The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-05-18
/" QuI WE r
The Watchword of the Army
the Potamae.
Extra. HON. aEr. Maginnis'
sp. lie Reunfon---O OFF
. sDoNs e REyer---Ofher
washington Items.

WASHINGTON, May 1.-THE United
States steamers Tallapoosa and Ewing and the
steamboat George Leary, to-day conveyed the
members of the society of the Army CT the
Potomac. and a number of invited guests to
Monnt Vernon. Tonight grand banquet will
be given The society
The following are extracts from the speech
of Mr.. Maginnis at last nights exercises at the
National theatre Addressing the president of
the United States and his comrades of the
Army of the Potomac, Mr.. Maginnis said:
Surely, comrads, as yen again came down to
the Potomac, and to your eyes again appeared
the white vision OF the capitol, around which,
phantom like, have clustered memories that
have attended yon through long peace, amid
the.struggles of existence in the fields of every
day endeavor, in tho temples of grain, where
trade worships at the affairs of profit and spec
ulation kneels to the divinity of dividends,
surely the stones of twenty years were rolled
away, aud out of the sepulchre of each com
rade's past came forth young, ardent, an
heroic spirit; youth who had laid downhis
scheme of life, abandoned his career, and with
the spirit of patriot and the devotion of
martyr offered himself to that country whose
startled hills were echoing to the guns of Sum
ter, and whose first appeal and first command
to the men of our generation was; Rally on
Washington
@Planted by the fathers in the centre of their
United States, revolution had moved the cap
ital to the frontier. Worse Secession was be-
hind as well as in front of it, 1t was an out
post in the enemy's country-garrlsoaed only
by the government Secession had gone back
to the sacred soil, but it said with Catalina i
goi but return and from this fair city will
rule new empire of which slavery shall be
he oh, 90
great commercial Importance Bus its
foundations were laid with those of
the union. 1t contained the archives of the
early days of liberty. 1t was hallowed by as
ISOLATION with the yenerated dead 1t was the
sacred city of the nation And the loyal peo
pie determined that never again should for
eign invasion or domestic lnsurreetion profans
Its holy places; never should the government
be driven from its ancient seat, or any flag but
that old Glory wave over the battlelnents of
the capitol a
1T is boosted that the best blood of the south
was in their ranks Well, the best blood and
brains of the north were in ours. The intel
hgence and courage of the country were in all
our armies. The orators of our pulpits, the
lights of the bar, senators and representatives
to-day were privates in the Army of the Poto-
mac. The day has come when these, III the
order of time and nature, have taken their
places in the control of private business and
the direction of public affairs And the time has
come when they will tell the story of that army
as Ii was, ana as was nllBfepl0Senre0- II Is
a sad but glorious story of bootless efforts,
useless Sacrifices and final success. Worn
out IN marches without objects; wasted in
battles that had no results: tainted
with inactivity; baffied by interferences
and delay, it struggled, fought, and
bled to victory. For as this was the
peoples war it turned out to be the peoples
night. No Alexander, Caesar, or Napoleon
arose to monopolize its glories and claim its
victories for himself alone. So far as the Army
of the Potomac was concerned, there never was
an army that owed less to briiiiancy of leader
ship or the inspiration of genius. What it lost
was often from the laches of its direction;
what it won it dearly paid for in it's own patri-
otto blood. We honor all our other armies
but this was the great army of the Union. 1t
held the dragon by the throat while others |
struggled with the lashings of its folds. In |
the history of the war it is entitled to |
the right of the lire And we will devote |
this hour to the vlndication of the discipline, |
the loyalty, the devotion, and the I'M
daunted heroism of the Army of the Potomac |
More so than with oHr other armies that |,
discipline was needed TO fit it for its task 1t |
had no vast, unoccupied spaces to traverse, |
where laxity of rule, by promoting individual |
enterprise might assist progress. 1t could |
it in the presence of over |
watchful enemy. Its field of operations was
compact 1t never camped out of sound of
the enemys guns, or bivouacked beyond reach |
of immediate attack A gladiator always in |
the arena, knight whose guard could never
De let down. This discipline measured by any
of carriage and precision of move
mont, correctness of equipment and detail
| have known some of its regiments that
would match the picked corps of any royal
army in sthe world If the wider
sense of discipline means that obedi-
ence TO duty which keeps men in line when
they fight, and in column when they march, to
fight again tomorrow and march the night at
ter, until energy Is exhausted and obedience
if that be discipline, as it is tho
object of discipline then it was the best dis
ciplined army on this planet
But comrades, the result Is worth it ali
Even now those who fought glory in the
strength and greatness OF that nationality
which they proudly share and would willingly
defend. They see the hand of Providence in
the defeat of that would have left |
America, hike Europe, ass CUP of warning
states, and sharing in all its privileges and
blessings rejoice i'll the success of the war for
Jhet union kThisl reconciliation and renewed
lllegiance-which conquering monarchies have
failed to win in centuries of endeavor-is the
glory of republic
SICK JUROR.
Owing TO the illness of Juror George B.
Sheriff, no progress was made ia the star-route
rial to-day. Before the court adjourned
Judge Wylie referred to the crazy lawyer,
England, who freqRents the court house and
declared that it was a disgrace that the proper
authorities had not taken charge OF HIM. The
court had ordered the baiiiffs to exclude him
rom the court house, aud for this he had
threatened to shoot the court, or rather the
personnel of the court OF course, this threat
would have been disregarded had he been sane,
out as 1t was no one knew what within might DO
lcted upon by the unfortunate man Adjourned
lntlI to- morrow.
THE NORTHERN PACIFIC.
The secretary of the interior has decided ad-
rersely upon the application of the Northern
Pacific Railroad company to withdraw from
settlement and entry the indemnity lands lying
wenty miles more beyond original alternate |
ections granted in the charter, but has sane |
toned the action of the commissioner of the
and Office In Withdrawing the indemnity lands
dioinlng alternate sections.
BUST OF THE LATE PosTAIA STER GENERAL
A selection was made to-day from half
Iozen bust crayon pictures of the late Post
naster General Howe by as many artists The
me s6sacted which is to be hung up in the
,ostoffice department., was executed by W. A | ,
OYER O young artist of this city at present
with the Associated Press
Instantly Killed.
PTTBURGH, Pa, May 17.-While a /
umber of workmen were digging trench on
'ayette street, Allegheny City, this morning,