The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-09-12
WATTERSON'S WORDS.
THE STAR-TONGUED ORATOR.
WELCOMES THE GRAND ARMY
BRILLIANT SPEECH.
LET THE PAST BURY ITS DEAD.


| God Reigns and the Government at
Washington Lives-~Let's Lick Crea-
tion and Make the Unspeakable Turk
Vote the American Ticket--Let the
Plain People Stand Together--SIa-
very a MOnstrosity, and Secession
Foolishness.
LOUISVILLE, KY, September ii
Grand Army veterans and their friends
to the number of 1900 attended the
grand campfire at Music Hall tonight.
Like all other buildings in Louisville, the
hall was elaborately decorated and every
one was just bubbling over with pa
triotism and enthusiasm. An elaborate
programme had been prepared and it
was carried out to the delight and enter
tainment of all present. The camp fire
opened with Marching Through
Georgia." played by a military band.
The Hon. Henry Watterson, editor of the
Louisville Courier-J Journal, then made
the welcome address in behalf of the cit
izens' committee. He spoke in part as
follows:
Comrades, for under the star fiowered
flag of the Union all who truly love it
are comrades, in the name of the city
and State I bid you the heartiest well
come. | have been in every State and
Territory of the Union and / can truly
say that / never came away from any
one of them where / had not found
something to make me proud of my
country. All that l do contend for is
that you will find here more kinds of
good things and more of them than you
will find anywhere else on the face of
the globe.
Let the dead past bury its dead. You
at least have no reason to complain.
You got away with as many of us as we
got away with you. The brave men
who have gone to heaven have long ago
settled the act before that court where
all is made right. God reigns and the
government at Washington lives. That
should satisfy us all. If there is any
more fighting to be done, lets 90 and
lick England and take Canada; lets go
and lick Spain and take Cuba; lets go
and lick creation and make the un-
speakable Turk vote the American ticket.
We can do it. Shoulder, shoulder, with
the world before us and old glory above,
who shall stop US,
''No surrender"
mo pretender."
''Pitted together in many a fray"
Lions in fight"
"And linked in their might"
''The North and South will carry the
day." q
''All that is wanted in this great land
of ours is for the people-the plain people,
as Lincoln called them to realize from
Maine to Texas, from Florida to Oregon,
that there is nothing whatever to divide
them. They are the same.
The monstrosity Of slavery out of the
way, the foolishness of secession out of
the way, and the nation having actually
had its new birth of freedom. What
but ignorance and prejudice to hinder
the stalwart Americans in Minnesota
from taking the hand of stalwart Amer
leans in Georgia and calling him "broth-
err" Both came from common origin,
good, old Anglo Saxon and Scotch,
1LbsH otOCh dbu are WEltGQ together
by common interest and a common
destiny, bone of one bone, flesh of one
flesh, in national aspiration and fellow
ship. God made this cortinent for us
ana consecrated it to freedom. Tne
TRANSPORTATION of nature not less than
the TRANSMISSION Of blood clearly indicate
the viii of God. Who dares dipute His
awful work
But pardon ne, l din not mean to be
serious. This is an occasion for rejoio-
ing, for merry making, not for reflection
If anybody thinks he's thinking, wake
him he's only dreaming. If anybody
thinks he's not welcome, tie him. If
there's dog that fails to wag his tail
for joy, shoot him. We are glad to see
you. We sre glad you came Now
that you have found the way, come
sgain and come often. The latch string
viii always hang outside the door and
the oily pass word shall be II am an
American citizen
Mr.. Watterson was frequently inter
rupted during his speech by applause
and when he finished the building fairly
shook with chears that were given for
him,