National Republican., 1882-09-16
COLONEL FITzoERALp,s SPEECH.
An Eloquent Address by n War veteran
nj Tho Wcirn RannInm.


General W. T. Sherman and Colonel Tidball md
wife arrived at wicrs, n. H., Thursday by special
car from Concord accompanied By Governor Bell
and staff, Secretary Chandler, General Hartman,
Senator Rollins A. Thompson, secretary OF state
Colonel A. II. Young, Ex-Governor Smith, ana
other distinguished gentlemen. Notwithstanding
the rain ten thousand people were there. AT the
reunion Colonel N W. Fitzgerald, Of this city, de-
livercd the following eloquent address:
MIR. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN; con-
fcss TO some degree Of embarrassment standing as
do in the presence Of so large cOncourse on men
whoe deeds Of heroism IN defense oi human human
rights prove them worthy sons Of those pioneers
In the cause of freedom who LEFT their homes
among the granite hills II New Hampshire to .oi-
low the immortal Stark In that grand crlsaue
against tyranny one hundred years hgo might
forget for the time the presence OF these dis,
tingushed leaders of the hosts OF liberty, arouh1
whose honored temples cluster so thiokly tue
fadcless lauTcls Of victory won In battle ior me
right. but when reflect that stand before an
audience 80 largely composed Of
SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
the blood stained but glorious past arises grandly
before me. remember Bunker Hill ard Benning.
ton and as the panorama of history unrolls before
SONS and daughters Of the old Granite State,
sturdy mountaiueers fresh from their farms ana
flresdes, humbly clad and poory armed but win
courage invincOle and patriotism that knew no
bound, meeting in deadly conflict the brave
leaders of the most warlike and powerful nation
on the globe. Fellow citizens and soldiers Of the
State of New Hampshire, congratulate You ON
your heritage of the historic deeds Of your fathers;
but while offer the congratulations TO you who
were born in tie shadow of these hills and tread
by parimonial right soil that holds the dust Of
immoral dead DO not forget that the heritage OF
fame which you enjoy Isl common
INHERITANCE OF ALL AMERICANS.
We who hail from the younger States of the West
claim kin with you OF the old colonial Common
wealth. Your fathers and ours were brothers, sons
of the same soil, shnrers of the same privatons,
comrades in arms on the samc tented fields of
daring aud danger. That your fathers remained
n home T % in the then Western wIlds did not break
the tic of brotherhood which bound us together.
Our pioneer ancestors were not pro oiignl sons;
they did hot emgrate to foreign countries; they
simply moved into an unimproved and hitherto
unclaimed section of Uncle Sans vnst estate.
They carTi: d civilization, with all II held that was
industry their Intelligence, and their virtue that
wilderness has been transformed into garden Of
beauty. Where were once unbroken forests,
trackless and wild, now popuous cities stand, and
STATES REvELING iSwEALTB, OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES,
the grandest empire of the world, have been added
10 that glorious galaxy of continental common
weaiths of which New Hampshire is an honored
member. Fellow citizens of united America, kins:
men of common patriotic ancestors. comrades OF
me Grand Army OF the Repabiic soldiers Gt iffe e
hcritance, n common interest, ana common des.
tiny. When Stark led the hosts of freedom at
Bunker Hill and Bennington, lie contended not
alone with the soldiers of Britain, but also with
those mistaken, dsloyal citizens of this country
known as Tories. But when the victory was won,
parent, the Tories repented of their sins anu be-
came loyal citizens of the new republic. Our
century 1t would bo u task as bootless as 1t were
idle TO attemptt to
TRACE THE STAIN OF TORY BLOOD
in the veins of any citizen of this country. So
hope and believe 1t will be task as frutless and
as idle century hence to attempt to find stain
of rebel blood in the veins OF descendants of those
mistaken sons of the South whom we. my COM
rades, met i'll battle but a few years agone, while
we who marched together beneath the spotless
fJ .ds of that grand old iug resolved to preserve
inheritance beqneathed us byour patriotic sires-
| liberty and unon-Dr perish in tho effort There
shall live memories of our common purposc the
mortal lardships and perils will find us together
hood. and we shall continue to meet at stated in
tervals In such reunions as this But time is rap.
dy sg of the The Of age
II hcros brow see before me. We are slowly but
surely nearing the last encampment of the Grand
Army of the Republic. Year by year our ranks
are being thinned by the silent but remorseless
stroke of the invincbe
| scYTHE OF MEMORABLE DESTINY.
But we who thought only of our duty to our
and the hurtlng missiles of death iell fnst about
US, think only of duty now, duty to our country
Ms hryI ss sG 3ss
| of liberty" We should remember that 1t is also
the price Of justice. II is said that republics are
republic shall prove an excepon exc ss' We were
soldiers Yesterday; we are citizens to-day. Wee
| fought Tor liberty; let us vote Tor justice. All
over these broad lands are the widows and Or
phans of our dead comrades. Everywhere are
brave men who went forth to battle with youthful
vigor and patriotism, who returned broken in con.
stitution or MANNED in body or limb These are
wards of the nation. These worthy hosts of
WIDOWS, ORPHANS AND INvALIDs
are justly emit tied TO be fed. clothed, and housed
by the republic. A pension to these Is not graz
tuity, but II debt of the Nation. Keep this before
the people, and the Congressman or other public
officer who shows the slightest disposition to re-
pudiate this debt or any portion Of it, no matter
who he may be or to what party he belongs,
| should be made to understand that we, of the
brotherhood whose bondswe cemented in blood,
will vote against him. Comrades of the Grand
| Army, soldiers of the republic, fellowcitzens OF
New Hampshire. am glad TO have been with you
to-day. Ishall always be glad Of these reunions
that bring us together. While life shall last may
we ever enjoy them here; but when the shadows
| that never leave shall gather around our earthly
bivouac, may we stack arms by that bright stream
where the truce flag of eternal peace waves over
the white tents of the veterans who have gone be-
fore u.s.