Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-06-01
JUDGE SPEAR GAVE
fine ADDRESS TO
LOCAL VETERANS

speaking Tor lne 1Ourth time to
the members of Heath Post, No. 6,
Grand Army of the Republic Judge
Albert NJ. Spear delivered the an
nual Memorial address Monday az
ternoon with but seven of the orig
inal AIS veterans from Gardiner
present at the exercises. When
Judge Spear spoke for the first time
at Memorial Day services in Gard
liner there We're ESQ veterans of the
Civil War present. these were men
in the prime of life who after the
strenuous days of the war had taken
their accustomed places in the
march of civilization and carried on
with the same moral strength that
had characterized their conduct dur
ing the war.
Leaden skies somewhat marred
the day, but the program as planned
was carried out, the graves in the
outlying cemeteries being decorated
in the morning, with the customary
brief Memorial service for the sailor
dead being conducted on the bridge
over the Kennebec. The parade
formed at two o'clock in the after
noon and headed by Ray Morang as
marshall marched down Water
street, up Vine, down Lincoln ave-
nue. to the cemetery where approx
imately 400 graves were decorated
with the customary services. The
parade was composed of platoon
of police. the Veterans of Foreign
Wars, American Legion, Sons of
Veterans. members OF the Grand
Army Of the Republic, Mayor and
Aldermen in cars. Following the
decoration Of the graves the lines
were reformed and marched out
Plummer street to- Brunswick, and
back to the common where Comrade
H. II. Merrill offered prayer and
Rev. Edw. c. McAllister, chaplain of
the America Legion, read Lincoln's
Gettysburg Address. The veterans
of the three wars marched around
the Soldies' Monument and decorat-
cd it with sprays of flowers in mem
DRY of the fallen.
The Grafton of the day was given
in the auditorium of the Gardiner
Shrine Club where DR. Wallace n.
Price. mayor of the city presided.
Logan's General Orders were read
by Captain George Cross of the
Grand Army. DIR. Price introduced
| the speaker, Judge Spear. who de-
livered the mastery Grafton in OBJ
servance of the occasion. The JUS
| tice gave four causes for the great
| conflict of 1S61-64. First. the fact
| that the people who settled in the
! North and South were different
| from each other, they presented diff
| ferent thought. ideas, had different
| occupations, second, climatic condi-
! tions. third, economic differences,
and fourth. the prime reason. slav-
| ery. At one time slavery was gen.
| eral even in Massachusetts but the
| climate of the North was not adapt
| able to slavery, as was the climate
| of the south. Slavery in the South
| developed and increased until it be
| came a great economic factor and
an institutions Slavery was the
| wedge which began the division Of
| this country Judge Spear referred
| to the strong feeling against Adolf
! tionists early in 1900 and how Wen
dell Phillips and Garrison & were
| treated for their expressions against
: slavery.
| Then the slavery war began in
| the Senate and Congress. and after
the election OF Lincoln the South
/ attempted to sccede. The words,
{ The Union must he preserved"
were uttered by Lincoln at this
time, and soon after war came on,
/ The thousands and thousands OF
volunteers who came from the
| North to answer the call were men
! Of highest calibre, and it is not for
| us of the present day TO attempt to
describe the valor OF these men.
! Judge Spear reviewed the battle
! fields of the Civil War. and asked
that these be allowed TO tell their
| story of heroic deeds. The conduct
! of these men after the war was
as worthy of recognition as their
behavior during the war. When they
returned from the hectic days of
battle they fitted into the machln-
! cry Of our civilization, and their
| conduct was most commendable.
| Judge Spear gave some extremely
| interesting statistics regarding the
! millions of men under the age OF
| u who fought in this great struS-
| gle, all volunteers. In his opinion
| there should be no distinction or
| discrimination between drafted men
of the World war and volunteers OF
! the Civil War. He declared that he
was not a believer in the doctrine or
| pacificism and although we all be-
! lieye in peace he voiced the opinion
| that there was not a veteran be-
! fore him who wanted peace at any
! price. and also that there was not
an old soldier in the land but what
! would fight again for the integrity
of their country. With the shighest
kand most sincere of tributes to the
| remnants of the glorious Grand
Army of the Republic for their high
minded spirit of service which
| prompted them to volunteer for this
' war, and to endure its hardships
without hesitation for the Union
| Judge Spear closed his talk, and
| with the rendition Of '"rhe Star
| Spangled Banner" the services were
| closed.
/ The Tug Secuin passed through