The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-10-14
GRANTS GRAFTON.
The Longest Speech of his Life.

We print below the full text of the
speech delivered, Or rather read from
manuscript, by President Grant, at the
late Army of the Tennessee reunion at
Des Moines, Iowa:
COMRADES 1t always affords me much graft
fication to meet my comrades in arms, ten and
fourteen years ago, and to tell over again in
memory the trials and hardships of those days
-hardships endured for the preservation and
perpetuation of our free institutions We be-
heved then, and believe now, that We have
government worth fighting for, and, if need
be, dying for. How many of our comrades
paid the latter price for our preserved Union!
Let their heroism and sacrifice be ever
green in our memory. Let not the results Of
their service 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 under the government which we
! claim for ourselves. On the contrary, We well
come all such who come forward in good faith
/ to help build up the waste places, and to per-
petuate 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 befall our
| country. In their settlement no class of people
4 can more heartily Join than the soldiers who
! submitted to the dangers, trials, and hardships
of the camp and the battle-fields. On which,
| ever side he may have fought, no class of
people are more interested in guarding against
a recurrence Of those days. Let us, then be-
gin by guarding against every enemy prevent
ing the prosperity of free Republican institu-
tions do not bring into this assemblage politics.
certainly not partisan politics, but it is fair
subject for the soldiers in their deliberation to
consider what may be necessary to secure the
prize for which they battled. In Republic
like ours, where the citizen is the sovereign,
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 intelligence, the promotion of
that intelligence which is to preserve us as a
free nation. If we are to have another contest in
the near future of Our national existence, pre-
dict that the dividing line will not be Mason
and DiXon's, but between patriotism and intel
ligence on the one side, and superstition, am
bition, and Ignorance on the other. Nowis the
centennial year of our national existence.
believe it a good time to begin the work OF
strengthening the foundation of the structure
commenced by our patriotic foIefathers 100 year,
ago at Lexington. Let us all labor tC
add all needful guarantees for the greater Sc
curity of free thought, free speech, free
press, pure morals, unfettered religious senh-
ments, AMI of equal rights and privileges to al
men, irrespective of nationality, color or re
hglon encourage free schools, and resolve thai
not one dollar of our money appropriated tc
their support shall be appropriated to the sup
port of any sectarian school: resolve that
neither the State nor nation, nor both com
bined, shall support institutions of learning
other than those sufficient to afford to every
child growing up in the land the opportunity Of
a good common-school education, unmixed with
sectarian, Pagan, or Atheistical bias leave the
matter of religion to the family, the church
and the private school, supported entirely by
State forever separate. With these safeguards
believe the battles which created the Army Of
the Tennessee will not have been fought ii
vain,