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Show MONUMENT TO HEROES AT GETTYSBURG UNVEILED BY HELEN TAFT Memories of Those Who Died or Fought on Famous Battlefield Perpetuated Perpet-uated in Granite on the "Bloody Angle" President Taft Delivers Oration Secretary of War Pays Glorious Tribute to Patriotism of Men Who Participated in Great Struggle of this bloodv field, can with hearty accord proclaim In the language of a southern poet commemorative of this very struggle, "'Fold up the banners. Smelt the i guns; Love rules. Her gentler purpose runs. A mighty mother turns In tears The pages of her battle year -Lamenting all her fallon ones'." Gettysburg, Pa., May 3L President Tafi, delivering the principal speech Bt the unveiliug here today of a splendid granite monument erected by congress to the memory of the men of the regular army who fell in the hrec-days' fighting that turned back the rising tide of the confederacy, confeder-acy, paid a high tribute to the regulars, reg-ulars, and declared the necessity of maintaining always a standing army r appreciable size to serve as the mrkiis for a greater armed force in Ime of need. The President asserted .hat the present standing army is jarely commensurate with the Sn-irease Sn-irease In population of the country "rom the early days of the republic md should by no means bo decreas-d. decreas-d. Arriving here this morning, shortly ' tefore 10 o'clock, from nttsburg, tho President was joined by his daughter, daugh-ter, Miss Helen II. Taft, who pulled the silken cord releasing the flags :1 raped about the monument. The day was ideal. Standing on the battlefield where virtually was decided lho sanguinary san-guinary conflict between the North and South, Secretary of War Jacob Ja-cob M. Dickinson, a southern man by birth, today turned over to the Gettysburg Natlnal Park commissioner, com-missioner, on behalf of lho people of the United Stales, the handsome monument mon-ument erected here by congress to commemorate he-role cervices on the . Union soldiers, who surrendered their lives on this spot that the Lfniou might be preserved. "The overthrow of the South, as alwavs, occurs after a fierce war, when the defeated are helpless and the morn conservative of the victors are for a while dominated by the fiercest and most aggrcFslvc leaders," said .Mr. Dickinson, "was immediately followed fol-lowed by sufferings and humiliations that for a long time admitted of nothing noth-ing but lamentation over a result that could bring such woe. Keen and bitter bit-ter as they were, time, and a manifestation manifes-tation of a more generous sentiment, brought a mitigation of sorrow and a clearer vision of the tremendous evils to all the states which would certainly certain-ly and immediately have followed up-o"n up-o"n the establishment of the southern confederacy. "Its very cornerstone was of 1am-lna 1am-lna preordained to disinteeration. Commercial and other conditions would, as sure as fate, have brought about a dissolving Confederacy. What would hav e come from this, we can only conjecture, but it is well within with-in the hounds of reason to assert that the pood would havcjeen dwarfed in 'comparison with th evil "There would have been a hate and rivalry between north and south as intense as that between France and Germany, with a border line far more extended, people less ampnable to control con-trol and caiiFCfl for friction more numerous. nu-merous. A cordon of forLs would 'lave stretched from Ibe Atlantic to tho western border of Texas and army and naval establishments would have devoured the substance of the people and militarism would have dominated civil government. The civilization of all the states would have developed on different and more critical lines. It may be that in the logic of events the war had to come that It vas the fierce, cruel and Inevitable crucible which was to fulfill a destiny that of making us as It did, a stronger and harmonious people united with a solid front to meet the great problems that now confront our race. "We are no wiser nor more patrVt!e than were the men who were conspicuous con-spicuous in that great drama. As we look backward, our vision is not obscured ob-scured by the tempestuous atmosphere which surrounded them and we stand upon a different pinnacle In the march of history. They passed through the valley of the shadow of death, 'and we, by their trials, have attained to a mount of wider vision than was permitted per-mitted to them. . ' ''God grant that in the great national nation-al drama which, act by act. 'a blent of mirth and sadness.' a mixture of comedy com-edy and tragedy, is always in progress, prog-ress, developing day by day those things which will shape the destiny of our country, we may enact our part with the grandeur, 'heroism and pa-ti pa-ti lo( ism which they illustrated. "At this day, there are but few, if any dispassionate thinkers In tho North, who question the patriotism of I those of the South, who, on this stricken strick-en field, gave an example of American valor that will forever thrill the minds and hearts of mankind in all coun-' coun-' tries and in all ages. And, at this day, there are in the South but few, if any, who would not turn swiftly with sentiment of abhorrence from any suggestion that it would have been better for the South If it had succeeded succeed-ed lp establishing an independent gov ' ernment And this Ia true even of the ' jjiKvlvors of thoKe who on this very ground. ' - , '"Saw a gray -gigantic ghost, ; Rpmrflns throuch the -battle cloud. And hoard across the tempest loud, The death cry of a naMon'." 1 "With one mlnd and heart the peo-j peo-j of this great country," said Mr. IJlrlduFon In conclusion, "looking to the future with no rlvrlry, but In generous gen-erous patriotism, and cherishing no h,ate, but only the cloi lout, memories I |
