St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-03-13

the veterans and members of the ladies' aux
| liiary organizations. On the platform were
| gathered the leading men of the order in this
state including the retiring and the new de-
| partment commanders and the commander
ln-chiet of the Grand Army of the Republic.
the meeting was called to order few min
9tes after O'Clock by ex-Commander Ell
| Torrance. He made few Introductory re-
| marks, in which he said he did not know
whether he was still Commander Torrance or
not. After some other felicitous remarks he
| introduced Robert Pratt as an old soldier and
the mayor of Minneapolis.
Mayor Pratt spoke of his recent illness, and
! SAID 1t seems little late to welcome you
to Minneapolis. but know that during the
war you usually took possession of a city
without mayors welcome so you did not
| need to be welcomed to make yourselves at
home here. Minneapolis is proud tonight to
! extend you welcome"
The Bryant Flexible quartette assisted by a
squad of six boys, sang "A Flag Without a
! Stain"
| EX-Commander Torrance then introduced
the new commander of the department, ]. j.
! McCardy, of st. Paul, saying that it was
mistake which some had fallen into to sup
pose that there was difference between Min
! the new commander was from st. Paul and
the new adjutant general was from Minneapo-
| lis.
Commander McCardy spoke briefly and
pointedly upon the teaching of the Grand
Army Of the Republic. These he summed up
to be to teach true allegiance to the United
|
this purpose of the order to teach history to
the youth
One Of the great facts was that the history
OF the , country was made largely by young
men, The late war was fought by young
men. The average age of the commanders
was only forty years. Grant was only thirty
eight during the Vicksburg campaign, and
Sherman marched to the sea at forty. 1t took
| four great wars to teach the American people
the lessons of an independent government and
place the nation where it is today And If
| ar fhn o,lc
Try wanted to have test of strength the
American flag could be placed few notches
higher; Then he reminded his hearers of the
rapid disappearance of the old soldiers Tween
ty a day go to their long home. Less than a
hundred men are now alive who fought in
the war Of 1872. The Mexican war veterans
were mere handful The young men must
learn to love their country and read history
to see how much their freedom cost
Capt; II. A. Castle of st. Paul, was called
to make what turned out to be a peculiar
presentation speech, in which Capt. S. R.
Van SAINT was the victim. He said he was
one of about sixty miscellaneous ignorant
and innocent men, who came over here to try
to elect Jake Mertz as adjutant general in
spite of himself
After a review of peculiarities of the typical
ola soldier, in which Capt Castle said that
citizen, he presented a diamond studded gold
medal of past department commander This
was pinned to the breast of the proud man
from Winona: after which Capt Van SAINT
made splendid address of thanks
Gen. e. c. Mason. eX-commander of the
IMrd United States infantry, now residing in
st. Paul. was next introduced. Gen. Mason
announced that his toast was a prosaic one;
II was an explanation of the plans of the
ST. Paul encampment and an invitation to the
OLD soldiers to come and bring their wives
and children. He paid tribute to the worthy
old soldiers, and when he took his seat was
enthusiastically applauded.
After some more music, Commander Tor
rance introduced the special guest of the
| N 11ar ;,,
chief Of the Grand Army of the Republic
The speech of Gen. Warner was a splendid
effort. He described the land which had
been turned by the magic wand of labor
from wild prairie or woodland studded
with lakes and watered with rivers. into
garden. A place where factories sent their
smoke to the heavens and turned the crude
substances of the soil into articles for the
use and comfort of men. He said he had
heard some men talk as though America was
not good enough, but to these he had only
two words of advice Get out" There was
no room for such here. There was room
for the oppressed of the world to come to
better their conditions: the patriots who had
shown by their sacrifices that they valued a
free government would welcome them here to
make greater a great nation.
He said the best army was the army of
schoolmasters, and the best cannons were
those simple precepts of justice and right
which were born and fourished best in the
heart of every true American. He was glad
to say that ours was a government which
from some aristocracy.
Turning his attention to the soldiers of the
Rebellion. he said they were a curious mix
ture of the citizen the sovereign and the
subaltern. Coming down to the time of the
old soldiers organizations, he said the Grand
Army of the Republic was only the organized
sentiment of the love of the old soldiers for
one another and the country which they had
striven to save. 1t had only one mission.
that was to instill precepts of patriotism and
loyalty in the hearts of the young, while it
cared for those of its departing comrades
who needed a friendly hand while they made
ready to go to the other side.
His peroration was a magnificent tribute
to Abraham Lincoln, the one grand figure
which the war raised to a pinnacle from
which he must be landmark to the liberty
loving of mankind through all the tide of
time.
President Northrop made the last speech
of the evening. He spoke of his feeling of
reverence for the men who wore the blue.
and the great lesson of patriotism which