USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > History of Cuyahoga County soldiers' and sailors' monument. Scenes and incidents from its inception to its completion.--Description of the memorial structure, and roll of honor > Part 30
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" The gayly-decked speakers' stand, with its comple- ment of noted inen and gorgeous uniforms, no longer held the public eye. Every face was turned toward the display of youthful animation on the amphitheater.
"Finally the Great Western Band struck up 'Column- bia.' The conductor waved his baton. Every child was up. Another wave and the national air is taken up by 3,000 voices and carried far out over the heads of the surging mass of people who fill the Square like figs in a box. The chorus is repeated again and again in response to the applause, and then someone is seen; to rise in the stand]below and'the formalities have begun.
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"Meanwhile the children are waiting for the opening prayer to close, and again at the Professor's beck they rise and our 'Bonnie Blue Flag' bursts forth :
"' We will wave our bonnie flag And fling it to the breeze, Emblem 'tis of liberty On land and on the seas.'
"With this, 3,000 flags, heretofore invisible, flutter over 3,000 little heads, and in rhythmic time are way- ing to the music. It was a sight to stir the patriotismn from the heart of the bronze statue of Liberty on the big Monument, and the old Soldiers in the crowd break forth in rapturous applause as the cascade of color flashes and sparkles in the sunlight.
"It is many minutes before the applause subsides. Governor Mckinley is introduced and the ceremonies of the day are fairly under way.
" THE PROGRAM OF THE DAY.
"The speakers' stand was small and quite crowded with the speakers, Governor McKinley's staff, the Mon- ument Commission, the General Celebration Committee, the Reception Committee, and invited guests. A few of the Commissioners and guests arrived before 9 o'clock, but it was half an hour later before anything occurred to stir the attention of those who had been contemplat- ing the assembling of the great inass of people in front of the stand where Mckinley and Foraker were to recall the deeds of heroic Soldiers and to renew the patriotism of the people. Promptly at 9:30 o'clock the Reception Committee escorted Governor Mckinley and ex-Gov- ernor Foraker and the Governor's military staff. These distinguished men approached the forum and ascended to it before the people became aware of their presence. Governor Mckinley appeared at the entrance to the stand before the crowd discovered him. Major W. J. Gleason, upon behalf of the Commission and Commit-
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tees, received the distinguished party. The Governor was closely followed by the ex-Governor, who walked proudly and with an elastic step. As soon as the peo- ple caught sight of them a cheering was set up. The old Soldiers, members of Armny and Navy Post, Grand Army of the Republic, who were on guard duty at the grand stand, by invitation of the President of the Com- inission, expressed their enthusiasm by waving their bannerets and swinging their hats. This Post turned out one hundred and twenty strong ; and, with their hand- some uniforms and soldierly bearing, made a splendid appearance. The school children were not yet in their places, but the veterans made their applause heard. Governor Mckinley bowed and waved his hand in ac- knowledgment. When his distinguished companion turned to acknowledge the salutation, the applause was renewed.
"A few minutes after the gubernatorial party arrived, the immense chorus of school children, under the leadership of Prof. N. Coe Stewart and the Great West- ern Band, took their places on the grand stand. The sight of about 3,000 school children taking their places, their beaming faces, the airy garments of the little girls and the touches of red, white and blue from the flags each child carried and tried to keep out of sight until the proper time, was an inspiring picture. While the children were arranging themselves, the Band played patriotic music. Shortly before 10 o'clock, Prof. Stewart got his singers in position, and at a signal, parasols and sun umbrellas, which had hidden the little girls from view, were closed and put away. The children removed their hats while they sang 'Columbia.' Before they had finished, the party in the speakers' stand began applauding. This was taken up by the people sitting in front of the singers, then by those on the Superior Street side ; thence it traveled across the street and was
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taken up by the thousands who stood on and around the pile of marble and bronze which all had come to dedicate. "' It is a beautiful sight,' remarked Gov. Mckinley, whose eyes kindled as he clapped his hands and waved the manuscript he held in one of them. There was no hesitancy in the singing of the children. The pure voices were strong, well controlled and aye, defiant, too, on those passages where natural feeling produced it. The youthful singers, many of them old enough to appreciate the full significance of the occasion, were not half-hearted in rendering their part of dutiful service to the memory of those who founded the Nation and those who fought and preserved it before it had been in exist- ence a century. While they sang the chorus, the chil- dren waved the flags which they had been so careful to hide when they came to their places, and this added greatly to the effect. The man whose emotions could not be stirred by such a scene must indeed be without country, without home, without human sympathy and without heart, an animal in the form of man, but with- out soul.
" Before the echoes of the applause had died away, Mesdames Springsteen and Knauff came with the love- ly baskets and cut-flowers and handsome bouquets, bearing the best wishes of the mothers, wives, sisters and daughters of Soldiers to the ex-Soldiers who were to pronounce the words of dedication."
Ten minutes after the band music and singing by the children, the Rev. Dr. John Mitchell, a constant friend of the Monument, one of the fighting chaplains of '61, now Chaplain of the Fifth Regiment, stepped forward, bared his head, stretched forth his hands and called for the divine blessing upon the services about to begin. In fervid tone he asked for the blessing in the following words :
O Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and ever-
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lasting God, look down from thy throne and behold thy people assembled this day in thy presence. Most heartily we beseech thee to look upon us with thy gracious favor and to bless us.
We thank thee for thy goodness to us and to all 11e11. We do most heartily confess and repent of all our sins, we are sorry that we have not lived to a better purpose, therefore blot out all our transgressions and remember them no more against us forever.
We thank thee for this day and its memories, we thank thee that thou hast been with this Nation from the beginning. Thou hast brought it through trial and trouble and guided its affairs with thy own loving hand. Continue to watch over it, and greatly bless and prosper it. Make this Nation a glorious Nation whose God is the Lord.
We thank thee for the occasion that brings us to- gether,-the dedication of this Memorial to the memory of brave men living and dead, who in the hour of need stood in the heat of battle for the country and the flag they loved.
Remember graciously the surviving veterans. Keep them in peace and prosperity; and may they be en1- shrined in the hearts of a grateful people, and may the glorious deeds wrought by them inspire a spirit of patriotisin in all hearts.
Take the widow and orphan into thy own loving care, take away the tears from their eyes and the sorrow from their hearts.
Bless him who presides over this Nation, give him wisdom to rule in righteousness, and may he seek to know and do thy will.
Remember the Governor of our own State, give him wisdom and direct him in all things.
Let this day be one of joy and gladness, and let sorrow come to no heart.
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Guide in all things, and we will give thee all the glory through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour .- Ainen.
"Our Bonnie Flag" was sung by the children. In singing the chorus, they beat the time of the imusic with flags. The thousands of flags moved in perfect unison, a great mass of the national colors, and the pretty effect was greeted with cheers and applause.
In presenting Governor Mckinley as the President of the day, Mayor Robert Blee, Chairman of the Com- mittee of Arrangements, said :
"Ladies and gentlemen and fellow citizens, in order that as many as possible inay hear the speeches that are to be delivered on this occasion, it is necessary that quiet be preserved. I now have the great pleasure of introducing to you our own Governor, Hon. William Mckinley, as President of the day."
"Our own Governor" was a sentiment which caught the crowd, and they lost not a moment in manifesting their appreciation of it. Governor Mckinley, with his suit of somber black, his Prince Albert coat buttoned, advanced to the front of the stand, and the crowd greeted him with enthusiasm. Three cheers were given for him, and they were repeated before he had said a dozen words. In a calm and dignified address he spoke to the crowd of the significance of the day and the Memorial, and his patriotic sentiments found a ready response in the hearts of his learers.
The Governor's appearance was greeted. with enthu- siastic cheers and applause. After bowing his thanks, he said :
Soldiers and Sailors of Cuyahoga County, my Comrades and Fellow Citizens :
I wish the whole world might have witnessed the sight we have just seen and have heard the song we have just listened to from the school children of the
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City of Cleveland. With patriotism in our hearts and with the flag of our country in our hands, there is no danger of anarchy and there is no danger to the American Union. [Applause.]
The place, the day, and the occasion upon which we assemble, fill us with patriotic emotion. They are happily and appropriately united. This old Mon11- inental Square is filled with hallowed memories. This day registers the birthday of the Declaration of Inde- pendence. And this Monument that we dedicate to-day attests that every promise of that declaration has been kept and performed. [Applause.] Standing in this presence, I am reminded that this Public Square has witnessed many interesting and memorable events. The first I recall was on the roth day of September, 1860, when the monument to Commodore Perry was unveiled on this Square. It was a deeply interesting occasion. An immense crowd thronged this city as it throngs it to-day. Governor Sprague, of Rhode Island, with his staff and State officers, and the members of the Legislature of that State, and the Providence Light In- fantry, participated in the interesting ceremony. Gov- ernor Dennison, the first war Governor Ohio ever had, delivered the address of welcome. General J. W. Fitch, remembered by the older citizens of Cleveland, was the Grand Marshal of the day; and General Barnett, whose distinguished services in the war are yet fresh in the memory of the people [applause], and who now partici- pates in these ceremonies, was in command of the Cleveland Light Artillery Regiment. The great histor- ian, George Bancroft, delivered the principal address of the day. It was probably, my fellow citizens, the greatest celebration that Cuyahoga County had seen up to that time. It was on this ground, too, that the Sol- diers' and Sailors' Aid Society of Northern Ohio, aye, of the whole country, was organized, and some of the
GOVERNOR WILLIAM MCKINLEY, President of the Day.
THE KES VOD PUBLICLE
T
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noble mothers who were at the birth of that organiza- tion are seated upon this platform to-day. [Applause.] These noble women gave unselfish devotion to the country and money from all this section of the State poured into the coffers of that association for the relief of the men at the front, who were sustaining the flag. It was in this Square too that the remains of the mar- tyred Lincoln, the great emancipator, rested as they journeyed to his Western home. It was on this very spot, alinost where we stand to-day, that the whole population of Northern Ohio viewed for the last time him who had been captain of all our armies under the Constitution, and whose death was a sacrifice to the great cause of freedom and the Union. [ Applause.]
Here, too, my fellow citizens, on this very spot, the remains of the immortal Garfield lay in state, attended by the Congress of the United States, by the supreme judiciary of the Nation, by the officers of the Army and the Navy of the United States, by the Governors and Legislators of all the surrounding States. The steady tread of a mourning State and Nation was uninterrupted through the entire night. It was here that the people looked upon his face for the last time forever.
Interesting, my fellow citizens, and patriotic, as the scenes witnessed in the past have been, I venture to say that none of them have stirred so inany memories or quickened such patriotic feeling as the services we per- form to-day in the dedication of this beautiful structure to the memory of the loyal Soldiers and Sailors who contributed their lives to save the Government from dissolution. Cuyahoga County can well be proud of this great Memorial. It is a fitting tribute to the Sol- diers living and the Soldiers dead. Cuyahoga's sons were represented in nearly every branch of the military service. Almost every Ohio regiment received some contribution from Cuyahoga County, whether in the in-
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fantry, cavalry, artillery, on land or on sea. Whether among white troops or colored troops Cuyahoga Coun- ty's sons were to be found, they were always found at the post of greatest danger. [Applause.]
Nothing has so impressed me in the program to-day as the organization of the old Soldiers, carrying with them their tattered flags, which they bore a third of a century ago upon the fields of war. More than sixty of the old regimental flags will be carried by the survivors of their respective regiments, and the flag room at the capitol at Columbus could not supply the men of Cuya- hoga County all the flags which they are entitled to bear. Is it any wonder that these old Soldiers love to carry the flags under which they fought and for which their brave comrades gave up their lives ?
Is it any wonder that the old Soldier loves the flag under whose folds he fought and for which his comrades shed so much blood ? He loves it for what it is and for what it represents. It embodies the purposes and history of the Government itself. It records the achievements of its defenders upon land and sea. It heralds the heroism and sacrifices of our Revolutionary fathers who planted free government on this continent and dedicated it to liberty forever. It attests the strug- gles of our army and the valor of our citizens in all the wars of the republic. It has been sanctified by the blood of our best and our bravest. It records the achievements of Washington and the martyrdom of Lincoln. It has been bathed in the tears of a sorrow- ing people. It has been glorified in the hearts of a freedom loving people, not only at home but in every part of the world. Our flag expresses more than any other flag ; it means more than any other national em- blem. It expresses the will of a free people and pro- claims that they are supreme and that they acknowl- edge no earthly sovereign than themselves. It never
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was assaulted that thousands did not rise up to smite the assailant. Glorious old banner !
When the stars and stripes were hauled down on Sumter, flags without number were raised above every fireside in the land and all the glorious achievements which that flag represented with all its hallowed inem- ories glowed with burning fervor in the heart of every lover of liberty and the Union. The mad assault which was made upon the flag at that time aroused its defend- ers and kindled a patriotism which could not be quenched until it had extinguished the unholy canse which assaulted our holy banner.
What more beautiful conception than that which prompted Abra Kohn, of Chicago, in February, 1861, to send to Mr. Lincoln, on the eve of his starting to Washington to take the office of President, to which he had been elected, a flag of our country, bearing upon its silken folds these words from the fifth and ninth verses of the first chapter of Joshua: "Have I not commanded thee, be strong and of good courage? Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord, our God, is with thee, whithersoever thou goest. There shall no man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life. As I was with Moses, so shall I be with thee. I will not fail thee nor forsake thee."
Could anything have given Mr. Lincoln more cheer or been better calculated to sustain his courage or strengthen his faith in the mighty work before him? Thus commanded, thus assured, Mr. Lincoln journeyed to the capital, where he took the oath of office and reg- istered in heaven an oath to save the Union ; and " the Lord, our God," was with him and did not fail nor for- sake him until every obligation of oath and duty was sacredly kept and honored. Not any man was able to stand before him. Liberty was enthroned, the Union was saved and the flag which he carried floated in
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triumph and glory upon every flagstaff of the Re- public.
What does this Monument mean ? It means the immortal principle of patriotism. It means love of country. It means sacrifices for the country we love. It means not only love of country but love of liberty ! This alone could have inspired over 2,800,000 Union Soldiers to leave home and family and to offer to die if need be for our imperiled institutions. Love of country alone could have inspired 300,000 inen to die for the Union. Nothing less sacred than this love of country could have sustained 175,000 brave inen, who suffered and starved and died in rebel prisons. Nor could any- thing else have given comfort to the 500,000 inaimed and diseased, who escaped immediate death in siege and battle to end in torment the remainder of their patriot lives. It is a noble patriotism and it impels you, my fellow countrymen, to erect this magnificent Monu- ment to their honor and memory. And similar love of country will inspire your remotest descendants to do homage to their valor and bravery forever.
This is what the Monument means. The lesson it conveys to the present and all future generations. It means that the cause in which they died was a righteous one, and it means that the cause which triumphed through their valor shall be perpetuated for all time.
Charles Sumner said that President Lincoln was put to death by the enemies of the Declaration of In- dependence, but, said Suinner, though dead, he would always continue to guard that title deed of the human race. So that it does seem to mne that every time we erect a new monument to the memory of the Union Sol- diers and Sailors, we are cementing the very foundations of the Government itself. We are doing that which will strengthen our devotion to free institutions and in- sure their permanency for the remotest posterity. We
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are not only rendering immortal the fame of the men who participated in the War by these magnificent struct- ures, but we are doing better than that. We are mak- ing immortal the principles for which they contended and the union of free men for which they died. [Ap- plause.]
Their erection may be a matter of comparatively little importance or concern to the Union Soldiers who are still living, but no one can accurately foretell the value and importance of their influence upon the young men and the young women from whom the Republic inust draw her future defenders. Every time we erect a monument, every time we do honor to the Soldiers of the Republic, we reaffirin our devotion to the country, to the glorious flag, to the immortal principles of liberty, equality, and justice, which have made the United States unrivaled among the Nations of the world. The union of these States must be perpetual. That is what our brave boys died for. That is what this Monument must mean ; and such monuments as this are evidences that the people intend to take care that the great de- crees of the War shall be unquestioned and supreme. [ Applause.]
The unity of the Republic is secure so long as we continue to honor the memory of the men who died by the tens of thousands to preserve it. The dissolution of the Union is impossible so long as we continue to inculcate lessons of fraternity, unity, and patriotismn, and erect monuments to perpetuate these sentiments.
Such monuments as these have another meaning, which is one dear to the hearts of many who stand by ine. It is, as Mr. Lincoln said at Gettysburg, that the dead shall not have died in vain ; that the Nation's later birth of freedom and the people's gain of their own sovereignty shall not perish from the earth. That is what this Monument means. That is the lesson of true
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patriotism ; that what was won in war shall be worn in peace.
But we must not forget, my fellow countrymen, that the Union which these brave men preserved, and the liberties which they secured, places upon us, the living, the gravest responsibility. We are the freest Government on the face of the earth. Our strength rests in our patriotism. Anarchy flees before patriotism. Peace and order and security and liberty are safe so long as love of country burns in the hearts of the peo- ple. It should not be forgotten, however, that liberty does not mean lawlessness. Liberty to make our own laws does not give us license to break them. [Ap- plause.] Liberty to make our own laws commands a duty to observe them ourselves and enforce obedience among all others within their jurisdiction. Liberty, my fellow citizens, is responsibility, and responsibility is duty, and that duty is to preserve the exceptional liberty we enjoy within the law and for the law and by the law. [Great applause.]
The children were heard again in Zundel's " Ameri- can Flag Song." At the close of the swelling chorus, there was a great roar of applause from the crowd ; even over at the Monument. Spectators in the blocks cheerily waved handkerchiefs as a mark of their appre- ciation of the melody. Blended with the applause were three hearty cheers given by the children for the flag. Their clear, musical voices, sent forth with all the enthusiasm of youth, rang out in three lusty cheers. A little fellow in knickerbockers raised a laugh by pro- posing, in a piping voice, a "tigah " to supplement the cheers.
Virgil P. Kline had wisely been chosen to read the Declaration of Independence. He was dignified, as always. His reading of the immortal production of our forefathers was done with a fervor and eloquence
EX - GOVERNOR JOSEPH B. FORAKER,
Orator of the Day.
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that was inspiring. When he had concluded, there were shouts of approbation and exclamations of "good, good," on all sides, ending with cheers.
" The Red, White, and Blue " was sung by the children. They arose at a signal from the wand of Professor Stewart, and to the accompaniment of the band the strains of the patriotic song floated out on the air. A waving of flags attended the singing, and it aroused the unbounded delight of the audience. They did not alone applaud, but cheered enthusiastically as the orator of the day, Governor Mckinley, intro- duced ex-Governor Foraker. "The gentlemen of the committee having these exercises in charge," said Gov- ernor Mckinley, " have been successful in many things. In nothing have they been more successful than in the selection of the orator of the day. I take great pleas- ure in introducing to you Hon. Joseph B. Foraker, the orator of the day."
Ex-Governor Foraker advanced as his name was called and he was given a hearty reception. The sub- ject of his oration was, "Tlie Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument and the Lessons of Patriotismn It Teaches." In an eloquent and forcible manner he reviewed the struggle for independence and the great Civil War. An occasional sally of wit provoked laughter and his re- marks on the present conditions in the country were received with great applause.
"Soldiers and Sailors of Cuyahoga County, Comrades and my Fellow Citizens," said the Governor in address- ing his hearers, "with patriotism in our hearts and with the flag of our country in the hands of our chil- dren, there is no danger from anarchy and there will be no danger to our Union." This extempore paragraph was elicited by the scene presented by the school chil- dren. Continuing, the Governor delivered his formal address as follows :
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EX-GOVERNOR FORAKER'S ORATION.
Fellow-Comrades and Fellow-Citizens :-
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