St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-23

was enabled to march in victory to Appom-s
atoX and sherman to the sea. He paid a
brilliant compliment to the soldiers of the
war; and closed by thanking the people for
the hearty welcome extended
Mayor Pillsbury was then introduced, and
proceeded to read the following
ADDRESS OF WELCOME.
Minneapolis never had prouder day than
this. And no more gratifying duty ever fell
my lot than to welcome to our city the
preseryers of our nation. You have come
from the remotest parts of the land to greet
again one another as friends and as COM
panions in arms; and as the years advance
the relationship becomes more sacred.
Words cannot express the pleasure of our
citizens in greeting you at this time. Our
people have looked forward to this occasion
with enthusiasm and delight By your pres
ence we are honoted. Your stay here marks
the most important gathering that could
anywhere assemble, in any country, in any
cline. You are the heroes of the greatest
contest that was ever fought. You are the
representatives of an army that consisted
of nearly three millions of men, You
fought for freedom and the progress of man
kind Each year that passes presents in
bolder relief before the world the results of
your bravery and devotion As the decades
pass and the events of the day are forgotten,
the memorable struggle that began with the
fall OF Fort Sumpter will grow in the hearts
OF free men everywhere. Applause AS
gaze over the concourse of men who wore
the blue in this great struggle, and see those
who sacrificed home, friends, loved ones,
ambition. everything; men who did not count
their lives dear to themselves, provided they
might be able to establish q great principle
and preserve our country, [ can but thank
God from the fullness OF my heart. APP
plause.
Veterans you are welcome to our city.
Soldiers who have borne the long marches,
who have stood in terrible battle among the
dead and dying, who III prisons and hospitals
have proved your devotion, we thrice
welcome you. In memory we go back a
score of years and see you in the freshness
and prime OF life fastening from the office,
the shop and the farm, pictures of noble
manhood hurrying to join the grandest army
that ever marched to the sound of fife and
drum. Applause. That grand army
gathered from all parts of the country was
strong and robust, and better than ALL it
was loyal to Our country. The world had
never beheld so loyal, true and brave an
army of those who voluntarily came into
their country's service. [Applause.] But
all are not here to-day. You went to battle
but many did not return. Your ranks were
more than decimated Many of your COM
rades who marched with you shoulder to
shoulder to the battle were left on the field,
some with their faces upward Some were
borne away bleeding by kind hands.
Some bore the indescribable horrors of
the southern prison and others were the vic
tins of slow disease. Their memories you
will ever cherish. You were victorious. You
picked up the flag that fell at Sumpter and
have made it the emblem of freedom the
world over. Applause. To you, the sur
vivors, we return our heartfelt gratitude But
your ranks are growing thinner. Each year
a less number will gather at your annual
camp fires. Familiar faces will disappear
and your ranks cannot be recruited AS
some of US in our earlier boyhood days re-
call the admiration with which the old
fashioned muster, amid the sound of the
fife and drum we looked upon the few sur
vigors of rs. so will men soon look upon
you. And in the years to come no person
can claim greater honor than the privilege
VI odylu LidL LIS duCeSlUT WIS one OIL IIldl
great and grand army that fought for the
preservation of the government that our
forefathers established. Loud applause.
To-day you do not meet on the tented field.
You did your work so well that no pickets or
sentinels are needed now. The sword has
indeed been turned into plowshares. But
that spirit and energy which rallied you
around the flag has entered into your private
walks aud has indelibly stamped your man
hood upon the country. Whatever our ma
ton has since enjoyed in its growth and
prosperity, is the fruit of our labor No ma
ton that has ever existed has made so great
an advance in everything that goes to make
nation great, prosperous and powerful as
has been maze by this nation since the clos
ing of the war in which you were the chief
actors. Through your struggles, America
stands to-day, the greatest and freest nation
in the world. Applause. Without your
efforts, free government would have been
failure, and we could not have stood as we
do to-day on the western brink of the Mis-
sissippi river and gazed on a rapidly growing
and extending nation. Without the pros
perity which you earned, the struggling set
Elements around Fort Smelling could not
have expanded into these two great cities.
[Appluase. We feel that there is no hom-
age too great to be extended to you. There
fore we say to you. enjoy all that our city
affords. We shall take you to our homes,
and We wish your stay could be longer We
wish that our resources for your pleasure
were greater; but such as they are, we most
freely offer them. In the name, and in be-
half of the people of Minneapolis most cor
daily welcome you all to our midst Loud
and. continued applause.
Senior Commander Warner, of Missouri.
responded to the speech of welcome by Mayor
Pillsbury. He said he was elated when he
was introduced as general, but when he
came to consider what he had done he was
dwarfed into insignifcance. He was not
a general; he had never been general. and
he would not even claim the somewhat
doubtful honor Of belonging to that large
class of soldiers known as general disability.
II he felt inclined to quote scripture, he
would use the words OF the queen of Sheba,
and say in regard to the preparations made
for entertaining the veterans, 'sthe half had
not been told He had heard OF tie hospi-
tally of the people of Minneapolis, but now
that he had an opportunity to test it he was
convinced the half of it had never been told.
He spoke of the Touring interests of Mime
apolis, and of her great industries, and said
he felt it was good for the G. A. r. people to
be there. Referring to the history and the
causes OF the late war. he
said that. as Americans, all
felt a common interest and pride in such
men as Robert f. Lee, Stonewall jackson
and Albert Sidney johnson. But while this
was so they felt greater interest as citizens
and individuals in such men as Grant. Sher-
man and Sheridan. While they were willing
to clasp hands over the cbasm, and 10 let
the past rest, yet they wanted to write it in
letters of living gold so that all could read
SO that even he who runneta could read
that they were eternally right and the others
eternaily wrong. He thanked the mayor for
his hearty welcome, ard accepted the hospi-
tality saf the citizens on behalf of the Grand
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