The herald., 1897-08-25

front will be the dove of peace, for the
war eagle is enjoying well rest.
The sun may beat down fiercely on the
heads Of this host, but they have felt
its scorohing rays with ten-fold more
intensity on southern battlef1elds. 1t
will be the thirty-first annual march of
the whole Grand Army Of the Republic
and the nation bares Its head as they
pass by.
Buffalo Is In a state of continual prep
aration, for to have the national en-
carnpment of the Grand Army is no
small honor. Furthermore, the president
Of the United States is coming, a man
who, himself a member Of the Grand
Army, little more than a year ago
marched In the ranks of his own post as
. private citizen. This year he will re-
bceive the salute of men to whom he has
only been a picture. phantasm. some
thing they have read of but which has
never been before them in realistic fash
ion.
Then, at the presidents side, will come
4 man who possibly has won more heart
felt cheers from these gray-haired men
than almost any other who has every
right to walk in their ranks. They call
him Secretary Alger now, but all his
old comrades only know General Alger
Of Michigan, who fought with them,
ahead of them and more than once very
nearly laid down his life for them. This
II q combination that no national en-
oampmant has ever before seen.
Ard Buffalo awaits their coming as
tie boy awaits the Fourth of July There
will be, unless all signs fail, at least
s5O,ooo strangers within the city's gates,
beginning Monday, August 23. They
will hail from almost every state and
territory In the, union. More than one
Of them will be able to say. too, when
asked where many comrade comes
from:
"You ask us where he halls from
Our answer 1t shall be,
He halls from Appomattox
And its famous apple tree"
No man will be in the hearts and
thoughts of these old-time soldiers more
than he to whom Roscoe Conkling re-
ferred when he first uttered the senti-
ment quoted Grants old comrades have
enshrined him. Like Mars himself his
fame is endless.
1t is in chaotic fashion that the Buffa-
lonian will tell you of all that he ex-
poets. He knows not what to expect, in
fact, except something that is far and
away in advance of anything that has
happened in the town before. He is
overwhelmed by the thought of the
memories which the presence of the vet
erans will bring. Today he is much like
the housewife who has set the table for
the guests whose opinions she values
highly He is flying about in all direc-
tions to see that nothing is out of place.
The town has been swept and garnish-
ed. Streets have been placed in fine
condition and asphalt pavement donated
to localities which would never have
heard Of it within a quarter of CEN
tury to come if it had not been for this
encampment. Nothing is considered too
good for the veterans, bless them. New
er will their tired feet find pleasanter
ways to tread, nor their gray hairs be
given more profound respect than here
In this pretty city that smiles on Lake
Erie.
The pride of the town, however, is
known as the Main street arch. In let
ters six feet in length. sixty feet from
the earth, will blaze Buffalo's welcome"
to its visitors welcome that is straight
from the heart. Above the word well
come will be placed an exceedingly re-
alistio picture Of the American eagle.
The arch Is in the form Of a letter A. and
from the midst Of the parti-colered bunt-
ing that will cover Its ten feet of thick
ness and sixty-nine feet of Insight will
glitter $500 incandescent lamps of various
oolors.
Along the top Of the arch's front, and
Just below the word welcome, will be the
letters &c. A. R." in red, white and blue
each letter being thirty feet high. Elec-
trio lights have been so arranged that the
veterans will see their national mono
gram by night as we'll as by day. In
fact, the letters G.. A. r. will be fairly
plastered over the city by the time the
23d Of August reaches here. If Buffalo
should take all the bunting which she
has used on July Fourth during the last
quarter OF a century, It would not make
as great an aggregate as that which will
wrap itself about the city during the
encampment.
The chances are that the majority of
persons who read these words will be
surprised to learn that the official fig
ures OF expectancy as regards the num-
Der Of veterans are 54,119. Here it is
almost thirty-two years since the re-
bellion was crushed forever, and yet
more than $4,000 of the defenders of the
Union will be in line on August 25th.
They are old fellows, the majority. Cane s
are not regarded as ornaments by the
most Of them. Old wounds make it very
difficult for some to keep up to the
march, march, march, of their comrades.
Still they form a mighty host. and one
which would be capable of doing infinite
damage yet to those whom they con slider
the enemies of their country This, too.
despite the fact that every year the ranks
OF those who can no longer answer the
roll call steadily increase
This is where they are coming from
and mark well the fact that many a state
which they first entered in bright blue
UNIFORM is now on the national roster G
ehe piace Where they at present live in
peace and prosperity.
LIMOS .......... 1900 Oregon TX
wisconsin ...... l. 900 Kentucky ON
snnsyiVahia Ill -. eooo West Virginia. 600
Ohio '............ oUcOl South Dakota. sc
Connecticut -. 300 Washington X
Massachusetts 5000 Alaska :
e" Jersey ..... Soo Arkansas ...
-aaise S '..''.''... zyO New Mexico.
California .... 25l Trt.b a.
Rhode Island -. 500 Tennessaa ~
New Hampshire 300 Louisiana n
Vermont ono -, ana '''''' 1,