The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1909-06-03
Along the sea and shore?
Inc same our grandsires lifted II,
The same our fathers bore.
IN many a battle tempest
1t shed the crimson rain.
What God hoe xrox,o,,

II Sned The crimson rain
what God has woven in his loon
Let no man rend in twain
Mhat more beautiful conception than that
which promoted Abra Kohn of Chcaoo ' IN Ina Snae
ruary, 1861, to send Mr.. Lincoln on tbe a,,a -
ms starting to Washington to assume the offca
ana duties OF President, a small fac of ~
country, bearing upon its silken folds tbe sa
words from the ninth and fifth verses of the
hrst chapter of the book of Joshua: Vic
"Have not commanded thee. he stron.r 49,,
OF good courage; be not afraid, neither be- thnu
dismayed; for the Lord thy God is with thea
wlthersoever thou goest. There shall NOT anS
man be able to stand before thee all the DAYS ~
my NE; as as was with Moses SO l will be with
ehee' Will not fail thee nor forsake thee"
Gould anything have given Mr.. Lincoln moro
cheer, or been better calculated to snsta;r he
courage or strengthen his faith in the MIGHTY
work before him! Thus commanded thms 90:
sured, Mr.. Lincoln journeyed to the can;,aI
Where ne took the oath of office, which was re-
glstered IN Heaven, to save the Union. and the
-. Lcra t our Hod was with him, and did not fail
nor forsake him; until every obligation of oath
and duty was kept and honored not a man was
able to stand before him. The Union was
Saved, and the flag which he loved Aoated in
Republic e''''' u 'he
and abroad, on land and on sea. has in the mast
been often demonstrated. Few incidents to
me are more striking than that which occurrad
IN Mexico when Hon. Joel R. Poinsett of South
Carolina was United States minister at that
court. 1t was Immediately following an cleo
tl s winch was bitterly fought, and the defeat
ed party were desperate in their disappont
m nnen1 the excited populace took pos
planted batteries along the streets. and the
streets flowed with blood While the firing
was w gong on, the widow of former viceroy
o o. Mexlco VINO lived in the adjoining house to
that OF our minister, trembling with fear and
almost overcome with excitement. sought his
nome nom and appealed to him for protection.
Whlle engaged in assuring her of full protee-
ton at his hand, shot was fired at him which
passed through his cloak and lodged in the
shutter OF MS balcony window. The maddened
mop' as ne disappeared then cried out to fire
IN the window and break down the gates At
the very moment when passion was running
highest, and the men had become mad with
desperation ready to batter down the gates
ana wall surrounding the house. Mr., Poinsett
o'rected the secretary of the legation to throw
out the American flag, which he did. and then
! the minister and the secretary. in full view of
the exclted crowd, stepped forth on the veran-
da beneath its folds. Instantly the shouts were
hushed, the fury of the mob began to abate
and the muskets dropped by the soldiers sides
"hlcn moment before pointed with deadly in
tent at the home and person of our minister
Dread and awful silence fell on the warning
multitude. The minister announced that he
was the accredited representative of the Unit
ed States Government. The leaders hastily
and confusedly consulted; the mob melted
away, and guards We're placed by the insur-
gents about the minister's house to nrotect If
and him, and all who had sought protection un
der his roof and within his walls WHY? Our
nag represented the dignity of the United
States and commanded instant respect. When
1t was unfurled, the crowd rolled back, as the
waves rolled back when the Master command
ed. 1t did what an armed force could not have
done without bloodshed 1t was the voice of
command; 1t represented the dignity of the Uni
ted States. shot fired at that flag was a shot
fired at the United States; and as the wild mob
respected the power, it respected the flag which
symbolized it.
My dear Comrades; The war was not only
intellectual it had moral side. Patriotic
men began to feel that the nation could not he
malt tree and half slave. Slavery began to ap-
pear IN Its true light monstrous sin: and the
guns OF the nation were pointed against that
SIN: Inc cry rent the air: Free the slaves;
strike down the nations curse and shame'
MY comrades, it was not until this cry was
raised, 1T was not until the great moral princi-
pie of freedom for all was brought into the
war, and the Emancipation Proclamation was
issued, that victory began to perch upon our
banners Prior to this it was one continued
Bull Run. Then it was that God took our
side Then it was that way above the crimson
surge of conflict was God, holding in His
mighty palm the stars of our flag, which
though dlmmed, were not to be allowed to fall
as dying meteors down the Skies
Up to this point, the African slave had been
an lncarnate sarcasm upon the boosted liberty
OF the Republic. But after this with limbs un-
fettered and sword arm free, we fought for the
Republic, and the Republic won.
10 pronounce the name of man is very
simple thing; but it makes the man who is
named known, and where the man is a hero,
knowledge is power. Why is Paul such power
In the world? Because he is talked about and
named and known The same thing explains
why Shakespeare is power, an influence.
Sons of Veterans, it is your duty to talk
about your fathers who saved our nation and
stood between US and national humiliation
You owe it to them as debt of gratitude, and
you owe it to yourselves. You owe it to them
and to yourselves to conserve their influences
for the good of the Nation. Let this nation
cease talking of Abraham Lincoln for single
generation, and what power will Abraham Lin
coin have in the future of America? By nam
ing him and talking about him we give him an
earthly immortality and also power to repeat
himself in our sons. Talk then about the
heroes of the war. Talk about Ellsworth, who,
though mere lad was the first hero to fall a
martyr to the flag. His death was blast from
the silver trumpet of liberty, which brought
hundred thousand men to the defense of the
flag he loved.
Talk about Mcpherson, who died at the age of
thlrty-fve Talk about Sherman, the great
soldier, the leader of the campaign from Chat
tanooga to Atlanta. Talk about Phil Sheridan
the hero of Winchester, and about Hooker
whose name will never cease to be linked with
the clouds of the precipitous Lookout Noun
tain. Talk about Meade, whose fame is en-
shrined in the famous Gettysburg; and about
Burnside, who will never be forgotten so long
as the story of the defense of Knoxville is
told. Talk about Logan, who founded Memo
rial Day. Talk about Grant, to whom all the
comrades were willing to give the palm for
greatness. whose name is the synonym of vic
tory Talk about Farragut, the sea king of
Mobile Bay and the Mississippi; about the I'M
surpassed Admiral Foote of Fort Henry and
Fort Donelson and Island No. 10.
None of these are living. How rapidly the
roll of the Grand Army of the Republic is
shortening! 1t will not be long until their
graves must be handed over to you, the Sons
of Veterans, for decoration and safekeeping.
But l would not have you stop the roll call
when you have named these conspicuous names
to which have referred. There are thousands
upon thousands of names, inconspicuous but
just as noble, like the soil at the foot of Mount
Washington-they are of the same stuff as that
which crowns the summit that overlooks the
continent. The summit of Mount Washington
towers because the soil at its base upholds it.
1t was these thousands on thousands of I'M
named ones that made Grant, Sherman and
Sheridan.
Let every man who did his duty be honored,
4 L