The Brookhaven leader., 1886-08-12
UNCLE BILLY ELOQUENT.


General sherman Addresses the National
@. A. II. Encampment at san Francisco--
A Retrospect of Twenty Years--PatriOtio
Sentiment.
SAN Francisco, Aug. Tn the G. A.
r. encampment yesterday the committee
on resolutions reported unfavorably on a
proposition to promote legislation for
pension of eight dollars per month to
every surviving soldier aud sailor of the
civil war, whether disabled or not. A
minority report in favor Of the proposi-
ton was made by Mr.. Bennett, of In
diana. 1t was rejected by vote OF 327
to SO,
Tie majority report against the eight
dollar pension measure was adopted.
After several Intellectual attempts to
get vote as to the next place for hold
ing the encampment, the subject was
postponed until the evening session.
General Sherman read an address yes
terday, in which he reviewed the history
of the G. A. r., and summarized the deeds
of its members during the war. Cantin-
uing, he made a good-natured nit at
the tendency of those who have been en-
|
paign, to talk about it as if it was the
only one ever fought or endured. OF a
similar tendency to regard our civil war
as the greatest on record, he said:
"With a retrospect now of only twenty
! one years we realize that the war was but
single step in the progress toward a
newery and higher civilization. The
revolutionary war demonstrated that the
thirteen colonies planted by Europe on
the coast of America had attained man.
| hood and had a natural right TO assume
all its functions, among them indie
pendence. The war of 1912 demonstrate
| that this new nation was capable OF de-
| tending itself, not only within its own
| domain, but on the high seas and every
where. Then the Mexican war of 1876
! AZ demonstrated that our race and lnsti-
| tutions 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 citi-
| ZenS, could defend our government
against the greatest of all enemies-our-
selves"
General Sherman then gave an account
| of the causes which led to the Mexican
war and of the conquest of California by
the United States, and of the part he
| played in that conquest. Concluding
| General Sherman spoke as follows:
"You, my beloved comrades of the war
of 1861, have abundant reason for your
| faith in the security of this new Union.
| bound together in harmony by rivers and
mountains, and by bands OF steel, each
State controlling its own property and in
terests, with a strong government over
| all. At your conventions and teasts you
| can well spare some words OF cheer to
| your older comrades OF the Mexican war,
who did so much to enlarge the National
domain, and made possible the glorious
work you afterward so thor
| ou9hly accomplished. We can not ex-
pect to tarry long to enjoy the
fruits of our labor, but untold genera
tions of Intelligent men and beautiful
women will be here to protect, defend
and maintain these cUnquestS, and, mean-
| time, we have the right to be proud and
| content that in our day and generation
We have LARGELY contributed to build up
! and strengthen the fabric of Govern
ment fashioned by our fathers, sanctiiied
by the greatness of Washington, made
doubly precious by the public virtues OF
our martyred Lincoln, and crowned by
the achievements of our comrade
Grant"