The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1875-10-28
President Grants Latest Speech.

Following is copy of President
Grants speech at the meeting OF the
Army of the Tennessee,a at Des Moines,
Iowa, September 2sth, about which so
much has been said and written. 1t
was delivered Immediately after visit
ing the public school of Des Moines,
hence the subject matter:
COMRADES: 1t always affords me
much qualification to meet my old
comrades in arms of ten to fourteen
years ago, and to live over again in
memory the trials and hardships of
those days-hardship imposed for tho
preservation of our free institutions.
We believed then and believe now
that we had a Government worth fight
| ing for, and, if need be, dying for.
How many of our comrades of those
days paid the latter price for our pre-
served Union! Let their heroism and
sacrifices be ever green in our memory.
Let not the results of their sacrifice.
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 privileges I'M
der the Government 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 to perpetuate our
institutions against all enemies, as
brothers in full interest with us in a
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
befa!l our country. In this sentiment
no class of people can more heartily
join than the soldier who submitted
to the dangers, trials and hardships of
the camp and the battle field, CT
whichever side he may have fought.
No class of people are more interested
In guarding against a recurrence of
those days. Let us then begin by
guarding against every enemy threat
ening the perpetuity of free Repubii-
can Institutions. do not bring into
this assembiage politics, certainly not
partisan politics, but it is fair SUBJ
ject for soldiers in their deliberations
to consider what may be necessary to
secure the prize for which they battled.
LIN Republic like ours, where the citi-
zen is the sovereign and the official the
servant, where no power is exercised
except by the will OF the people, it !,
Important that the sovereign-t 10
people-should possess intelligence.
The free school is the promoter OF that
intelligence which is to preserve US as
free nation. If we are to have all
other contest in the near future of our
national existence, | predict that the
dividing line will not be Mason and
Dixon's, but between patriotism and
intelligence on the one side, and super
stition, ambition and ignorance on the
other. Now in this centennial year of
our national existence, believe it is a
good time to begin the work of
strengthening the foundation of the
house commenced by our patriotic
forefathers one hundred years ago At
Concord and Lexington. Let US all
labsr to add all needful guarantees for
the more perfect security of free
thought, free speech, and free press,
pure morals, unfettered religious sem
timents, and of equal rights and privI-
leges 10 all men, irrespective of nation
Scloi vi :
free schools aud resolve that not one
dollar appropriated to their support,
no matter how raised, shall be appro-
priated to the support of any sectarian
school. Resolve that neither the State
nor Nation, nor both combined. shall
support institutions Of learning other
than those sufficient to afford to every
child growing up in the land the OPP
portunity of a good common school
unmixed with sectarian,
pagan, or atheistical tenets. Leave
the matter of religion to the family
altar, the church and the private
schools, supported entirely by private
Keep the church and
State forever separate. With these
believe the battles which
created "The Army of the Tennessee"
will not have been fought in vain.