Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1915-06-02

ntmT because there was . man who had
worn bis shield and buckler with distinc-
ton, and who had taken his armor on,
IL always seemed little peculiar to mo
tnat men who could stand up before an
ensmy's battie line under IRE without
ninching, when called upon in after years
% speak to an assembly Of their fellow
men men snd women whose hearts are filled
with symp.thy, ind, .perhaps, that their
knees will hastiir hold their weight above
TIE ground. And yet, veterans Of the
6rand Army, / would rather be able to do
What you have done, l would rather face my
Maker With tho credit Al having fought the
TO be able to speak with the grace and
wisdom Of . Gladstone, the moral uplift-
ing OF Beecher. the fire Of an Ingersoll.
Mere words are bat the deeting OF mo-
mcnt. They are like the blast, . moment
heard and then forever past. Your
achievements, your deeds Of valor are inn
mutable on the walls of time.
In . recent edition Of the New York
Itmcs, In its picture supplement which Is
Issued every week, saw two pictures
which struck me with their horror. They
wsre both enlarged reproductions Of actual
photographs recently taken.
One was the picture of . large battle
ship, one Of the largest in tho German
navy, which had Just taken part in an en-
gagement with the English. This huge
vessel was shown helpless and sinking,
heeied over until half her deck was under
water, with seven hundred human beings
clinging to her sides. Two minutes after
the picture was taken this ship, with
nearly all OF those seven hundred men, had
disappeared beneath the waves.
The other was the picture OF q battle
field just after . baltic, showing dead
soldiers lying there, - far a. the eye
could reach, like the first leaves OF
autumn.
What an indictme against the en-
iightenment OF this age and generation,
what Q crime against humanity, what Q
| stain upon the integrity OF the world in
which We live these pictures represent.
And yet we hear men OF enlightenment
to-day seeking to justify the GAUGES for
tho wsr nov going on. We hear men OF
enlightenment seeking to place the
responsibility for this havoc. Some say
Germany Is 1t fault. others blame Eng
land, while some blame France OF Russia.
will observe tho neutrality which the
situation demands, will be strictly ncu-
trial, but will say that, In my humble
opinion, they are all to blame. II the
English statesmen, II the German chan
criiors, II the Russian diplomats and the
ministers Of France had shown the Same
pstiepce and forbearance In their negotia-
lions, had displayed In their deliberations
tho safnc deep feeling for humanity that
characterized the efforts Of Abraham Lin
coin to avert our own Civil var, the nor
Tor, the suffering, the human misery
which these pictures represent would be
the conception OF and exist only in tho
vivid Imagination OF some great war
artist, not on the negative OF an actual
photograph taken from the deck OF an
euemy's battle vessel, or on plain where
q great engagement had just been fought.
II there Is any man living in this world
OF ours who is entitled to the condemna-
tion OF his fcliowmen aud who deserves .
pun shmcnt severe In q world hereafter,
il Is the statesman or the diplomat living
to-day ~ho has permitted his nation to
engage ia war without first having done
everything in his power to avert that war.
| believe ths President OF the United
States should be congratulated for the
determined stand which he has taken. l
believe ne Is entitled to the eommendation
of all citizens, regardless OF party
affiliations. for the splendid effort which
he Is making to keep this nation out OF
the war which il At present engaging
nearly the entire continent OF Europe.
/ may sometimes differ with my Presi-
dent on questions OF internal policy, but
when this dark war clouds begin rolling
up about or nation, when the storm OF
war il imminent and liable to break upon
US, this is a time TO cut sdriit and throw
overheard oar cargo OF politics, clear our
decks OF petty differences and ssand be-
hind the captain OF our ship OF state,
stand behind tbs President OF the United
states, whether he be democrat or repun-
iican.
Did you veterans, when you were down
there on those battlefoids OF the South,
when YOU were lying there In those
trenches, when you were advancing on
the battie-iine OF the enemy under fire,
did you stop to think what Abraham
Lincoin's politics weFef
You veterans who are democrats stood
behind Lincoln when he called you TO
take part In that great struggle, and the
repu biieans OF this nation viii stand be-
hind Woodrow Wilson in 1915, II it comes
TO the necessity OF war.
The brave men who gave up their lives
TO save this Union were not fighting 20
divide the spoils OF conquest; they were
not fighting TO avenge nations wrongs,
to extend the domain OF empire, or To
destroy the commerce OF competing
naticn. The men who fought 10 save this
Union were lighting for an ideal, for an
ideal in the form OF government
founded on principles OF democracy here
tofore unknown, government consisting
OF numerous sovereign entities with one
sovereign power over all.
70 use the words VI another, words
which have never been eqnaled IN tnelr
simplicity and beauty OF expression,
words which were heard around the
world and have been translated into every
language spoken by civilized people the
world over, words which have brought
Thousands and thousands OF citizens to
our shores, "a government dedicated TO
the proposition that all men are created
equal"
Ia the intimate estimate Of things,
when men are stripped OF their earthly
possessions, when social distinctions are
unknown, when men stand before their
Maker and are measured for what they
really are, with all the false standards OF
this world cast aside, above the names OF
statesmen and OF diplomats, OF emperors
aud OF kings will appear the name OF the
humble soldier wno left home where he
was needed, who lett all whom he held
dear in this world, and without thought
OF personal ACKNOWLEDGMENT, without any
expectation OF ever engraving his name
upon the pages OF history, fully realizing
that the only monument erected To his
memory would be a wooden marber over
Ionly grave on some fsr-off battle field,
but who, in spite OF this, was willing to
~ ~ cd Aoh n