The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-04-11
THE LOYAL LEGION.
Banquet at Cincinnati, Preliminary to the
Opening of the National Congress.

CINCINNATI, April 1O.-The Loyal Legion
of the United States will begin. tomorrow.
the sixth quadrennial session of it's Ma
tional Congress, to continue two or three
days. The delegates from the eighteen ex-
listing communicates arrived by prear-
rangement one day in advance to accept an
entertainment tonight in, the form of a
banquet by the Ohio Commandery. The
attendance to-day of delegates and of visit
ing members of the order from other States
is very large. Arrivals began yesterday
and continued last night and to-day, until
between three and four hundred members
of the order are present. The banquet was
served tonight at the Gibson House.
Portraits of Union generals and
decorations with national colors gave the
office of the hotel aggala-day appearance.
AT s o'clock the bugle sounded the dinner
call, and the martial guests marched two
and-two. arm-in-arm, to the tables in the
dining-hall. This place was tastefully
adorned with flowers and plants on the
table and about it, and with prOfusiOn of
bunting displaying the national colors in
folds, festOOns and streamers on the walls.
the music of the entertainment. There
were five tables. One extended across the
end of the dining-hall. This was the CON-
mander's table. Four other tables extend
ed at right angles to 1T the full length of
the dining-hall At the center of the COM
mander's table sat the presiding officer,
Col. G. Cadle. jr., the junior vice-com-
mander of Ohio COmmandery, in place
of Commander Col. Z. c. Dawes,
wha4s-ifose;~st-fss. ~ sls~xssSesf
gf1 the right of Colonel Cadle sat General
Harris, on his left, General Crook, and
among others at the same table were Gen.
erals Gregg. McCook, Cox, Henck, Coch-
ran and NOyes, and Senator Henderson.
Three hunred persons partook OF the ban
quet Grace was said by Chaplain q. A.
Thayer. The banquet was thoroughly en-
jOyed by the guests. 1t was well along
raped for attention and made a brief ad-
dress of welcome to the Congress of the or
der to which Gen. Rutherford Il. Hayes,
President of the Congress, responded.
Letters of regret were ereceived as follows:
Col E. c. Dawes:
Dear Sir-I have received your kind and flatter-
ing letter of the 22d, renewing the invitation
for me to attend the annual banquet, in Cincin-
natl on the 10th of April next urging my pres
ence once wear, etc. No one better than YOUR
self knows that we live in .'big country" that
army societies, Grand Army encampments. Loyal
Legion banquets etc., exist, by thousands all
over the country each claiming me as kindred.
Now, as these social demands hc-e killed off all
my contemporaries, you join with the throng. L
suppose to ascertain which ofthese shall kill me.
Ii compelled to choose mode of death, would
prefer a 'center shot" by bullet, to the slow
torture of handshaking or the humiliation of cry
ing to some non-c0mbatant for an "Office" to
smooth the path of some old faithful orderly.
No, my good friend, have laid out my chart of
life for the next season, and it does not include
the companions of the Loyal Legion that my
name is on "their muster-rOlls," that L propose
to keep it there until am summoned to join the
Grand Army beyond the river, and that without
promising, will come to Cincinnati on some
future occasion.
With love and respect, am truly yours,
w SHERMAN