The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-08-19

and sang very catchy song
J. d. Caldwell had a seat upon the stage
and some one suggested that he favor them
with recitation. Upon being called for
Barbara Fritchie." to the intense delight
of the old soldiers.
Mr.. Jackson. the hero of Fort Pillow, was
called for, and upon taking the stage
said he was glad to meet such a large
body of old comrades. 1t was one of the
most pleasant times OF his life, this re-
union at Wichita. A reunion, he said
was the time for all old soldiers to love one
another
The next speaker was Mrs. NJ. o. Cart
lidge, of Topeka, president of the national
association of Ladies of the Grand Army
of the Republic. AS Mrs. Cartilage ad
vanced to the front OF the stage COM
rade in the rear of the audience arose,
and swinging his hat aloft. he COM
handed the old boys TO arise and salute
the lady. Instantly every old soldier WAS
on his feet, and swinging their hats in
the air, gave them rousing cheers in her
honor. She spoke of the work of the relief
corps and the part women bore In the
great war. She said the women could
not go out on the battlefield. but at
home by the fireside where they made
clothing where they scraped the hat and
tore bandages and prayed to Him who
cares for his people. They performed a
work that was equal to any field of
battle.
During the delivery of Mrs. Cartridges
speech the department commander and
the regular speakers for the afternoon
arrived Commander Greene took the
floor and made the announcement that
owing to the heat of the day and the pra-
carious condition of Corporal Tanners
health, he would not speak AS advertised,
during the afternoon, hut would speak
at the campfire at night He then intro
duced A W. Smith of Mcpherson.
Mr.. Smith prefaced mis- remarks by say
ing that the most important thing for
parents to do was to teach patriotism.
Patriotism was the foundation of good
government. Teach the children the value
of the institutions that the army saved
from inter humiliation by the enemies of
the government. Mr.. Smith asserted that
the manhood of the volunteer soldier of
the war of 1918 was the greatest of any
army that had ever been raised in the
world For vaior, for bravery and for all
the attributes that go to make up great
and mighty army, the Union army of the
war of the rebellion never was nor never
will be surpassed. He related his ex-
perience in AndersonVille prison and gave
the audience some idea of what the saldiers
passed through. In Andersonville he said
Their were allowed to go out under guard
into the timber and pick up wood to cook
their corn meal One day he saw one of
his comrades sitting under a persjmmon
tree eating green persimmons. You all
know, said the speaker to the old soldiers,
the wonderful contractive power of green
persimmon. Well, he said, we often got
hungry in Andersonville. 1t was one of
the most noted places in the south to get
holler in. When he saw his fellow pris-
oners eating those persimmons he asked
hot ka oafipp than for Whv
he said, am trying to quicker up his ap-
petite to fit his ration. Mr.. Smith paid
an eloquent tribute to the old soldiers and
closed by admonishing them to teach
patriotism to their children.
The next speaker was Chaplain Lowell
of the United States army at Fort Riley,
Kan. The chaplain is a very good narrator
of events aud held his audience in good
style. His anecdotes and the lessons to
be drawn from them were well woven to-
gether and pleased his hearers very much,
Tim Mccarthy was called for and COM
ing TO the front of the stage he was round
ly apdlauded. Mr. Mccarthy made one of
his old time camp fire speeches for which
be is noted. He suffered from hoarseness
but with much energy he made himself
heard by the greater portion of the au-
dience He spoke for about forty-five
minutes and held the close attention of
the audience who applauded him at the
end of almost every sentence.
Tom Anderson was to have spoken but
he was not in the tent and SO great
many were disappointed.
Thodore Botkin was called for and
spoke about fiiten minutes to the old
soldiers.
Pension Agent Kelly was present, and
upon being called for, said that as his
health was poor he would not attempt
speech at any very great length, but the
longer he spoke the more enthusiastic he
became till it was hard to tell which was
the most enthusiastic, Mr. Kelly or the
audience. Mr.. Kelly had not spoken
more than two minutes till the audience
or most of the audience were upon their
feet He poured hot shot into the ranks
of the enemy of the old soldiers for about
twenty-five minutes with telling effect
He had all of them with him in less than
no time. At the conclusion of Mr.. Kelly's
the campfire adjourned to s p. m.
Promptly at s O'Clock Colonel Stewart
Corporal Tanner to the
largest audience that ever assembled at a
campfire in the state of Kansas. Mr.. Tan
ner prefaced his remarks by saying from
the fullness of the heart the mouth
speaketh He could say that from the
fullness of his heart be had never enjoyed |
himself more at q reunion of the Grand |
Army than be had at this reunion in |
The association Of Grand Army |
men was of a kind that no other class of |
men were blessed with. He was born in |
New York, but he had an interest in Kan |
sas The men who went to the army from |
New York did not fight for the state of |
New York alone. The men who went |
from Kansas did not fight for Kansas
alone, but they fought for the United
States, the greatest nation on earth, one
and iDseparable.
He said he was told he must not talk
politics, but he had noticed ever since he
lad been in town that everybody was talk
ng politics. Tie Grand Army, he said,
vas one of the most free bodies in the
When soldier applied for adj
mission to the Grand Army they did not
.sk him what ticket he voted. They did
lot ask him at what altar he worshiped.
They asked him only two questions, viz:
lid you serve your country faithfully and
lave you an honorable discharge. Ii a CON-
ade saw fit to vote the Democratic ticket
hat was his privilege and nobody else's
business If he saw fit to vote the Repup-
lean ticket he had the same rights and
privileges And if he came from battle
ields all shot to pieces, If he came from
he prison peu where he had been at the
threshold of eternity from starvation and
{ he came back with his reason dethroned
nd wanted to put Peoples party ticket
d the ballot box, stay your hand for 1t is
zone of your business
He said that away back east he had
eard that there was calamity in Kansas.
lie had been travelling through the state
nd had Lot found any caiamity yet. He
emembered that in one of The national
ncampments there was hard fight as to
whether the next encampment would
e held al Portland. Maine, or at
nashville. Tenn. A wild and woody man
rom Kansas had gotten up and made AN
loquent speech and said that he was in