Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-10-14
A Speech by President Grant.

A Speech by President Grant.
AT the recent meeting at Dcs Moines,
Iowa, of the Society of the Army of the
Tennessee, loud calls were made for Presi-
dent Grant After few humorous re-
marks in reference to the calls for himself
and Gen. Sherman, in which he said it
had been customary at the reunions OF
this army to call upon him just because
he always made the shortest speech the
President said he had concluded to disap-
point them this time, and he had, there
fore, jotted down what he wished to say,
when he read as follows;
COMRADES - 1t always affords me
much qualification to meet my comrades
in arms of ten and fourteen years ago, to
tell over again the trials and hardships of
those days-hardships imposed for the
preservation and perpetuation OF our free
institutions. We believed then, and we
believe now, that we have n Government
worth fighting for and, if need be, dying
for. How many of our comrades
paid the latter price for our pre-
served Unlon Let their herosm
and sacrifice be ever green in our
memory; let not the results of their sacri-
flee be destroyed. The Union and the
free institutions for which they fell should
be held more dear for their sacrifices. We
will not deny to any OF those who fought
against us any privilege under the Gov
eminent which we claim for ourselves.
On the contrary, we welcome all such who
come forward in good faith to help build
up the waste places and 10 perpetuate our
institutions against all enemies as broth
ers in full interest with us in common
heritage; but we are not prepared to appel
ogize for the part we took in the war. 1t
is to be hoped that the like trials will
never again befall our country. In their
settlement no class of people can more
heartily join than the soldiers who sub
mitted to the dangers, trials and hardships
of the camp and the battle. field, on which
ever side he may have fought. No class
of people are more interested in guarding
against recurrence Of those days. Let
us, then, begin by guarding against every
enemy to the prosperity of free republican
Institutions.
~ do not bring into this assemblage
politics, certainly not partisan politics,
but it is a fair subject for the soldiers in
their deliberations to consider what may
be necessary to secure the prize for which
they battled. In a Republic like ours,
where the citizen is the sovereign and the
official the servant, where no power is eX-
ercised except by the will of the people, it
is important that the sovereign people
should foster education and promote that
intelligence which is 10 preserve us rs
free nation If we are to have another
contest in the near future of our national
existence predict that the dividing line
will not be Mason and Dxon's, but be-
tween patriotism and intelligence on the
one side and superstition, ambition and
ignorance on the other
Now, the centennial year of our ma
tional existence, | believe is Il good time to
begin the work of Strengthening the foun-
dations Of the structure commenced by
our patriotic toreiathers 100 years
ago at Lexington Let us all labor
TO add all nccdful guarantees for
the greater security OF free thought, free
speech, free press, pure morals, uniet-
tered religious sentiments, and of equal
rights and privileges to all men, prospect
i've OF nationality, color or religion; en-
courage free schools and resolve that not
one dollar OF money appropriated to their
support shall be appropriated TO the sup
port of any sectarian school; resolve that
neither the State nor the nation, nor both
combined, shall support institutions OF
learning other than those sufficient b. at-
ford TO every child growing up in the land
the opportunity of a good common-school
education, unmiXed with sectaran, pagan,
or athcistical Leave the matter of religion
to the family altar, the church. and the
private school supported entirely by pri-
vatc contributions, and keep the church
and the State forever separate. With these
safeguards | believe the battles which
created he Army of the Tennessee will
not have been fought in vain"