first century closes with the process accomplished of consolidating the American people into a unit, and quick upon the stroke of that great hour presses upon us our world opportunity, world duty, and world glory, which none but a people welded into an indivisible Nation can achieve or perform?

Blind indeed is he who sees not the hand of God in events so vast, so harmonious, so benign. Dull indeed is the mind that perceives not that this vital people is the strongest of the saving forces of the world; that our place, therefore, is at the head of the constructing and redeeming nations of the earth; and that to stand aside while events march on is a surrender of our interests, a betrayal of our duty as blind as it is base. Craven indeed is the heart that fears to perform a work so golden and so noble; that dares not win a glory so immortal.

Do you tell me that it will cost us money? When did America ever measure duty by financial standards? Do you tell me of the tremendous toil required to overcome the vast difficulties of our task? What mighty work for the world, for humanity, even for ourselves, has ever been done with ease? Even our bread must we earn by the sweat of our faces. Why are we charged with power such as no people ever knew, if we are not to use it in a work such as no people ever wrought? We shall not dispute the divine meaning of the fable of the talents.

Do you remind me of the precious blood that must be shed, the lives that must be given, the broken hearts of loved ones for their slain? heavier price than all combined.

And this is indeed a

And yet, as a Nation,

every historic duty we have done, every achievement we

"OLD GLORY"

87

have accomplished, has been by the sacrifice of our noblest sons. Every holy memory that glorifies the flag is of those heroes who died that its onward march might not be stayed. It is the Nation's dearest lives yielded for the flag that makes it dear to us; it is the Nation's most precious blood poured out for it that makes it precious to us. That flag is woven of heroism and grief, of the bravery of men, and women's tears, of righteousness and battle, of sacrifice and anguish, of triumph and glory. It is these which make our flag a holy thing. Who would tear from that sacred banner the glorious legends of a single battle where it has waved on land or sea? What son of a soldier dead in its defense would surrender that proud record for the heraldry of a king? In the cause of civilization, in the service of the Republic anywhere on earth, Americans consider wounds the noblest decorations man can win, and count the giving of their lives a glad and precious duty.

Pray God that spirit never fails. Pray God the time may never come when Mammon and the love of ease shall so debase our blood that we shall fear to shed it for the flag and its imperial destiny. Pray God the time may never come when American heroism is but a legend like the story of the Cid, American faith in our mission and our might a dream dissolved, and the glory of our mighty race departed.

That time will never come. We shall renew our youth at the fountain of new and glorious deeds. We shall exalt our reverence for the flag by carrying it to a noble future as well as by remembering its ineffable past. Its immortality will not pass, because everywhere and always we shall acknowledge and discharge the solemn respon

sibilities our sacred flag, in its deepest meaning, puts upon And so, Senators, with reverent hearts, where dwells the fear of God, the American people move forward to the future of their hope and the doing of His work.

MORTON, THE NATIONALIST

Remarks in the Senate of the United States, March 24, 1900.

The Senate having under consideration the following resolution: "Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring) That the statue of Oliver P. Morton, presented by the State of Indiana, to be placed in Statuary Hall, is accepted in the name of the United States, and that the thanks of Congress be tendered the State for the contribution of the Statue of one of the most eminent citizens and illustrious statesmen of the Republic.

"Second. That a copy of these resolutions, suitably engrossed and duly authenticated, be transmitted to the governor of the State of Indiana-"

Mr. Beveridge said:

R. President: Great men are instruments of God.

MR.

They are His voice to the suffering, His shield to the oppressed, His hand for the building of the nations. The Almighty needed His Maccabee, His Joshua, and His David as much as His John the beloved. Richelieu and Washington and Bismarck were His ministers as much as Luther or Wesley or Brooks. And just as truly was Oliver P. Morton one of the small group of mighty men who bore Heaven's commission to establish the imperishable nationality of the American people; and fidelity to that trust is the key to all he ever said or did

or was.

I do not believe that inspiration is confined to the dreamer of dreams or the singer of songs. Inspiration

may glorify the doer of deeds as well. In a sense Oliver P. Morton was inspired when, in the midst of doubt, hesitation and beaconless purpose, he said: “I would rather come out of a seven years' struggle defeated in arms and conceding independence to successful revolution, than to purchase present peace by the concession of a principle that must inevitably explode this Nation into small and dishonorable fragments;" and, speaking thus, voiced the loyalty of the land to the flag of the Nation. He was inspired when, on the very day and hour that Lincoln called for troops, he flashed back this message in response:

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT OF INDIANA, April 15, 1861. TO ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President of the United States: On behalf of the State of Indiana I tender to you for the defense of the Nation and to uphold the authority of the Government 10,000 OLIVER P. MORTON, Governor of Indiana.

men.

And, speaking thus, he made disgraceful all delay and left only action glorious. He was inspired when he hurled regiment after regiment into battle with all of duty's heroic sternness, and inspired when he cared for and comforted soldier boys with all a mother's tenderness for her suffering child. His sanitary commission was as holy as religion; his military agency was as sacred as the church; his bureau of finance an institution divinely blessed as an instrument of the great purposes of God.

All this was done in a holy cause. A single passionate belief inspired his life—a single irresistible resolution. A Nation in reality the American people ought to be, and a Nation in reality he would give his powers to make us. To the current of this great purpose every act and word and thought of Oliver P. Morton was