The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1875-10-29
President Grants SIeech at Des
Moines. Sept. 2Sth.

COMRADES: 1t ALWAYS affords me
mlich qualification to meet nv comrades
: III arms ten or fourteen Years AGO, and
/ to tell over again IN memory the trials
and hardShipS of those day+-hardships
/ imposed ior the preservation and per
/ pctuatiOn "i our free institutions. We
/ believed then and we believe now. that
we have Il government worth fighting
: for, and. it need be, worth dvium for.
/ How many a our comrades paid the
latter price for our preserved Union,
Let their hcroi-ln and sacrifice be ever
green in our memory. Let not the re-
suits of tncir sacrifice be dcsrfDyed. The
| Union and free institutions for which
they fought so we'll should be held dmOre
dear for their sacrifice. We will not
deny to any of those who FOUGHT against
the United States any privilege under
the Government which we claim our
selves. On the contrary. we welcome
all such who come forward in good
faith to build mp waste places and per-
pCtllatc our institutions against all enc
mics. as brothers in full interest with
us, III common heritage; but we are not
prepared to apologize for the part we
took in The war. 1t is to be hoped that
like trials will never again bcfall our
country; but in their settlement no class
Of people can more heartily JOIN. than
the soldiers who Submitted to the dan
gers. trials and hardSlips of the camp
and the battlefield. on whichever side
they may have fought No class of
people are more Interested in guarding
against every enemy preventing the
prosperity of free institutions.
do not bring into this aSSembIare
poliIir>-certainly not partisan politics
but it is Il fair subject tor soldiers in
their deliberations to consider what mav
be necessary to secure the prize for
which they have battled. In u republic
like ours, where the citizen is the soy
crci@n and the official the servant. where
no power is exercised except by the
will OF the people, it is important that
the sovereign. the people, should foster
ar,i promote that Intelligence which is
TO preserve lis as 4 free nation. If we
are 10 have another contest in the near
future of our national existence, | pre-
diet that the dividing line will not be
Mason and DiXon'S, bnt between patri- .
Oti>m and Intelligence on one side. ana /
Supcrstil!OIr - ambition and Ignorance on F..
the other Now tie centennial year Of |.
our national existence. believe {. good /
time t. be@in the wort, OF Strengthening !
the foundation OF tie structure com /
mcncrd by our patriotic forefathcrS one /
hundred years a~o at Lexington. Let
Us all labor t. add all neediu muaran-
tees iOr more security of free thought.
free speech. free press. pure morals. un-
tcttcrrd religious sentiments. and of
equal rights and privileges to ali men,
of nationality, color. or re-
lIwiOn encourage free schools. and re-
solve that not one dollar OF money aD-
pronnatcd to their support shall be ap-
propriHtcd to the support OF any sectar-
ian school; that neither state nor nation
shall support institutions OF learning
rather than those sufficient to afford cv-
cry child in the land the opportunity of
Il good common school cduc:l-
ton. unmiNrd with sectariHE, Pagan or
Athci>t.cal prejudice. Leave the mat
ter OF religion to the family altar,
church.. and private schools supported
entirely by private contributions. Keep
church and State forever separate With
these safeguards believe the battles
which rcreatr,:stie Army Of the Tcnncs-
see. will not have been fought in vain.
The Presidents speech was greeted
with applause, repeated again and
again.