The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-05-31

known to us by the great names,
Shiloh and Corinth, VicksDurg, Chan
cellorsville, where that great man
Stonewan Jackson passed into the
beyond with those pathetic words:
LET us cross over the river and rest
In the shade Of the trees" And there,
too, were Chattanooga, Missionary
Ridge and Lookout Mountain, one OF
the most dramatic engagements OF
the war. Gettysburg. name that
will ever suggest the unconquerable
valor of the boys in blue. No doubt
in this audience are men who were
part OF that immortal company
against which Pickett threw his men
in vain. time and time again. And
now came Lincoln's election and that
never-to-be-f forgotten second inaugural.
No hating now, no turning back. How
majestic and In accord with the deep
feeling OF the hour were those words:
'Tf 1t Is Gods will that it continue
until all the wealth piled up by the
bondsmans' two hundred and fifty
years Of -unrequited toll has been
sunk. and until every drop Of blood
drawn by the lash is answered by
another drawn by the sword, still
must It be said as it was said three
thousand years ago the judgments OF
the Lord are true and righteous alto
geth ST." And let us not forget an.
other name that came into life as a
part OF the spring and Hike the spring
brought with II q new baptism of joy
for q nation in distress. I refer to
Appamattox where on June 9th, Les
surrendered and q nation hardly
dared believe that the war had come
to an end. 1t was spring in Washing
ton but swaeter than song of bird or
fragrance Of rose was the conscious
mes OF Abraham Lincoln that fratrici-
dial strife was at an end.
Greatness Of Lincoln.
And here q wonderful thing occur
red. public meeting was called to
express the public qualification. LIN
coin was asked to speak and 1t was
believed by many that he would voice
his gladness at the surrender OF Lee.
He came and to the surprise of every
with what? He dealt with the steps
already undertaken in Louisiana to-
ward reconstruction. Oh what was
the measure of q great man,-a man
who in thu very moment OF victory
was big enough to see that no victory
worth the name but comes freighted
with an equal responsibility. Five
or
resurrection Of the spring took Its
flight to God whose gift to use ha
was. I can never forget the lines OF
Walt Whitman, who knew and loved
Lincoln, written year later:
when lilacs last in the dooryard
bloomed and the great star sank IN
the sky in the vast, l mourned and
yet shall mourn with ever returning
spring. OBJ ever returning spring,
trinity sure to me you bring; llacs
blooming perennial, urooping star In
the western sky, and thoughts OF him
l loved"
II was your blessed privil sge to
sustain that great man and bring to
fruition his hopes for our beloved ma
ton. To him and to you soldier boys
we owe our proud position as great
united nation.
n
You Helped Lay Foundations.
Such is the nation and such It's
foundation which you, the veterans
and pion sers Of the Mississippi valley
helped to lay. would have the youth
OF America appreciate the priceless
heritage received from your hands. It's
inception sprang from the love OF
liberty planted by God in every hui
I'm. heart. Out from under govern
ment based on the divine right OF
kings. our forefathers fought their
way and in solemn compact dedicated
the hills and vail eys and plains OF the
new world to freedom and equality OF
opportunity. Prestige OF fam1iy, OIL
wealth. of creed and Of race that had
| for centuries guarded the doors OF OPP
| portunity was hidden to transfer the
KEYS to hops and there was launched
| q nation with world consciousness
destined to become the guardian OF
liberty in this hemisphere.
/ Here we WOULD grow anu 1850.
civilization In the atmosphere OF dem
ocratic freedom. The Monroe doctrine
arose as an expression OF our national
spirit. It was an expression not only
of our intention to resist the extern
sion of foreign domination In this
hemisphere but OF our sympathy with
our sister republics in their struggles
toward orderly democratic govern
ment. :,
I Later came the strain OF the civil
war wherein our nation received its
first great baptism OF fire and SWORD
and for the vindication OF an ideal
gave lavish1y not only OF its wealth
but from the treasury Of human lie
The contest was not for ourselves
alone but was really for all the sons