Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-10-02
AnpREss or WELCOME.
Delivered by Gov. John A. Martin at
the Soldiers and Sailors Re-
union. Topeka. Kan. Sept.
20. 1895.

ApOHeSS Of WELOOmE.
Delivered by Gov. John A. Martin at
the soIdIers' and Sailors Re
union. Topeka. Kan. Sept.
20. 1895.
Commander stewer,, Comrades of the Grand
Army, and Soldiers OF the Union;
To me has been assigned the delight
fnl duty Of welcoming 10 the Capital
this great multitude Of patriot heroes.
Yet i: seems to me that words of well
come are unnecessary. There is no
town or city within the boun-
diaries of Kansas where the
soldiers of the Union would not be
greeted as friends or comrades, and
honored as guests; and | know that
the loyal people of the capital, one and
ali, viii welcome you with hand
clasp far more eloquent than speech.
They will welcome you as men who
brought from the gloom of the past
the lights of the present and the hopes
of the future. They will welcome
YOU as soldiers who rescued the re-
public from anarchy; as heroes who
brought union, liberty and peace out
of the smoke and flames of civil war
They will welcome voa as fellow.cit-
liens whose energy, enterprise and in
dustrv are building up. here in the
heart of the continent, the greatest
and most prosperous state in the
Union. One and all, they will well
come aud salute you.
You are survivors of the greatest
war the world has ever known. You
were prominent actors in the grand
est epoch of history. You fought for
the noblest cause that ever warmed
the hearts and neryed the arms of
heroes. You have lived to witness
the grandeur of your triumph. and the
growth and prosperity IL has brought
m its train. You are here TO meet
old comrades; to revive recollectious
ofscenes and events that should never
De forgotten: to sing the old SONGS. To
touch elbows again in the steadily
winding line that once reached from
he Rocky mountains TO the Atlantic.
And am glad and proud to say TO
you: "All hail. and welcome, thrice
welcome. to the capital,,
know that dvspeptic. enyious and
smali-souled people regard the fact
that soldiers reunions are steadily in
.reasing in interest. with ill-copcealed
lisfrusf. Some wears ago. following
meeting similar TO this a gentleman
,a,d to me: "The bows have had a
pleasant time, no doubt. But of what
PRACTICAL benefit are these great gath
rings of soldiers? They keep alive. it
seems to me. .recollectiops of a period
f strife and bloodsbed. and what
GOOD does that do?''
replied: "My friend, did YOU ever
.,bject to the celebration of the Fourth
fully? That keeps alive memories
# n period of strife and bIoodsbed
let we have been celebrating the
Glorious Fourth for over hundred
ears. and nobody has Objected that IL
lid no good to celebrate H.,
Similar objections are sometimes
made to the Grand Army of the Re-
,ublic." Ii is said that such an or
csnization not only keeps alive the
memories of war. but perpetuates the
feelings and preiudices of a period
When the land wss aflame with pas-
zion, ana that there is something of
,gotism in these associations and as.
smblages of men TO celebrate events
n which they were actors.
For one. acknowledging thar SOL
hers reunions and the Grand Army
organizations do all this. | make no
.pologies for them. On the contrary
rejoice that the t;rand Army I,
rowing more popular with the men
Who wore the biue. and tha, soldiers,
eupions and camn-fir.s are held win
aore and more frequency. When the
.,eople cease to remember ,hs, there
ave been times when men cbeere,IIv
.,eriled health and life for a good
rause, they cease to believe in sucb a
hing as patriotism. There is SONG
hing in example. and these oroan;za-
ions of old soldiers. these reunions of
Id soldiers. reyiying recollections of
ne old DAYS. when nearly
bree million men stenned
nnt Of the mopotony nj compon.
,lsce lives, and glorified a glorions
ause by patient endurance of hard
hips and privations, aud the heroism
f death-this example cannot be
without its uses ia teaching the
younger generations of Americans,
,njoying the birthright won at York
Town and preserved at Appomattox.
that love of country, courage and de-
sotion TO duty should endure forever.
And why should not the memories
If the late war be kept slive2 Was
here ever, since the morning stars
irst sang together, more patriotic,
holier, greater war than that
gaged for the Union! We have been
celebrating the Declaration Of indie
eendence, as / have said, for over
century. Yet the total free popula-
ion Of the American colonies, at t he
outbreak of the revolutionary wal. was
in round numbers, $4,000 less than
The number of Union soldiers muster
I'd into service during the late civil
var. The Continental army during
The great revolutionary war never
Exceeded 10000 men, present and abb
sent; our army during the war of
1872, aggregated only SO, 1S6; and the
Total force of the ITpited States
Turing the war with Mexico was only
il6.32l. During the war of the re-
oelIion. 2.772. 40S men enlisted in the
Union army. and from January ist
1868. to Nav LIST. 1868. our army nnm,
,ered. at all times. nearly oOO 600
trained soldiers. Kansas alone fnrn.
shed nearly half as MANY men for the
Union army as were present for duty
hiring any wear of the Revolutionary
struggle under Washington
There were more Union soldiers
killed in battle during the war of the
rebellion. and more died of wounds
received in battle. than were present
for duty during any previons war i'm
which the United States has haen on
ysged. In the National cemeteries
1850 soldiers of the Union are
aurjed-more than four times as many
as were enlisted during the Reyoln.
tionary war. The latest and mos, sc-
curste statements show that "a 2ss
Union soldiers were killed in battle.
1925 died of wounds received 10 bat,
tie. Q (5s we're drowned ar aec,den,aI,y
killed: 1874 were executed by the enc
nv: 224.s99 died of disease. and IA
l55 of causes not stated-making a 10
tai of s41.7l9 There were az engage
ments, large aud small. during the
eight years of the revolution. There
was 2.26l during the four wears of the