of the pow er and
beauty of sacrifice. Safety of life, Sc
curity Of property, and the enjoyment
of peace are the possessions Of the
American citizens. Yet at what cost
have they been purchased!
AS society we enjoy modern com
forts, and the latest improvements.
And perhaps with self-complancy We
take pride in our achievements and
boast of our progress. But who, | ask.
made these things possible? Was ii
not the pioneer who came to our land
when it was bowling wilderness, sub
iugated the fol ests, and made the
desert to blossom like the rose? These
men blazed the way of progress with
their unwearying energy and indomit
able will. They went without the
comforts and often the necessities OF
life, and we, their children, have en-
tered into possession of the fruits o.
their toll. Thus are we the heirs
of all the accumulated wealth Of these
pioneers.
Not otherwise is it true of the pos
sessions Of our national life. We are
a nation of free people. We acknowl-
edge no potentate, but God. No earth
ly ruler can force his will upon US
We give obedience to no laws.
except, those represented by the SOW
ereign will of the Most High, and that
expressed in the will of the majority Of
our fellow-citizens. Our government
processes to be of the people, for the
people and by the people. But who
[ remind you, purchased these enjoy
ments for us?
60 back with me 13C years that is
all. What do we seep A band of pa
triots arming to withstand a tyrant;
men rising in the might of right and
in their love OF liberty, to throw off the
yoke of the oppressor. Go with me to
Valley Forge. We pass along through
the deep snow and by the huts, rudely
fashioned to withstand the winters
cold. This is the camp of the colonial
army. Signs of suffering and tokens
of splendid fortitude are seen on every
hand. And as with downcast eyes we
pass on, we behold the snow Grim
soned with the blood drawn from the
blistered and frozen feet Of the patriot
soldier His suffering is pitiable. His
courage is splendid. His undving de
termination to purchase freedom at
any cost is sublime in it's intensity and
beauty. Freedom was won. as it must
come from such devotion. But, oh, at
what cost of life, at what sacrifice. al
what suffering! The tears of widows,
| the heartaches of mothers, the loneli-
ness of children. the sacrifice of fathers,
the bravery of sons; the groans of the
wounded, the strong agony of the dy-
ing-these are some Of the items in
| the cost of freedom. And like the
smoke from the sacrificial altar, these
| must have ascended to the throne OF
the Eternal as sweet incense. for the
motive was high and pure, the cause