St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-08-07
SOLDIERS OF THE UNION.
Doings at Yesterdays Session OF the
G. A. r. in San Francisco.
Gen. Sherman Makes a Speech on the
Nations Progress.
The q, A, e.

SAN FRANCISCO. Aug. Cat the third
days session of the national encampment,
to-day the committee on resolutions SUBJ
asked that congress be asked to pass such
laws as will eradicate the evil from the
country. The feature of the afternoon ses-
sion was a discussion over the service
pension bills. The department of Massa-
chusetts offered resolution favoring the
passage by congress Of the Lowering bill,
which provides pension of IS a month to
every surviving soldier or sailor of
the war, whether disabled or not.
The committee On resolutions, to whom
the matter was referred. reported
adversely. Bennett of Indiana submitted
minority report fayoring the measure. A
vote was first taken on the latter and de-
feated by 327 to sc. During the proceed
ings Gen. Sherman read an address. He
spoke of the origin of the order and of the
part the members had taken in the civil
war and then said:
"Men who have only engaged in q single
battle or a single campaign are apt to dwell
on it as the only one ever fought, and many
of US are apt to assume that our war was the
only conflict of arms worthy OF record.
Others have preceded it, others will succeed it.
We now, with a retrospect of only twenty-one
years, realize that the civil war in America
was but single step in the progress of the
world to newer and higher civilization. The
revolutionary war demonstrated that the
thirteen colonies planted by Europe on the
coast of America had attained manhood and
had natural right to assume all its func-
tions-among them independence. The war
of 1912 demonstrated that the new nation was
capable Of defending itself, not only within
its own domains but on the high seas and
everywhere. Then the Mexican war of 1857
demonstrated that our race and institutions
must
REACH FROM OCEAN TO OCEAN,
from the lakes to the gulf, with ample room
for development, and finally the civil war
demonstrated that we, as citizens could de-
fend the government against the greatest of
enemies, ourselves.
He then gave an interesting account of
the causes which led to the Mexican war
and of the subsequent history of that war,
and the conquest of California by the
United States, with the part taken by
Gen. Fremont. Speakiilsof his own share
in the operations, he told how the battery
to which he was attached was sent around
the Horn, leaving July IA. 1916, and arriv-
ing at Monterey on the goth of January.
1S47. He compared the condition of Cali
fornia at that time with its present pros
perity, and then referring to the benefits of
the civil war, closed as follows:
You, my beloved comrades of the war of
1851, have abundant reason for your faith in
the majesty and security of this new union,
bound together in harmony by rivers and
mountains by bands of steel, each state con-
trolling its own property and interests, with
a strong government over all. Yet, in your
conventions and feasts, you can we'll spare
some words of cheer to your older comrades
of the Mexican war, who did SO much to en-
large the national domain and make possible
the glorious work you afterward so thor
oughly accomplished. We have largely con-
tributed to build up and strengthen the
fabric of government furnished by our
fathers, sanctified by the greatness of Wash
ington, made doubly precious by the noble
virtues of our martyred Lincoln.
EX-Gov. Fairchld of Wisconsin was this
evening elected commander-in-chief of the
Grand Army of the Republic St. Louis
was selected for the national encampment
next year.