Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-10-22
MAES rwAIN'5 RENAEks


General Grant, am also deputized to
welcome you to the sincere and cordial hos
pitalities of Hartford, the city of the historic
and revered Charter Oak, of which the most
of this town is built. Laughter. AT
first it was proposed to have only one
speaker 10 welcome you, but this was
changed, because it was feared that,
considering the shortness Of the crop OF
speeches this year, if anything occurred
to prevent that speaker from delivering
his speech you would feel disappointed.
Laughter desire at this point to refer
TO your past history. BY years OF colossal
labor and colossal achievement you al last beat
down gigantic rebellion and saved your
country from destruction. Then the country
commanded you to take the helm OF State.
You preferred your great oaice Of General OF
the Army and the rest and comfort which ii
afforded, but YOU Loyalty obeyed and relin-
pushed permanently the ample and well
earned salary of the Generalship and resigned
your accommodating years to the chance mer-
cies Of precarious existence. Applause ]
BY this present fatiguing progress through
the land you are nightly contributing To-
ward saving your country once more, TINS
time from dishonor and shame and from
commercial disaster. Applause. You
are now Il private tltiLci, put PiiNatc cn
ployments are closed against You because
your name would be used for speculative
purposes. and you have refused topermit
that But your country will reward you,
never fear. Loud applause. When Wei
lington won Waterloo, II battle about on a
level with some dozen of your victories, sor
did England tried to pay him for that service
with wealth and grandeur. She made him u
duke and gave him $4,000, 900. lfyou had
done and suffered for any other country
what YOU have done and suffered for your own,
YOU would have been affronted in the same
sordid way but, thank God, this vast and
rich and mighty Republic is imbued TO the
core with delcacy which will forever pre-
serve her from so degrading deserving SON
Your country loves you, your country Is
proud of YOU, your country is grateful TO
YOU. Applause Her applauses, which
have been laundering in your cars all these
weeks and months, will never cease while
the flag YOU saved continues to wave. Great
applause Your country stands ready from
this day forth to testify her measnreless love
and pride and gratitude toward you in every
conceivable inexpensive way. Welcome 10
Hartford, great soldier, honored statesman,
unselsh citizen. Long continued APP
plausc.
GEN. GRANTS REPLY.
MIR. President and Gentlemen of Hartford
l am very proud of the welcomes that
have received ut the hands of my fellow citi-
zens from San Francisco to Boston but this
is the first occasion when | have been thrice
welcomed. So much has been said in the
three welcomes have received that it leaves
nv little TO say, except TO disagree with the
last speaker as TO the character of the Amer
lean people for want of generosity ! re-
cognize their generosity, and what they
have given me is more valued than gold or
silver. No amount of the latter could com
pensate for the courtesy and kind feeling
with which have everywhere been received.