Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-14

tietam. 1t may not be remembered, but to-
night We are celebrating the bloodiest battle
OF the war. March Is. 1866. the army was
transformed into generals.
Representative Cummings.
Representative Amos ]. Cummings OF
the Bloody Sixth Corps" responded to the
toast THE army and navy"
by the providence of God and the gen.
crosby of the Speaker of the House OF Rep
resentatves, l was placed ut the head Ct
the naval committee" said Mr.. Cummings
AT the same time a gallant general was
placed at the head of the military COM
mittee Gen. Daniel L. SiclSles). 10 whom
he would yield most of his time
Gen. Sickles was greeted with three
cheers and a tiger. 1t vas his first intro
duction to the second corps rs q social or
ganiZa ton. Heretofore he had baHQueted
with the third corps, and they had formed
themselves into a mutual admiration Sc
ciety. They believed that the third corps
constituted the Army OF the Potomac But
the presence Of SO many DISTINGUISHED sol
diers had changed him at least. He was
ready to acknowledge that there was an
other corps besides the third. But it Was
a matter of history that whsn the second
corps Sprang into favor and notoriety il
was when the third corps was dissolved
and vas made part of it. About the table
he saw men wnom he had snow-taiied
with. For instance. there was Commits
sioner Lochren, and, while he had spoke
barshly at times, he wanted il understood
that 1t was not in a spirit of acrm1ny.
He had simply done his duty as man
and a soldier.
Mr.. Cummings navely inquired how
much time he had remaining. He was told
there was no limit. To go ahead. lie re-
called his experience as a private soldier
and the remarks he used to hear when
Gen. Sickles rode by. a Gle closer next 10
him remarked one day: There goes Dan
Sickles. What do you think of him?
III
fight" That was commentator enough
He had promised not 10 say anything
about the army, but would Just take mo-
ments time to say a word.
What was the army? Why, il was made
up from the farms and machine shops, and
If another war should come about they
would form a nucleus with the regular
army and again achieve victory for this
Union. Not only would they come from
the north, but the south would send lis
quota, and then the north and south would
both stand together for the defense Of the
Union. (ApplauSe.) What was the navy.
Why, the navy in the late war was made
up of the hardy fishermen of Cape Cod
But If another war should come, Whe re
are they? One-half of the enlisted men OF
the navy are foreigners. and he had been
considering seriously if something could
not be done, not only to reconstruct the
American navy, but American seaman.
ship. If we would be successful again we
must depend upon Americans. Applause
The Importance of the navy carrot be-
overestimate ted. He traced the downfall OF
Napoleon, and maintained that II was ror
Wellington. but the English navy that wa.
responsible for Napoleon's defeat.
Must he Maintained.
1.-The navy of the United States must mo-
be crippled despite the financial condition
of the country. This nation does not neet
such a feet as Great Britain, We have nc
far distant colonies to protect; but we hav,
a seacoast. and its defenses must be pro