St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-04-16
Convention of the C0mman-
dery-in-Chief of the
Loyal Legion.
Thousands Of Distinguished
Military Men Fraternizing
in Philadelphia.
Minnesotans Show Up Strong
at the Anniversary OF
the Order.
Eloquent Address Of EX-Pres-
ident Hayes, the Com
mander-in-Chief.

PHILADELPHIA, April 15.--The spe
cial meeting of the cOmmandery in
chief of the Loyal Legion began shortly
after IL O'Clock this morning in the
room of the Pennsylvania Historical
society. There was big turnout. EX-
President Hayes, when he entered, was
enthusiastically received. Chaplain
Turnbull offered a prayer after the
meeting had been called to order. Then
came the roll call. Ex-President Hayes
made speech, after which Maj. Gen.
Wager Swayne, commander of the New
York commandery, offered resolution,
which ne read. 1t provided that upon
the application made in writing of
twenty companions of the first class,
residing outside of the United States, if
approved by the commander in chief,
charter be issued for the establishment
of commandery at such place outside
of the United. States upon the same
terms and conditions as the state COM
manderies, subject to the approval of
the commander III chief. Gen. King
supported the resolution, saying that
action should be taken at once. Gen.
Swayne, in view of the opposition of
few members, said that he would with
draw the resolution until the next
meeting. The application of twenty
officers from the
State of Washington
for charter for commandery was
favorably acted upon. A committee
consisting of Gen. Merrill, Paymaster
Barton. Mai. White, Gen. Tuttle and
Gen. Fairchild was appointed to con-
slider the interest Of the Michigan COM
paniOns against proposed changes in
the constitution of that cOmmandery.
The changes proposed the abolition of
the first and second classes. The meet
ing then took a recess until 2 O'Clock.
In the afternoon session it was an
nounced that the sixth annual meeting
will be held in st. Louis next October.
A resolution offered by the Michigan
delegation to abolish grades IN the order
was lost, adjournment following. At
the Academy of Music tonight the GER
emonies incident to the celebration of
the twenty-fifth anniversary of the
and out was pr0tusely and beautifully
decorated with flowers, flags and grow
ing plants. Seated on the stage
were a number of distinguished
men, including Hon. B. f. Tracy,
secretary of the navy; Gen.
John NJ. Schofield. commander-in-ch
u. S. A.; Gen. J. NJ. Hoffman,, Capt.
E. E. Porter, Rear Admiral John j.
Almy, Rear Admiral w. Smith, Gen.
John ]. Milhau. Gen. A. Ordway, Rear
Admiral John III. Russell, Gen. John
G. Parke, Col. E. G. Dawes, Gen. G.
Pennypacker, Gen. George S. Greene,
Gen. James A. Beaver. Gen. o. 0. How
ard. Gen. Chas. F. Henderson, Gen. H.W'
SIocum, Gen. Wager Swayne, Gen. w.
R. Marshall, ex-governor of Minnesota;
Gen. j. Nj. Brown, Gen. HORACE Porter,
Gen. Joseph r. Hawley, Gen. G. W.
Gen. o. nj. Poe, Detroit; Gen. Aenry
Miles, Gen. j. B. Sanborn, Assistant
Secretary of War Grant, Judge Charles
S. Kerr. of st. Paul; Surgeon Gen
eral John M. Browne, U. S. NJ: Maj
Swords, Washington; Gen. B. Sicard,
u. S. A.; Gen. r. d. Mussey, Washing
ton; Gen. S. P. Grier, Gen. j. S. Fuller
ton, Col. l. S. Metcalfe, appraiser of the
port of st. Louis: Gen. John r. Moore,
Gen. Nelson A. Miles, U. S. A.; Col. c.
G. McCauley, U. S. M. c.; Gen. Lucius
Fairchiid, Col. John p. Nicholson. Ex-
Gov. A. Il. Curtin. In addition to these
the building was croWueu
From Pit to Dome
with an audience composed of cOmpan-
ions of the order and invited guests.
After an overture by the Marine band,
which came from Washington for the
occasion, Gen. ID. Mem. Gregg, com.
mander of the Pennsylvania command
cry, delivered an address of welcome
and then introduced ex-President r. B.
Hayes, commander-in-chief of the order,
who spoke as follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen, Companions:
We meet this evening to celebrase the
zation of the military order Of the Loyal
Legion of the United States. The
founders of the military order of the
Loyal Legion Of the United States, it
perhaps may be fairly said, were the
first among his countrymen to ded-
icate monument to Abraham
Lincoln. Other memorials speedily
followed in prose and verse,
in marble. granite and bronze and
of every other conceivable material and
form. The best minds in our country
and abroad have WED with each other
to give adequate expression to the
thoughts and feelings Of all good men
when they mediate upon Lincoln:
upon Ills CudIdCtCI, ulS WOiuS duu HIS
deeds, and when they reflect on the
mazing contrasts presented by his life
and by his death. Out of the great
number of such attempts we shall al
ways recall with peculiar delight the
poem of Tom Taylor in the London
Punch, which came to lis from an un-
looked for quarter, just when the bitter
agony and desOlation of those frightful
April days were hardest to bear and
when every precious word of consolation
was indeed most welcome. We cannot
choose but remember always with un-
stinted admiration the nobleness OF
Lowell in his famous oOmmemOratiOn
ode, recited at the Harvard memorial
services in honor of her fallen sons,
w en- he hung that fitting and splendid
wreath on Lincoln's
"World-Honored Urn"
Americans will ever prize the words,
wiser and shrewder than Plutarch. in
which Emerson described Lincoln to his
village friends aud neighbOrs when they
met together to consider their sorrow
and to mourn his death. Having named |
these three lofty tributes, need not
further extend the list of notable pail
egyrics inspired by Lincoln, in poetry |
and eloquence in all parts OF |
the world. They bring us to
a pivotal question: Our beloved
society of the Loyal Legion. What is it
doing-what can it do. worthy Of LIN
coins fame. May not venture
to change single word in the
familiar line of Coleridge, so it will |
read: s'He prayeth best who doeth
best" Our highest striving then must |
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