Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-17
wArTERsON ON GRANT.

smell olsks anorded tempting tablets for the
primitive artist. and upon them are preserved
many specimens OF his work a. an engraysr.
wArTERsON ON GRANT.
His Rscollections-An Eloquent Tribute 10
the Great Captain.
Henry Watterson, the brilliant leader of
the southwestern democracy, at the Army OF
Tennessee banquet on Friday evening at Chi
cago made the following eloquent address:
believe that, ut this moment the people Of
the United States are nearer together, in all
thatconstitutes kindred feeling and interest,
than they have been at any time since the
adoption Of the federal Constitution. II it
were not so I should hardly venture to come
here and talk to you as 1 am going TO talk to-
night As it is, surrounded though I be by
Union soldiers. my bridges burned and every
avenue Of escape cut of. / am not in the least
discouraged or alarmed. On the contrary,
nsver felt safer, or happier. or more ut home.
Indeed. l think that supported by your pres
ence and sustained by these commissary stores
l could stand q siege Of several months and
ful how circumstances alter cases, for it was not
always SO.
CONFEDERATE MEMORIES
am one of many witnesses who live to tell
the story OF a journey to the moon and back
1t may not be that have any marvels of per-
sonal adventure or any prodigies of individual
vaior to relate. but do not owe my survival to
the precaution taken by member Of the con-
federate battery commanded by the brave
Capt Howells Of Georgia 1t was the habit of
this person to 60 to the rear whenever the bat
terry got well under fire. At last Capt Howells
called him up and admonished him that if the
preach OF duty was repeated he would shoot
MN down as he went without word. The
reply came on the instant: That's all right,
captain. that's all right; you can shoot me, but
L II be dadburned il I'm going to let them
darn'd Yankees do it, at least gave YOU the
opportunity 10 try, and an much your debtor
that IN my case your craftsmanship was 30
defectiv.
ROSES AND aUNPowpER.
You have been told that the war is over. I
think that !, myself. have heard that OBSERVE
!ion am glad of it. Roses smell sweeter than
gunpowder; for every day uses the carving
inife is preferable to the bayonet or the saDer;
and In contest for first choice between cannon
balia and wine corks have a decided prejudice
in favor Of the latterI
The war is over; and it is we'll over God
reigns, and the government at Washington still
lives. am glad of that. 1 can conceive moth
ing worse for ourselves, nothing worse for our
children, than what might have been IL the war
combatants to become the prey Of foreign in
prevention and diplomacy. setting the clock Of
clvilization 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 in tho new world the mis-
takes Of the old.
The war ID over, truly. and, let me repeat. it
IL well over. IL anything was wanting to pro-
claim its termination from every housetop and
door post in the land that little brush we had
last spring with SiSnor Macaroni furnished it
As to the touch OF an cleo trio bell the whole
people rallied to the brave words of the Secre-
tary OF state. and, for the moment. sections
and parties sank out Of sight and thought in
one overmastering sentiment of racehood man
hood and nationality.
ARE WE BETTER OR WORSE?
shall not stop to inquire whether the war
made us better than we were. 1t certainly
made US better acquainted and. on the whole.
it seems to me that we are none the worse for
that better acquaintance. The trlth is the
trouble between US was never more than skin
ueep, and the curious thing about it is that it
was not oar skin, anyhow 1t was q black skin,
not white skin. that brought it about
AS see 1t Our great sectional controversy
was, from first to last, the gradual evolution OF
people from darkness to Light, with no charts
or maps to guide them ami no experience to
lead the way.
The trainers OF our Constitution found them
selves unable to fix decisively and to define ac-
curately the exact relation Of the states to the
federal government. On that point they left
what may be described as an "opeu clause IS
and through ,ha: open clause. as through an
open door, the grim specter of cisunion talked.
1t was attended on one hand by African slavery,
on the other hand by sectionui 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.
ALL GUILTY.
In the beginning all of us we're guilty. and
equally guilty, for African slavery. 1t was the
good fortune OF the north first to find out that
slave labor was not profitable. So, very SEN
siDly, 1t sold It's slaves to the south which very
jisastrOusly, pursued the delusion. lime at
last has done ats perfect work; the south sees
now, as the no; tn ssIw before it, that the sys-
tenn OF saverr, ~ 1t was main ,uli,vd by U.s. W.,s
the clumsiest and costliest aD system on ca rth
aud that when We took the field 10 fight for il,
We set out upon fools erraad. Indcr slave
labor the yield OF cotton never reached riye
million bales Under Tree labor it has never
fallen below that sure. gradually ascending 10
Elk and seven. until this year, 1t is about to
reach nearly nine million bales.
This tells The whole story. | am not here to
talk politics, of course. But 1 put it to YOU
whether inat Is no. pretty goou showing for
free black labor, and whether, with such a
showing, the southern whites can afford auy
other than ] int and kind treatment to The
blacks, without whom, indeed, the south would
be a briar patch, ami half our national gold in
come gaping role in the ground.
Gent. men, beg that you will not be an
prehensive. know iull well that this is neither
time nor place for abstract economies and 1
am not gong 10 atfiict you with q dissertation
upon Tree t-ade or free silver. l came, Fri =.
marily. 10 bow my head and to pay my measure
VI homage 10 the statue that was unveiled to-
day. Inc career and the name which tina;
statue commentaries belong TO me no less
than to you. when l followed him to the
grave-pro1d to appear in his obsequies,
though as the obscuress Of those who bore any
oficial part thercin--I felt that L was helping
to bury not only a great man, but a true
friend. From that day to this the story of The
life and death OF Gen. Grant has more and NOR,
impressed and touched me.
GRANT AS A LEADER.
never allowed myself to make his acauaint-
ance until he had quilted the White House.
The period Of his political activity was full of
uncouth and unsparing partisan contention.
1t was u kind Of civil war. l had my duty 10
do, and did not dare trust myself 10 the sub
DUNG influence of what I was sure must follow
friendly relations between such o man as he
was and knew myself to be. In this was not
mistuken, as the sequel proved. met him Tor
the frat time beneath my own fig tree, and
happy series of accidents thereafter gave me
the opportunity to meet him often and to know
him we'll
He tha