Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-10-08

President Grants Speech.

We give below the speech Of the
President at the Reunion of the So
clety Of the Army Of the Tennessee,
held at Des Moines, last week, the
longest speech ever made by Grant,
and which has attracted much notice
for some Of the sentiments expressed
in it:
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, hardships imposed for the
preservation and perpetuation Of our
free institutions We believed then
and believe now that we had Il gov
eminent worth fighting for, and, if
need be, dying for. How many of
our comrades Of those days paid the
latter price for our preserved Union!
Let their hcroism and sacrifices be
ever green in our memory. Let not
the results of their sacrifices be de-
stroyed. The Union and the free in
stitutions 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 un-
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 Il
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 betall
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 battlefield, on winch
ever side he may have fought No
class of people are more interested
N guarding against 2 recurrence of
those days. Let us then begin by
guarding against every enemy threat
ening the perpetuity Of free Republi-
can institutions. | do not bring into
this assemblage politics, certainly not
partizan politics, but it is fair sub
ject for soldiers i'll their deliberations
to consider what may be necessary to
secure the prize for which they bat
tied. 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 sovep
eign - the people should possess
intelligence. The free school is the
promoter of that intelligence which
is to preserve us us Il 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 DIxon's, but be-
tween patriotism and intelligence on
the one side, and superstition, ambi-
ton and Ignorance on the other
Now III this centennial year of our
National existence, believe it good
time to begin the work of strengthen
ing the foundation of the house com
menced by our patriotic foretathers
one hundred years ago at Concord
and Lexington. Let us all labor to
add all needful guarantees for the
more perfect security of Free Thought,
Eron Snonch md Eran DroSo ,uro
morals, unfettered religious senti-
ments and Of equal rights and prlvi-
leges to all men irrespective of ma
tionality, color or religion. Encour-
age free schools, and resolve that not
one dollar appropriated to their sup
port, no matter how raised, shall be
appropriated to the support of any
sectarian school. Resolve that Meth
er the State or Nation, or both com
bined, shall support institutions OF
learning other than those sufficient
to afford TO every child growing up
i'll the land the opportunity of Il good,
common school education, unmiXcd
with sectarian, pagan, or atheistical
tenets. Leave the matter Of religion
to the family altar, the church, and
the private school, supported entirely
by private contributions. Keep the
Church and State forever separate
With these safeguards, | believe the
battles which created ''Thc Army of
the Tennessee" will not have been
fouUht in VAN