The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-06-06
n,iday, june g. 1914 s.. s., 1000 s

err. Other men were only fit to be
tied to her chariot wheels. Men
who in private life would have dis
dained injustice and oppression. ex,
.ufted in this sort of national violence.
"These are some of the causes
which have given rise to war. But
be it said in honor to our flag, and
in justice to our. people, that from
the day it struck the shackels from
its. own subjects, down to the day
when it liberated the jewellers in the
Isles of the Sea. Christian America
has never engaged in an unrighteous
war.
1T was strange coincidence that
within a single year there landed on
the shores of America two. vessels,
each laden with a cargo of human
| freight. One was the Mayhower, the
lother a nameless Dutch trading yes.
! sci. One landed at Plymouth Rock
lin the North, and the other at James
ltown in the south. From the deck
of one vessel there flowed a stream
of freedom as clear as crystal, fronii
| the other stream of bondage as.
| dark as midnight. One company
came to find liberty and joy, the other
to find bondage and sorrow. One
company came voluntarily, the other
was, sherded and driven here like so
many cattle.
''This institution of slavery took
uiuck root and rapidly spread, un-
til in 1776 every one of the thirteen
original colonies contained slave sub
jects. But slavery found its most
congenial soil in the south. This
was partly due to the commercial
differences north and south. Slaves
could be used to greater profit on
the cotton plantations of the south
| than in the factories of the north
| once heard DR.. Lamar OF Texas,
nephew of Hon. l.. O. C. Lamar, say
in a lecture: Had the conditions
been reversed, there is little doubt
but that the north would have been
quite as much affected by the diseases
OIL slavery do was lhC oooti' ~"
you know | do not believe this. For
remember, slavery was only partly
] due to commercial difference. 1t was
also due to the temper of the people
The south was the home of the cav
alier, while the north was peoplec
with the 'Mayfiower' stock of Puri
tans. And we must not forget thai
/, the Puritan was absorbed with the
idea of civil and religious liberty
And so it is not strange that many
, northern states passed laws liberat
: ing their slaves, and that slavery
soon came to be practically confinec
! to the south. 1t would be interesting
, to follow the growth of slavery il
the south, and the growth of aboli
ton sentiment in the north. But thu
, time forbids.
"You comrades of the G. A. r
know well the history of that awfu
T struggle better than we Of the. pres
ent generation. But there are some
, things we do well to notice as WI
| pass along The first thing to no
, tice is that it was no happenstanc'
4 that placed Abraham Lincoln in th,
presidential chair in those perilou
! times. | cannot help believing tina
j, he was as divinely chosen and OF
$ dained for his work as any prophe
lures. A second thing to notice i
that both sides made a serious mis-
S take when they boosted of an cas-
e. and early victory. They forgot tn
!, heroism of their fathers at Bunke
G Hill and Lexington and Concord
S They forgot the staying qualities @
: the Yankee Boys at Valley Forge
t You remember the answer Henr
e Ward Beecher gave to the English
d man in London, who twitted hir
r upon this point Said he: MI
|, Beecher, why didn't you whip tn
|. rebels in three months, as you sal
n you WOULD And Mr.. Beecher in
n mediately replied: We would
l. they had been Englishmen.'
5, "a third thing to notice is the il
e sue upon which that war turned-th
fearless performance of the RICH
]. For nearly two years the south ha
q the best of that little argument. b.
II when President Lincoln issued tn
a, Emancipation Proclamation, givin
If deserved liberty to 100000 blac
A. slaves the northern arms began t
@ win some notable victories and tn
IS south began to lose-began to los
e hope and heart as well as groun
And still another significant ia,
If was the loyalty of the America
IS soldier. In prompt response to I'll
E. call for volunteers, 100000 of Oh
g, bravest men left home and business
n. and gave their services to their cou
lie try, not counting their lives de;
Is unto themselves. The issue resulte
Of in victory for Union and Liberty, bl
Is great was the price. 100000 of OF
" nations choicest sons, both nort
10 and south, fell in the fray. Al
or many more have fallen since. Al
,r it is to do them honor that we gat
Or er here today. Well may we plat
lie the garland on their graves! We
e. may we cherish their, memory! We
1t may we emulate their example!
le But there is call for larg
al patriotism than even they possesse
"a.