The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-07-04

"h6SSohOh Va ICotlNtu SllcJsbH bHah
condition of your own state. No other state
mas the extensive border that the
State OF Maine has with its matchless coast
line and its great frontier, the
two almost encircling the State, and yet you
know that II one foot of this great border
was touched with hostile intent the whole
force OF the nation from the Pacific, from
the Gull. from the plains and the mountains,
would rally to your support. lApplause.I
The sentiment in itself means that we are
one great deOple, one nation and under one
flag. The reference to the President was, L
suppose, as the official of this great nation
rather than person, and L cannotas one OF
his staff, refer to him more than simply to
say that he is one of our comrades, and with
all friendship and sympathy for the men
who fought with him and with a true deyo-
ton to the principles for which they fought,
Gentlemen | thank you. Applause
Gen. o. o. Howard was the next speaker
and said:
Gen. o. o. howard's Speech.
Mr.. President and Comrades:
l thank you for your hearty welcome.
| was trying to think what constituted the
western armies. | was in the Army Of the
Potomac until after Gettysburg, and there
were troops from Ohio, from Michigan, from
Minnesota, and could spend half the night
IN telling what those Western fellows were
doing among us; and when they got into
little trouble in the West they sent Slocum
&C over there. And when we got there we
found the men who had been fighting with
us, even in the first battle of Bull Run,
hearty, strong, able, energetic and buoyant,
always ready and always working. General
Grant used To say that he had borne his cam
paigns continually on horseback. / remem-
Der my first substantial meeting with him
when he was laying the bridge across the
Tennessee at the end of Missionary Ridge.
came to the other side and we met about
halt way. he the
gap before the last planks were laid, and we
took hold of hands, and ever since then
have been his boy. Applause. If you did
but know it tits no disparagementt to the good
soldiers that we had to say that the soldiers
partook naturally, and in little time, of
the character of the officers that commanded
them. Take Gen. Thomas when he had his
corps-the corps was just like sold Tom"
his troops were just like him-indomitabie,
and Hood was broken in pieces before him
When Schofeld, who is the commander Of
the Army. was at st. Louis, his troops par
took OF the nature of the man; he was CO.
operative, and ne gained the hearty good
will of Gen. Grant. and from that time he
was OF the same boys. A similar thing
could be said of Mcpherson, of Logan. and
of other commanders of the West. | did
not intend to say anything of the
Army OF the POTOMAC: we know we did well
In the Army of the Potomac; we know we
got whipped sometimes because we had
Robert L. Lee. Stonewall Jackson and sew
eral others to fight against us; but we also
| had hard times in the West. Sometimes we
| got repulsed. as at Kenesaw. but on the very
| top Of Kenesaw Mountain, General Sherman
laid the foundation of that grand old hymn
| [applausel "Hold the Fort for am Coming
(Applausel. Corse was here today, who had
an ear shot off and part of his cheek bone.
Corse staid there with his fifteen hundred
| against ten thousand (applause). My COM
| rades, l could talk to YOU until tomorrow
morrow morning. The Western armies did
their duty, and did what they could to put
down the rebellion; and, thank God, the re-
oelllon was put down, and the slaves were
free. (Applause).
Gen. Coils then stated that to the toast
MAINE and her soldiers in the war; His
Excellency Governor Burleigh would re-
| spond, but as he was informed that Coy.
Burleigh, having reviewed the army of the
State of Maine today, was indisposea and
| unable to be present this evening, he would
therefore call upon ex.Gov. Conner who was
soldier in her armies and good one. Gen.
Common responded as follows:
Gen. Connor's Speech.
Mr.. President, Comrades and Friends:
The annual drumbeat of the Army of the
| Potomac, if it has not unset led the whole
earth, has yet encompassed that portion
we'll nigh, which was once known as Goods
country" On the West your ultima thule
with us at the extreme point of holding the
| reunion. Geo. Sherman today instituted a
comparison between the Portland of the
East and the Portland of the West. With
out meaning in the least to disparage that
beautiful western city which bears our name
we must claim the superiority for our own
beautiful city which welcomes you so cor
daily tooay. TApplause.] Gen. Sherman
has SAID that you can see from Portland,
| Ore, the noble summit of Mount Hood.
Byron sings that.
""' '0N' on Marathon
Ine mountains ia, -
e4,,.-..- ''On on the ssa SSJ Jefferson and
Madison and ali the beautiful and majestic site
range of the White Mountains in sight. In
our front. instead of the muddy Willamette
we have the unnumbercd smiles of old ocean
and the happy islands of the sea. [Ap-
plause.J But, comrades, our Portland is but
the gate to paradise 1t is but the threshold
to the enchanted land. All along our coast
are shining beaches. beautiful bays, noble
headlands and mountains that battle their
feet in the sea. There are noble rivers run
ming to the sea, boundless expanse of noble
forests and everywhere throughout this do
main there are floul ishing towns and cities,
and hamlets and little farms nestled upon
the hillsides, and there, everywhere through
out the state, you will find comrades OF the
| Grand Army of the Republic, men who. in
homes, talk of their comrades in New Hamp-
shire. Vermont, Michigan and Wisconsin,
[Applause,l 1t is to such state that our
nonored Governor would have welcomed you
had it been his privilege to attend this even
Ing, and in so welcoming you he would have
voiced the sentiment of his own people.
Our soldier mayor and comrade welcomed
you today in feryent words to the hospitali-
ties of the city. am sure that the people of
his city and the people of the state would re-
echo from their innermost hearts every word
of welcome which he uttered. AS our COM
rade SAID. we had high expectations of this
occasion. We wanted to see our comrades
of the old army here and to entertain them
to the best CT our ability. We wanted them
to make this reunion of the Army Of the
Potomac memorable one, one that they
should always look back upon with pleasure,
and thus FAR we feel that it bids fair to be
such an occasion. [Applause.l 1t is true
That there may have been some murmurings
on account of the weather, but you must re-
member, comrades, that our proceedings to-
DAY were held within doors and that it was
necessary to have such day as this in order
to clear the sky for the beautiful day which
we are going to have tomorrow. Applause
1t has been grand privilege of this occa-
sion to have with us our comrade who so
worthily represents the national government.
1t has been our privilege to have here with
us our comrade who today ranks as the first
soldier of the world. [Cheers]. We have
had with us many a gallant and beloved
leader of the old army. Long may they re-
turn to us on similar occasions. We have
had that venerable statesman and com.
rade who, in the full term of his years, still
has warm heart for his soldier comrades.
Applause. And, comrades. we have been
honored today also by a gallant representa-
tive of the American navy. Applause
There is peculiar warming of the heart of
every American citizen for the Yankee tar,
American blue-jacket. (Applause) know
not whether it be in the nature of the service
that they have to encounter, the dangers of
the sea as well as that of hostile forces, or
whether it be that distinguished record of
the American navy from the time when
John Paul Jones and "Bon Homme
Richard" carried devastation and dis
may to the, shores of England, down
to the day when Farragut entered Mobile
Bay. [Applause.] And ah, but the other
day, comrades, do you remember the other
day, gentlemen, when in southern seas, the
earth and air and water and all elements
seemed to have cons pirod in ono great effort
against the navies that lay there, when the
American men-of-war were drifting before
the bowling storm and the rising tides upon
the near reef, they still cheered in regular
unison in the discipline hurrah for the Eng
lish vessel that was able to cut to sea and
for the glorious flag that waved over her.
applause.