The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1880-04-29
WELCOME ADDRESS.

The following is the eloquent well
come address of Col. Josiah Patterson,
of Memphis, to Gen. Grant, upon his
arrival I'm that city:
GENERAL GRANT: am delegated
by my fellow citizens to welcome YOU
to the city of Memphis. The presence
of the vast assemblage gives an EN-
you as an illustrious citizen of the
American Union my fellow citizens
Of African descent greet you as the
champion of their emancipation; my
fellow citizens who shared your for
tunes during the war greet you as sue
cessful General of the Union armies !;
my fellow citizens who followed the
fortunes of the COnfederacy, greet you
as q generous soldier, who interpOsed
the shield of his own honor in defense
Of the unarmed veterans Of the South
Sir, in accepting the surrender of the
Confederate armies, it was your hap
py fortune to have passed midway be-
tween victory and oppression, and to
inaugurate q policy Of magnanimity
and Justice which mitigated the pas-
sions of war and transmitted its results
as q blessing to posterity-a policy
which exacted nothing from the van
auished but obedience to the laws of q
common country; q policy which, be-
fore the embers of the war were cool,
disbanded q million armed men. aud
sent them home to engage in peaceful
pursuits o policy which transferred
the settlement Of differences from the
arbitrament Of sword to the arbitra-
ment of the ballot box policy which
challenges the admiration Of mankind
and constitutes the browning glory OF
your eventful life. II at this, the most
critical moment In American history,
you had not interpOsed the influence
Of your great example to prevent the
men who never felt the shock of bat
tie from turning loose upon defence
less people the terrOrs OF the law and
sword, the South would have been for
| generations yet to come, the Poland OF
America, and to-day her sons would
| be in open resistance or, PROSTATE be.
meath the tread of q standing army
| But, sir. We are under brighter skies
You behold from where you stood
eighteen years ago. amid the contes,
Of armies, peaceful people, congre
gated from every State In the Union
each in pursuit Of his own happiness
and bent on the prosperity ofail. Herr
on that battle-scarred soil, men who
then met in the shock of war now meel
in friendly intercourse, and arOunG
their firesides recall the memories o.
the great conflict. The heroes who
wore the gray are embalmed together
in song and story, and flowers bloom
as sweetly above the graves of the on,
as they do above the graves of til,
other. We are destined to have com
mon history as well as a common coun
try. The historian who reports III,
chivalfy of Mcpherson will record tn,
her0ism Of Jackson, and on the mage OF
which AppOmattox is written, he viii
weave In . chaplet Of Immortality
ULYSSES 3. Grant, Robert q. Lee
Sir, you are In the house of your friend
traversing the continent from the Pa
cific to the Atlantic, descending sOutl
to the everglades Of Florida, and as
cending the Mississippi from its m0utl
to the spot where you are now stand
Ing, you have been everywhere greet
ed with loyal welcome by your coup
trymen. Surely this ia the fruition O
your ambition. No wonder, after cir
cling the globe in your travels, 70,
point with pride to the land OF you
birth. May your life be spared, ant
may your illustriOus example be 10
tent for all time in promoting frazier
nifty between the citizens of our com
mon country, and in preserving tn
institutions Of our republic. I agaiI
bid you welcome, You are tho CUES
of Memphis.
THE GENERALS REPLY.
i MR.. CHAIRMAN AND CITIZENS oil
MEMPHIS: The reception which
receive at your hands cannot be bu
gratifying. tits pleasant to hear sucl
words Of welcome as I have heart
throughout my tour Of the South, an,
| can say to my friends In the SOutl
that there has never been q day whei
l was not as anxious for their prosper
ity as they themselves. Isee evidenc'
Of better feeling existing between tn,
citizens Of the different sections Of GU
country, which hope will confirm,
/ y =