Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1914-06-02
:T00xe:S Memorial
Day address

who formed the army OF the North
should prove an inspiration to all of
us. 1t should inspire us to do noble
things; it should rouse in us an abid-
ing love of flag and country; it should
keep us perfect in our loyalty to our
government; it should instill in us pat
riotism that knows no bounds. All
honor to those men who sold their
lives so dearly at Shiloh; may the
American people never forget the
brilliant display of courage at Fred
ricksburg, and the wonderful achieve
ments of Vicksburg and Gettysburg.
Glorious, is the memory Of every blow
struck in the cause of freedom and
the union in the cause of humanity
and right. But in time such as
this, we must not forget those who
fought upon the other side. They
fought for what they believed was
right. God did not give them the
power to see the right as the
North saw it; their environment from
cradle to maturity prevented their see
ing but one side of the question.
They had the courage of their con-
victions and fought for those convic-
tions. We should admire any man or
class of men who have the courage
of their convictions. Let us today
shed tear in memory of those broth
ers of ours who fought under the
flag of the Confederacy. Let us not
pass his grave by without depositing
thereon a flower in memory of him
who gave his life just as willingly, who
shed his blood as gladly, for what he
believed was right, as did our own
heroes. Today there is no North nor
South. The ravages of the war have
passed; the causes of the war prac-
tically forgotten. We live together
now as one people; in one Union.
What little sectional feeling existed
few years after the war, was en-
tirely wiped out in 1898, when both
North and South illustrated to the
world that there was but one country
here, one people, one government, one
flag; when soldiers of the North and
of the South went gladly forward
hand in hand to put down tyranny
and slavery; to join hands in the
battle for humanity. In the burst of
patriotism that flooded the country
at the time of the Spanish-Ameri-
can war, and which found its way
into every home in the North, the
South, the East, and the West, the
last vestige of sectional differences
was wiped out completely. The I'm
ion had finally recovered from the eff
fects of the terrible civil war. Love
of country in the face of a foreign
enemy manifested itself. Whatever
doubt existed as to the ultimate heal
ing of the raw wounds occasioned by
the war of the rebellion, and to the
ultimate cementing together of the
North and South into one grand union
IF strength and government, was for
ever dispelled. If the Spanish-Amer-
can war lad served no other purpose
than this, it had served a good pur-
pose. There are times when even war
serves a good purpose in the solution
If internal problems. In long reigns
If peace, patriotism is apt to slum-
Der, and when patriotism slumbers
lnarchy thrives. We American peo-
Die are a patriotic people; still we
10 not show our patriotism as much
Is we should in times of peace. Not
enough display is made of our flag;
he Stars Spangled Banner and Amer
ca are not sung enough We should ,
AXE steps to correct this fault, for
t is a fault.
A Patriotic People. s
Rnt rrhnr Il onr,nnc To q rnnttnr of ]