News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-08-21
THE KANSAS CAMP FIRE.
Corporal Tanner Makes Speech to
Big Crowd in Music Hall.


The Kansas delegation held rousing
camp fire in Music hall last night. A large
audience of Kansas people was in atten-
dance After Il selection by the Third
Regiment band of Holton, Kan, in front
of the hall on Hamilton place, the band
and about 200 prominent men occupied the
platform. Department Commander Col
Inns briefly introduced Ex-Governor An
thony of Kansas, who made spirited adj
dress, in which he referred to the bonds
that Joined Kansas to Massachusetts, and
also gave statistics showing the great
prosperity of Kansas.
Corp. Tanner was then introduced as
comrade who loved the sold soldier" bet
ter than his own welfare. The corporal
was greeted most enthusiastically, and
spoke substantially as follows: IL hardly
know what part of this audience to adj
dience to address first. Shall l speak to
the New England people present, to the
excellent band which has discoursed such
fine music, or shall L cOnfine my remarks
to the delegates of that civilized section
of the savage west known as Kansas? /
did not come here tonight to make a
speech, but simply for the purpose of
meeting this bouquet of Kansas talent
that 1 see before and around me.
the stern associations of former years, and
l am delighted to greet so many of the
representatives of that state here tonight.
Kansas is memorable in the history of the
rebellion, as it was upon her soil that the
bloody conflict was waged for six long
years before the open collision of the sec
tons took place. And when the collision
did come-let me say to you, people of
Kansas-that the total number of men
that took up arms was 10 per cent. greater
than the adult population of the state, &C
cording to the records"
In reference to pensions the corporal
said: Not many years ago the poet lau-
reate of England sang in ever-endurfng
strains the story of the Six Hundred at
Balaklava but to-day many of those men
that thrilled the world with their deed of
heroism are crouching in absolute perjury.
Let us not see such state of things here.
Let not the men that faced the terrors of
war say that this government of ours should
stand as the hope Of humanity-let them
not, say, crouch down in poverty by the
neglect of the nation which they saved"
Il care not who the man is-he is no
friend to the republic who denies to the
heroes that stood before the cannon and
braved the rifle nail a small pittance to
keep them from beggary. Our critics say
that our pension system costs annually
more than the standing army of Germany.
IT'S so, and Pm glad of it. We do things
on a greater scale here-and | hope we al
ways will-than any other nation on the
face of the globe. l got an idea early in
my life, and | confess that l have never got
rid of it: That if a man was worth pen
sioning at all he was worthy of receiving
more than 81 a month" The corporal
closed his spirited speech by an eloquent
and glowing speech to the Grand Army.
J. w. Burst of Illinois and Mr.. Sexton,
also of Illinois, also spoke from the floor.
Ex-Congressman Hanback, of Kansas was
the last speaker. The Modoc club brought
the exercises to close by singing the
"Soldiers Faeewell."