The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1909-06-10
THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1909.

Nv, on Decoration Day: Ii the "isc auo
good men who made the Republic, and
the brave but hapless men who fell on
onnosing sides in the War of Sections
could have survived to this day, they
would feel that they had not lived and
died in vain; they would realize that
they had builded wiser than they knew;
beholding reason for their sacrifices
and travail, in the fruition OF huddle
of petty sovereiguties held together by
rope of sand into an Empire rs splen-
did and az solid as England; and
World Power strong enough to stand
against the Universe.
We are assembled today near the spot
where Abraham Lincoln was born to
dedicate memorial in his honor. This
memorial is a tribute from the State of
his nativity. 1t is fitting tribute, for
il comes ungrudgingly.
The men composing majority OF the
official body which ordained it, called
themselves Democrats. he called him
self a Republican. There we're partisan
Democrats. He was partisan Repuh-
lican. The Republican party and the
Democratic party yet abide. They face
each other sometimes in angry and al
ways in spirited controversy. How
comes it that Democrats find inspiration
in the name of that Republican, who,
more than any other, who, more than
all others gave life and perpetuity to the
Republican party, and gather lovingly
about the site of the cabin in which be
first saw the light, to join their Repub'
lican fellow citizens in heartfelt hon.
age.
TIE answer to this question discloses
National asset and constitutes bless
ed hetitage II is that, underlying the
thought Of the people, party is second to
country; that party lines are not lines
of battle. separating hostile armies, but
divisions of sentiment and opinion touch
ing exigencies which are constantly
shifting that there Is usually certain
amount Of truth and error on both eides
of our popular contentious; that we
strive in the ultimate equation to reach
the least Objectionable Of the sum totals;
that, in short, disputing among ourselves
az partisans al home, We are instantly
ready when pressure comes from abroad
A nd uft1r a1arti1p
the fight being over, liz passions are laid
under the genial influence OF political
pystem organically resting upon public
opinion and PARTY responsibility.
grew to manhood in the mid-period
Of the Republic, The keynote Of the
popular aspiration was love for the
Union. 1t was intense, overmastering
all pervasiye The merest handful at
the North, scarcely more than a group
at the South, ventured discori. But
when the final trial came the one Amer
lean who held to the keynote WAS Abra.
ham Lincoln He could not be diverted
from it, He stood Doric, the embo-
diment Of the Union We owe its pre-
servation to his wisdom, to his integrity,
to his frmness and his courage. As
none other than Washington could have
led the armies Of the Revolution from
Valley Forge to Yorktown, none other
than Lincoln could have maintained the
Government from Sumter TO Appomat.
OF. All Of Us now are Unionistd; and
though upon the South side OF the school.
room the educational process was some
what warming, seemed extra discipli.
nary, partaking oyermuch, rs some Of
us thought, Of birch and ferrule, we are
none the less Unionists that we ranged
ourselves IN Confederate ranks and
made faces at the scbooimasterl
God rules the world the winds and
the waves. lie raises mortals to the skies
and He casts them down beneath the
coin He gave us a eymbol of American
liberty and a type Of American manhood
which might be marked and known Of
all men aud seen from afar gnarled of
bark, fine Of grain, Of fibre solid and OF
texture rare; adapted TO all uses and Ca.
psble Of exquisite polish. In his career
We may learn what an American parti.
ssn ought 20 be AZ distinguished from
what he ought not TO be. We only need
10 read the documentary history Of his
Administration to discover that be was
not merely in intellect the foremost man
Of his time but that in character he
ranks with the great men Of all time
In collision with him the rest appear
but az pasteboard men. He grows In
length, breadth and thickness the longer
we survey him.
True to his ideal he never missed the
cue Of the moment though facing q
constant stress Of weather sorely tried
from hour to hour he never lost his bal
ance, or tore passion to tatters. Hi,
was the genius Of common sense, the
soul of common honesty. Knowing the
people, he put his hand to the pulse Of
the nation, judged its distemper. and
Was ready with q remedy. have said
that he was Republican partisan. In