The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-10-12
.EULOC|zED BY AN EDITOR.
Watterson's Grafton at the Banquet
Of the Army Of the
Tennessee.
Held on the Evening After the Un-
yelling Of the Grant
Statue.
His Tonst Was, "The War Is Over-Let Us
Have Peace"--Tributot to
= Grant.


closed Thursday night with a splendid ban
quet at the Palmer house, which was
largely attended by many notable gentle
men. Among them were severa! members
of the society, but who were present to
witness the unveilinR of the equestrian
statue of Gen. Grant in Lincoln Park. To
M. Henry Watterson was assigned the
toast, "The War Is Over-Let Us Have
Peace" The noted editor was received
with great applause as he rose to speak.
He spoke substantially as follows:
II believe that at this moment, the peo'
pie of the United States are nearer together.
In all that constitutes kindred feeling and
interest. than they have been at any time
since the adoption cf the federal constitu-
tion. If it were not 80 should hardly VEN
ture to come here and talk to you as am
going to talk tonight. AS it ie, surrounded
though I be by union soldiers. my bridges
burned and every avenue Of escape cut off,
am not in the least discouraged or
alarmed. On the contrary, / never felt
safer, or happier, or more at home. In
decd, think that, supported by your pres
ence and sustained by these commissary
stores, 1 could stand siege of several
months and hold out against incredible
odds. II is wonderful how circumstances
alter cases, for it was not always go.
sts'I am one of many witnesses who live to
tell the story of journey to the moon and
back! 1t may not be that have any mar
wells of personal adventure or any prodigies
of individual valor to relate; but I do not
owe my survival to the precaution taken by
a me mber of the confederate battery COM
man led by the brave Captain Howells of
Georgia. 1t was the habit of this person to
90 to the rear whenever the battery got we'll
under fire. At last Captain Howells called
him up and admonished him that, if the
breach of duty was repeated, he would
shoot him down as he went, without a word.
] he reply came on the instant: 'That's
all right, cap'n; that's all right; you can
shoot me, but I'll be dadburned if I'm 60.
ing tc let those Yankees do it!' at Least
oaya cav .sea the opportunity to try. .and I am
much your debtor that, in my case your
workmanship was 80 defective.
you have been told that the war is over.
think that I, myself, have henrd that OBJ
servation. am glad of it. Roses smell
sweeter than gunpowder-for everyday
uses; the carving knife Is preferable TO inc
bayonet, or the sabre, and, in Il contest for
first choice between cannon-balls and wine
corks, | have decided prejudice in favor
of the latter!
'The war is over; and it is we'll over. God
reigns and the government at Washington
still lives. am glad of that. can con-
ceive of nothing worse for ourselves, moth
ing worse for our children. than what
might have been if the war had ended 9th
erwise, leaving two exhausted combatants
to become the prey of foreign intervention
and diplomacy, setting the clock Of civili-
zation back a century and splitting the
noblest of the continents into five or SIX
weak and warning republics, like those OF
South America, to repeat Ill the New World
the mistakes of the old.
"rhe war is over, truly; and, let me re-
peat, it is we'll over. If anything was want
ing to proclaim its termination from every
housetop and doorpost in the land. that lit
tie brush we had last spring with Sig. Maca-
roni furnished it. AS to the touch OF an
electric bell, the whole people rallied to the
brave words of the secretary of state, ana,
for the moment, sections and parties sunk
out OF sight and thought i'll one overmas-
terinp sentiment of racehood manhood and
nationality.
II shall not stop to inquire whether the
war made us better than we were. IL cor
tainly made us better acquainted, and, on
the whole, it seems to ME that We are none
the worse for that better acquaintance.
The truth is that the trouble between US
was never more than skin deep; and the
curious thing about it ia that it was not our
skin. anyhow! 1t was black skin, not
white skin, that brought 1t about.
''As see it, our great sectional .contro-
yersy was, from first to last, the gradual
evolution of people from darkness to
LIGHT with no charts or maps to guide
them, and no experience to lead the way,
1.-THE trainers Of our constitution found
themselves unable to fix declslvely and to
define accurately the exact relation 20 OF .,as sne
states to the federal government. On that
point they left what may be described as an
sopen clause and through that open clause,
as through an open door, the grim spectre
of disunion stalked. tt was attended on
one hand by African slavery; on the other
hand by sectional jealousy. and between
this trio of evil spirits the household
flower of peace was torn from the Intel
and tossed into the flames Of war.
"In the beginning all of us were guilty,
and equally guilty, for African slavery. 1t
was the good fortune OF the north trst TO
find out that slave labor was not profitable.
So, very sensibly, it sold it's slaves to the
south, which, very disastIopsly' pursued
the delusion. Time at last has done Its
perfect work; the south sees now, AZ the
north saw before it, that the system OF
slavery, as it was maintained by us. was
the clumsiest and costliest labor system on
eaith, and that when we took the held to
fight for it we set out upon FOOLS errand.
Under slave labor the yield Of cotton neve r
reuched i, 600, 600 bales. Under free labo r
il has never fallen below that figure grad Q
ally ascending to six an6 seven, until thi
vear it ia about to reach nearly 9,OOO,oO0
bales, This tells the whole story. ! am
not here to talk politics, of course. But
mt il to you whether that is not y pretty
good showing for free black labor, and
Whether, with such " showing. the southern
whites oan afford any other than just and
kind treatment to the blacks. without
whom, indeed. the south would be brier
patch, and half our national gold income
gaping hole in the ground.
''Gentlemen, ! beg that you Will not pe
apprehensive. l know full we'll that TINS IL
neither Il time nor place for the abstraot
economies; and am not going to at1lot YOU
with dissertation upon free trade or Tree
silver. came. primarily, to bow my head
and TO pny my measure OF homage TO tne
statue that was unveiled to-day. Inc
career and the name which that statue COM
belong to me no less than 10
YOU. When followed him to the grave
proud to appear in the obseQuies, though as
tho obscutest of those who bore any oticia
part therein--l felt that ! waa helping to
bury not only IL great man. but a true
frie nd, From that day to this the story or
the life and death of Gen. Grant has more
and more impressed aud touched me-.
II never allowed myself to make his ao-
auaintanoe until he had quilted the white
house. Yhe period OF his political activity