Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1862-11-22
From the Daily Wisconsin.
The Welcome of ST. Louis to General
Fremont.

The enthusiastic greeting of the thou
sands at St. Louis who welcomed Gen
Fremont's return to that city on Mon
day evening, furnishes another proof Of
the strong hold which he has on the
hearts of the people of the West. Per
secution and calumny have done all
that they could to biacken his reputa-
ton and weaker his power and pres
tige, but time and events have shown
the wisdom Of his policy, while his
good name is as clear and unsullied as
ever. He has been unfortunate mainly
in this-that the quick intuitions of his
genius have outstrirped the slow policy
of his superiors, and for this he has
been sacrificed, while his plans and
measures have been tardily adopted
and feebly carried out. There is hard
ly single act Of his career which has
not been first condemned and then ac-
cepted as wise and timely. His fore
sight as to the purchase of arms in Eu-
rope, the fortifcation Of St. Louis, the
plan of a gunboat campaign up the
| Tennessee and Cumberland and down
the Mississippi, his plan of the cam
paign in South west Missouri, and above
all, his glorious, ringing proclamation
Of Freedom, are but the salient features
of the military genius and statesman
like ability shown by the s'Pathfnder''
who seems in all capacities to add
new meaning to that soa6riqset of his
early career.
But we did not intend to write eu-
logy of Fremont, only to call attention
to a few passages in the eloquent speech
which he made at St. Louis in response
to the greetings of the people.
Said the General
AZ Good Friends of 81. Louis: II
am really glad to find myself among
you again. Naturally my mind goes
back, seeing you here, to the time and
the events out of which grew the friend
ly relations which make the Immediate
occasion of our meeting tonight. The
retrospect is full of satisfaction. When
I landed in your city last year, on the
representation of the Government, the
wharves were silent and the streets de-
serted. | met few and gloomy faces,
and no hands offered me friendly well
come. No Union flags frightened the
sky, and the city seemed to be in sullen
gloom as if pestilence brooded over it.
But | had come here full Of the hope
that I would be able to serve you-ar-
dently desiring to bring back to their
old allegiance, as quickly and happily
as possible, and before rebellion had
become war, those of our people who,
temporarily, | hoped, had become es-
tranged from their Government
You recognized the sincerity of nay
intentions and gave ne your cordial
support, and as time wore along in the
| busy preparations which centered at
this spot, the patriotic fervor which an
mated us became contagious. The
little knots which in the beginning had
gathered at this door grew rapidly
lal ger, and in a few weeks the throng-
ing battalions which the brave West
poured along the streets were received
with the cheers of welcoming crowds,
and the city blossomed like spring with
the national flag. Cheers.
Later, returning from the field where
my hopes Of usefulness were buried,
oppressed by injustice, under the at
tempted humiliations of subordinates
seeking to please power, came upon
the unexpected and magnificent vel
come in which you gave vent to your
generous indignation, and offered me
your warm-hcarted sympathy. Fixed
in my mind as one of the most grateful
events Of my life is that night when,
with my heart chilled and contracted
BY the undeserved severity of the Gov.
ernment, | stood here and felt it glow
ing and expanding amidst the deafen
ing cheers of the friendly multitude
which filed this place. I felt rebuked
that | had for a moment doubted the
inevitable justice Of the people.
He paid a glowing tribute to tht
chivalric qualities Of his famous bod.
guard. and then alluded severely, bu
Justly, to bis treatment and theirs-a
follows:
Our patriotism was repuised, our ser
vices ignored, and our labors repudis
e ted; our best measures annulled or sub
: verted; the very works erected to de
fend the great interests shat center i
your city declared ill.judged and use
: less. But time has already brought u
u some consultations, and it must hav
d been great one to you who were &C
e laborers with me when lately you rea
the order directing these fortifcatiou
to be put in complete equipment an
readiness for service. And if it b
true that ia the misfortune of our "bes
friends there is always something t
3. please u.s." you must have found plea
J. ure in seeing the violent haste whic
your neighboring cities threw into th
building of Notifications, when yo
were resting securely in the protectio
: of your own. loud cheering.) An
f then, too, in the case Of the city dc
o fences, the repudiation was so tho,
j. oughly classic. The builders of til
walls of rFrov uara refuSo,} now, 49,