St. Paul daily globe., 1893-02-15
IN NLINCOLN'S MEMORY
The Banquet Given by the
Loyal Legion Is Largely
Attended.
EX-Gov. Ramsey Delivers a
Reminiscent Address on
the Martyr President.
Gov. Nelson Also Delivers a
Feeling Talk - Other
Addresses.
List Of the Guests and Mem
List Of the Guests and Mem
beps Of the Loyal Legion
Present.

present.
One of the largest assemblages ever
witnessed in the dining room of the
Hotel Ryan occurred last evening, the
occasion being the memorial banquet
given by the Loyal Legion i'll honor of
the birthday of Abraham Lincoln.
The first thing on the programme for
the evening was the banquet, which
was attended by about 800 persons. Tn
mediately after the banquet Capt. Castle
announced that the absence of
Gen. Wesley Merritt would create
some changes in the programme
of the evening. He therefore
announced that the remarks of an IN
troductory character, which were to
have been made by the commander
would be read by himself. He pro-
ceeded with the reading of the paper
which had been prepared by the gen
eral, after which Gen. John B. Sanborn
presented the memorial relative to the
death of Gen. Rutherford 3. Hayes,
commander-in-chief of the order. The
battle hymn of the republic was then
sung by the Mendelssohn Male quar-
tette, after which Gov. Nelson was
called upon for few remarks. He then
delivered the following speech:
Gov. Nelson
"The Institution Of slavery had de-
based the white people of the South,
and given them peasant class, such as
was not known among the people OF the
North. This peasantry, though primi-
tive, rude and unlettered. was, never
theless, in many essentials, far superior
to its counterpart i'll the old world.
1t was courageous to high degree,
intensely democratic i'll spirit, and
charged with a suppressed intellectual
ity that in isolated cases and on great
occasions asserted itself. From the
very lons of this class. and as a crys-
utilization Of all the virile vigor that was
! in it, came Abraham Lincoln born the
| American peasant-died the American
| king.
His parentage, home and surround
| ings were of the humblest kind-scarce
was there ever humber. His moral
| and intellectual environment was of the
most primitive Order-aS primitive as
| the undeveloped country in which he
| dwelt. But the embryo of true life and
vigorous growth was i'll him, and SO, un-
| der the sunshine aud deWS of heaven,
| he grew in the midst of the barrenneSS
| in which lie was placed, as the stout and
| lofty pine grows in the stony cleft OF
| the craggy and hoary m0untain-sloWly
surely, irresistibly and heavenward.
''HiS development from childhood tO
manhood, from a DackW WoodSman to a
| statesman, was a saga, simple IN lts
unity, somber and sad in its texture, but
! inspiring and heroic i'll its outline and
results. From Nolan creek to the banks
of the Sangamon, narrow, cherries
and rough was the path. A mothers
love was given and found in step
mother-the only sunshine on the long,
which man loves but once in his life
was buried in the grave of Ann Rutledge.
! From that moment love claimed and
was given less and duty more, and
from that moment he seemed dedicated
and in training for the task and mis-
| sion that was to De his. Feeble minds
aSsuage grief such as was his in the
frivolous Vanities of the world. But
strong minds, fortified with pure hearts
| and God-like conscienceS, seek relief i'll
the real and substantial battle of life,
where the turmoil is the hotties,
and the strife RACES the tierc-
est. Lincoln was the true en-
bodiment of this class; and there
was no intellectual battle ground sc
captivating, grand and inviting as that
of politics i'll the Illinois Of his day
Gifted and equipped by nature. steeled
in the rude school of the frontiersman
and tempered by the shadows and sor
rows that had come upon him, be en-
tered the arena a trained gladiator
| were zeal and aggressive giants in those
| days. But for lack of living issue, the
strife was for time mere SkirmiSh on
the outposts-the remote prelude to THE
great drama of the century.
From the shadows and dark clouds
| whence came our hero. came also in bat
! tie array, the great ntichrist-Slave ry
which was 10 be Subdued and con
| ouered. Slavery, in her zeal, protruded
her advance guard into Kansas. and
there was fought veritable lnkermaI
ID battle of stubborn and isolated
skirmishes-and soon along the
entire line, from Kansas to the
Ohio, and from thence to the
! Potomac, there was a mastering
| of clans and a SkirmlSh fire. that to-
kened a momentous and prolonged
struggle. In these preliminary CON
| ticts there were many leaders, and
Lincoln, though one of them, was not
regarded by all as the foremost. Blu;
on the eve Of the great battle none dis
puted his chieftianship of the mighty
hosts OF the North. He was the heart
| and soul of all our people, with faith IL
them, in himself, in the cause and in
| God.
Serious and sad. were those days tt
all OF us, but most of all to him, and il
made him more serious and sad thar
ever. But from that great duty en-
tailed upon him by man and God he
shrank not one iota nor little; no, not
even in those dark days when boldeI
men than he doubted and quailed
He was Drawer and more valian
than the best of us. because hi:
faith was loftier, and more bound
less. And he ennobled the strife
and hallowed the cause of the Union
by severing the last shackles of thu
bondmen. He looms up to Us over the
vista of the passing years as the grea
SpIit VI lHdl ilishtS WILL "ihu. uo'
gave him to us to work out grea
problem in the moral world. His tasl
was God-like. His life, his mission ant
his death were those of maryland h,
sanctified the Union to us. and to ou
posterity, for all time to come.
when can his glory fade?
Oh the brave charge he madel
All the world wondered
Archbishop Ireland.
Mr.. Castle then announced that Arch
bishop Ireland was in the room and tha