The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-07-19
BRILLIANT CREATIONS.
Speeches of Hon. T.. 4. Hughes And
Mai. Isaac Arnold.
At the Flag Raising Celebration Wednes-
day-ElOquent Address
of Welcome.

raising celebration, and which we
! print below, was one of the most
| powerful addresses heard in Columbia
for many years. Mr.. Hughes said:
"Ladies and Gentlemen: To me has
! been assigned the pleasant duty of
| greeting you and extending to you
cordial welcome to this fair land OF
ours.
"Others might have been selected
who would have performed this task in
more fitting terms than !, but no one
could be found who would do so with
more sincerity or hearty good Will than
myself. 1 have no set phrase or speech
in which to bid yUu welcomes. those
things which are uppermost in my
heart give utteranee TO.
| ~ love that old' Saxon word, well
| come. How cOpiOus it is OF meaning!
What a picture it paints in the colors OF
| life!
Lurking with it and flashing from
| il, We see the smile which greets the
coming guest, the hand outstretched to
receive. a cOuntenance beaming with
/ ioy and expressive of good cheer.
with all that the word implies or
! the Imagination can conceive, and in the
name OF the citizeuS OF Columbia and OF
! Maury County, L bid you welcome.
AZ had expected that when this much
of my duty had been performed my
| next pleasure anRiyours would be, that
L should presenttto you some one OF
our distinguished fellow countrymen
! who would deliver an ADDRESS suitable
| to the occasion. 1iregret that instead l.
must announce the failure OF the COM
miLtee to secure their services. Not
! withstanding the fact that they have
! exhausted every resource and appeal,
J their labOrs have been in vain. They
| had pledges from a sufficient number to
| have made it almost certain that some
one of them would be present. Most OF
these were members "f Congress and
| they have obeyed that highest of all
| IL nnhlin nnIV-an0 have "a
manned at their post, held there by inn
portant measures of which you are all
! advised.
sit may not be inappropriate or IN
! interesting for me to sketch i'll outline
| the history of this enterprise.
| "The thought was first conceived in
| the fertile brain of our former fellow
| tOwnsman, MIR. Il. L. wright, VINO goes
| about doing good
sit was through his inspiration that
the city of Columbia was induced to
| send delegation of its citizens to the
| Coast and Harbor Convention which
| Funiak, in Florida. There were gath
| cred at this convention representative
men from all sections of the country.
| and here the first demand was fOrmu
| lated upon our general government tor
b sitter coast ana harbOr defenses, both
on land and sea. The result OF this
movement has already been written in
The history of our Legislation.
! lumbia received the first formal recOg-
milton in a series of resolutions adopted
| at that convention, as a suitable place
for the establishment of an arsenal, for
the storage and manufacture OF the mu-
nitiOns of war.
Congress then being in session, our
matchIess Representative, Gen. w. G.:
| WhitthOrne, caused to be introduced
into both houses bill providing Tor an
appropriation by the general govern
nent for this work, but coupled with
condition that our community should
donate the grounds, as an evidence OF
it's desire and friendship for the enter
prise. Through tie laDOrS of Gen. Whit
thOrne the bill passed both houses and
received the approval of the President.
Our people complied with the condi-
tiOnS, and we witness here to-day the
result of those labOrS and sacrifices.
81 would not have you believe that this
, is to be the end of this matter. 1t is but
the beginning of the end that is to be in
the far distant future. We expect the
general government to continue its con-
tributiOns until we shall have here a
plant that rivals it's sister plant on Rock
Island in the Mississippi River. Our
resources are matchleSS for this purpose.
Within a radius of sixty miles we have
| every necessary material in a raw state
suitable for such an establishment, ut its
very doors all the necesSaries of life are
grown. We have a mild and equable
climate, an atmosphere free from the
] eDluellllC DOlSOllS anu llldldIld VI JIt
South, and other causes OF disease
equally fatal in the North. Such plant
would be secure from the touch of for
eign foe, and yet within easy reach OF
our borders.
1--WE invite the cooperation of the
people from all parts of this State and
of our Southland in this undertaking.
1t is national not local affair.
"But there is a deeper significance to
us in this enterprise.
"'Hlp DlantinU of this Arsenal here,
not for the purpose of intimidating, on
holding i'll awe and subsection our peo-
, pie, but upon their invitation, and be-
| cause here it is secure from mOleStatlOn
at the hands of foreign or domestic foes
= is pledge to us of the restored conf
dence of our National Government in
the patriotism and loyalty of our peo-
| pie.
. Il can assert with confidence that
there is not within the confines of this
| Government people more truly loyal
or more devoted to our country than
those over whom yOnder's flag floats to-
day for the first time.
Il rejoice to see so many OF my own
cOuntrymen here participating in these
ceremonies, as well as those from other
States. rejoice to see our own citizen
soidiery mfngIing with those of our
mother government. God forbid that
the time should ever come again when
these should be arrayed in hostile
| phalanX.
|
| different sections is bearing its fruits in
a kindlier feeling. Passions engender-
ed by long years of enlargement are
loosening their iron grasp from our
hearts. The dead crust of fossil faith
and ideas is being broken up by move
ment of a new life underneath. By a
81 passionate propulsive movement the
public conscience has elected those
prejudices which have marred our past
, history, and there has been born in our
Z national life broader, more charitable
feeling. And this rising tide of national
spirit will ere long, like the floods OF
D spring time, sweep away the debris
and frozen soil which has gathered
during the winter of our adversely and
unhappy strife.
"There is one spot, my fellow coun-
= trymen, where we can all dare to stand
and that is upon the Constitution OF
/ our country. There is one thing we
: can claim in common with every
I American citizen-it is the flag of oul
: country.
II