Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1906-09-06

as the chisied words recorded many of
" HON fell in defence of their native
state, "in war between the states"
No words Of condemnation have | to
offer against the spirit which promoted
the erection of this monument l. honor
of their brave sons. / cannot, however,
ACCEPT a true the senti1lent of the last
part of that inscription. Il was not a
war between states, but an unjust re-
belion upon the national govern ment,
without cause, that had for it's object
the division OF this union or its absolute
destructioo, and the uphnlding of The
Southern Confederdcy, with human
slavery as It's cornerstt ne. But the
god of battles was not with them. 1t
was not to be 80. A regenerated union
was to be the final result. To dav we
fad factories and the hmm of industry
upon the spot where were located
Libby Prison and the stpckade at Sails
( bury. Northern capital and industry
joined with the south, working in har-
mony in the upbuilding and improve
ment of that favored section of our
country. The people are gradually but
surely solving the great problems ofthe
/ past and the result is government
stable and patriotic in all it's parts.
1t is not my purpose to follow the for.
tunes of these years of conflict. Words
cannot express the thoughts that come
to mind of those days General Grant,
the great commander, has we'll said
that "there were thousands of instances
during the rebellion of individual, COM
pauy, regimental and brigade deeds of
herosm which deserved special ment.
ion" 1t las been my fortuLe recently
TO see some of the battletields of the
south, the long line of trenches and
breastworks at Richmond, Petersburg,
and all over Virginia and the south,
now in many places covered with
trees of the forest Thus marking the
victories of time as well as war. Near
! at hand can be seen the National ceme-
teries with their miles of headstones,
each monument to the heroic deeds
of union soldier. "We were in peril,
they breasted the danger; the Republic
called, they answered with their
blood -
4 Precious things command large
values the world over, and 1t is equally
true that the living principles of our
constitution and law, placed in the
fee by it's illustrious founders has
ever paid more. 1t was not merely the
billions of dollars of treasure, nor was
it only devasted homes, towns, viii
lagos and cities, but the price demand
ed and paid in full was far more-to
make a comparison would not he pos
sible. 1t was the hundreds of thous-
ands, the brave, the loyal, the true, yes,
the very flower of the land who yielded
up their lives at fredericksburg, Vicks-
burg, Gettysburg, the Wilderness and
upon hundreds of other we'll fought
fields, to pay fitting tribute to these
nobledefenders of our country is among
the impossibilites of speech, and be-
yond the power of expression. The
pen fails an d the tongue is silent, not
only their noble deeds but those oftheir
companions in arms, those who return
ed with MANNED bodies and ruined
health, will surely live after them, and
give life and freedom to the genera
tions yet to come, peace and prosper
ity within our borders.
The time is now ripe when the veter
ans of the Civil war should all receive
more substantial aid than mere praise.
1t is not sufficient that the few should
be granted invalid, disability or depen
dent pensions but there should be Il
| uHiVeTSdi SoENfCe peHSiOH 1Tatneu dtOue
liberal lines. AS the pension list hat
decreased more than ten thousand
during the last year with correspond
ing decrease of many millions Of dol
lars, why not? 1t cannot be esuccessfull,
contradicted that to the preservation
of the union and for the greatest nation
of the twentieth century we are indebt
ed to them. The advancements that
have been made since that historic
event is without parallel in the worlds
history. Six states at the present time
exceed the population of the United
States in 1880, and the population
south of Mason and Dixon's line il