National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1879-11-20

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OF great Interest 70 our citizens Here sits tho
council OF the Nation. The Rep scutntiNes an |
Senators from all the different sec Ions Of the land
81 here In doliberuton upon the interests OF q
united people. Here oro tile great departments of
tho Government, aud no man can visit this city
without learning something of the greatness and
power OF this Nation. Amidst so many incentive,
to love OF liberty and love of country, We hail
your visit. We inrite you to repeat II from year to
year for We will always in the future, as wedo now,
extend TO you the cordial sentiment Of our Hospital
ny ana the right hand Of our uniatcrlng friendship.
Judge Macarthur was followed by chorus
of one hundred voices, in The Soldiers We'll
come, after which the chairman of the society
introduced the orator of The evening, Hon. A.
q. McCOok
General McCooks Grafton.
Mn. PRtslpEST ANp COMRADES: At the last
meeting OF our society held At Philadelphia In tho
centennial year of the Republic, yuu selected rs
your orator for this occasion General Charles r.
Henderson, OF Nebraska, with that gallant soldier
and gentleman, General Alphcus = williams. OF
| Michigan as the alternate The unavoidable and
much to be regretted absence Of the first, and the
death OF tho second, threw upon tho local commit
tee ut u late day the responsibility Of selecting n
substitute aud at their request aud with unaffected
dildence as TO my ability 10 do Justice to the sub
jcct come before YOU.
II 10 scarcely necessary for mo TO refer to the
death Of General Williams followed as 1t hns been
by the death of his old commander aud our friend
and COmrade, General Hooker, 10 remind you that
the men who composed the Army OF the Cumbcr
land are rapidly passing of the stage of action
Eighteen ycars-.avcr hnlfa gencration-have come
TO- night sprang into existence Mt the call of the
country aud side by side with other armies batled
for the maintenance OF the union of these States
Ihose OF us VINO as young men, were present ut It's
organization are now of middle age; those who
and The rapidly increasing death roll II our society
indicates very clearly that the time Is not iAr dis
ant when the story of the battles and the achieve
ments the services and the sulerngs Of that
splendid body ofmen will DO told by the historian
alone.
Not many years must elspse before our society
no
us can cv0dc: and the strong attachments, the
devoted friendships formed during the times that
tried mems souls, Will have ceased for us here.
Recognizing this, as we must; accepting H. as I
hope we do without any unmanly fear or regret,
ii is some consolation TO know that when the record
of our society is closed the army TO which we be
lOngod will have secured q safe and sure place III
tho war history Of the country.
My comrades when you were last together III
this beautiful city, your strong and scrrled columns
swept up the Avenue In all the "pomp and circum.
stance of war" fresh from the fields made immor.
tai by the vaor of your army. The war was over,
and gladneSs and rejoicing had taken the place of
gloom and dependency. The city founded by
camp, and it, hills and valleys sparkied with the
camp 6res of 10000 men, proud of the great part
they had borne In theStruggle to preserve the M
ton aud Its Capital. In your march from
THE ONO TO THE POTOMAC
nearly every one of the rebellous states had felt
tho tramp OF your compact battalions' aud the men
who struggled up the deadly slopes of Mission
Ridge who breasted the storm of battle at Chicka-
mauga met aud mingled with the survivors OF Get.
tysburg, Petersburg and the wilderness. Brothers
III one common cause, the Army Of the Potomac
aud shermans army were generous rivals In the
torn and tnttered banners that had been carried
bravely aloiI In the presence of the enemy were
lowered as you passed In review before the Presi-
dent of the United Sates-the of the mar
tyred aud immortal Lincoln. Unlike The "tri.
umphs" OF another age aud another republic there
were no trophies OF conquest displayed; no long
and mournfll train OF captives graccd the march
OF the victorious General. With arms In your hands
and with unquestloned power to dictate terms,
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services rendered. but peacefully as though part Of
somo holiday show, you salutcd the Chief Magistrate
anu recognized Inc supremacy OF the CIVIL authori
ties
How different the circumstances and how
changed the conditions under which we come to.
gcther now. The stirring times of the great war
come back 10 Us ~ haf-fOrgoteu memories of the
past The hopes and fears, the successes and dis.
appointments, even the victories and defeats OF
| those days seem very far oil indeed. Our battal.
ions have been dissolved, never to he reunited;
our battle-hags have been folded away never again,
| let lis hope, 70 be unfurled, except Oh OCCASIONS
like this. The active and wiry iniantrymnn OF
1865 Is now perhaps tho portly and successful law
yer or Doctor or the well ind and well conditioned
owner OF n iarnlor shop. The dashng cavalryman
of those days who rode so recklcssly and 50 fear
leSsly, smiles perhaps, as he notes his increase in
avoirdupois; and Winchester and the Valley, and
i" Sheridan twenty miles away" seem like an I'M
possible and unattainGble dream.
The men who led the headong charge ut
Franklin" and at "JonesbJrO" are foremost now
in tho arts of peace and the works Of charity; and
the stubborn gunners who pounded the encmys
right ut stone River" and who always stood by
their guns like men, live honored lives in their
quiet homes. We have changed-changed greatly
in everything else but in this our affection for
tho living and our reverence for the dead the firm
and unalterable conviction that the cause for
which we fought was n Just and righteous one; the
inexlble resolve that the issues settled by tho war
shall not be disturbed or intcriered with the be-
lief that the country owes debt Of gratitude to It's
MANNED and crippled defenders and the ASSURANCE
that time can only add To the fame of the man
whose statue has been unveiled to day, Laying
aside the prCjudccs and passions born OF the war,
but not forgetting tho cause to which we dedicated
four of the best years of our life we come here 10
day with malice toward none,' TO do honor
to our great commander, and in the language OF
the constitution of our Society TO preserve that
ununimity of loyal sentiment and that kind aud
cordial feeling which have been an eminent charaC-
eristic Of this army"
With These objects in view st is natural and
proper 1t seems " me. that we should refer to that
Grand Army Of the Republic Of which our army
formed 10 inconsidcrabe q part and to the ole
, hen'S Oh wch IL was eonPSSeG framed soldiers
perience; hlt from their mlister-in until the eXpi-
ration Of their services there never was u moment
when they forgot that they did not surrender the
higher title Il citizen when they put ON the uni
form of the soldier. Submissive to discipline. and
so intelligent that they understood the necessity
FOR ready obedience 10 legitimate authority they
never hesiated or fatered in their devotion to
Republican institutions. 1t was an army Of the
people, voluntarily recruited from its ranks; and
IN the darkest days OF the rebellion It never lost
sight Of the fact that the sole purpose of its creation
was, That u government OF the people, for the
people, and by the people, should not perish from
the earth Al The commencement oil hostilitics,
| so Iuplu were the movements OF those WHO AZ
| tempted to destroy the Union, and so helpless did
the Government appear in the presence Of Ell
armed and organized rebellion that the predictions
| of enemies of Republican institutions appeared to
be on the point of fulillmemt. Hostile critics had
always said that our form Of government was sum
| Gont for the weak piping times Ct peace" or
strong enough perhaps, in foreign wars. but that
/ wncn confronted by serious internal troubles the
! Republic Of our fathers would melt away as mist
before the SUM- II was some said, "ull sail and no
anchor; and, recalling this, our enemies looked on
with satisfaction or
WITH PlrYISG CONTEMPT
| atwhat appeared to to be the auddcnnesS and com
! plctcness Of our destruction; and Republican
! form OF government. and the capacity Of man for
seli-goyornmcnt on tIial here, seemed affect fall
urcs, Fortunately for unfortunately for human
/ rights and human liberty evcrywhcge-thcy grossly
and the power Of the American people They for
| got that, in government OF equal rights aud priv
| egcs every citizen was interested IN promoting
! the general welfare" by prevailing for the conf
mon doieusu;' and they-and even wc-Were I'M
prepared for the magnificent response 10 the Chul-
| lange of rebels against National authority and
! unity, The domestic tranquility guaranteed by
| the Constitution had been rudcy and cauSelessly
assaulted; the perfect Union had been declared
| broken up and dissolved. Compromise and con-
| Citation having been tried aud failed tho loyal
! people Of The NatiOn-strangCrs to war and Cdu
Gated rs they had been IN the ways Of peaCe-rOso
! IN their might in defense Of the Union and the
Constitution Doubt and hesitation vanished.
There was no question OF party of party ties but