Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1897-08-28

10
| COafMANDER-IN-C CHIEF GARRISON.
and grander. The weather has been
| an that could be wished for. The Grand
| Army has turned out more men than
! ever before attended a national en-
campment, and this is true also of
the ex-Prisoners of War association,
| the Naval Veterans and the Womans
| Auxiliary bodies. From early morn
ing till late at night Main street held
q continuous procession of posts. Scores
of them brought bands, and few. in
| deed, had no music. The features of
| the day were the arrival of President
| Mckinley, accompanied by Secretary
Alger and Governor Black, of New
| York. the banquet to the president last
evening and the parade of the Naval
| Veterans and ex-Prisoners of War in
| the morning.
| From the moment that the special
| train that bore the president and his
| retinue to the city arrived until he re-
| tired last night there was one glorious
and spontaneous demonstration, and
| President Mckinley said that he had
never before half appreciated the
warmth of sentiment among the vet
| Grams. From the depot to the Niagara
| hotel, a distance of two miles, the
| streets were lined with people, and at
the hotel in front of which there is
| great square, the police and soldiers
| from the nearby barracks, even with
| the reinforcement of extras, had diff
cult work to keep the multitude in line.
| Shortly after o'clock Columbia post
| dressed in handsome fatigue coats and
| white duck trousers, arrived at the
| hotel and acted as escort to the presi-
| dent to the Ellicott building, where
| the post entertained the president at
| banquet.
When an elaborate menu had been
| discussed to the satisfaction of the
| guests the POSTMASTER called for Gov
ernor Frank S. Black, who extended
| welcome, for Columbia post, to Presi-
| dent Mckinley.
AT 8 o'clock Senator Mark A. Hanna,
| who had just arrived in the city, came
into the banquet hall. His entry was
| noted by applause at the further end
| of the hall, and as the proceedings
| paused President Mckinley rose from
| his seat and moved along the hall to
| meet him. There was a shout of APP
| plause as the two men clasped hands
| and the presidents left hand went up
on Mr.. Hanna's shoulder. Both took
their seats amid applause. Mr. Hanna
| had to hold a levee.
| The POSTMASTER then announced the
next toast, THE City of Buffalo We'll
| comes the Grand Army" Mayor Jew
| EFT responded.
| When Mr.. Jewett had finished his ad-
| dress President Mckinley was intro
duced, and for fully five minutes it
seemed as though the roof would have
| to fall or the side walls bulge with the
roars of applause and greeting. Then
the president said, very slowly and
distinctly:
II wish l might frame fitting words
to make suitable response to the more
| than gracious welcome which you have
| accorded me. / come with no studied
| phrases to present to you. but / come
in the spirit of comradeship, to talk
! with you as we have often talked in
| the past, around the campfres in war
| as web as at eampfires in peace. To
me, I see by the program, has been
! assigned the toast, The Country and
| Its Defenders My fellow citizens,
| blessed is that country whose defenders
| are patriots. Blessed is that country
whose soldiers fight for it and are
| willing to give the best they have, the
| best that any man has-their own lives
| to preserve it because they love it,
| Such an army the United States has
I always commanded in every crisis of
her history.
From the war Of the revolution to
| the late civil war the men followed
| that flag in battle because they loved
| that flag and believed in what it repre-
sented. That was the stuff of which
the volunteer army of 81 was made.
| And so more than two million brave
men thus responded and made up an
army grander than any army that ever
shook the earth with its tread. And
| then, as allies in any future war, we
have the brave men who fought
| against us on southern battlefelds.
The army of Grant and the army OF
Lee are together. They are one now In
| fact, in peace, in fraternity, in pur-
| pose, and in an invincible patriotism,
and therefore the country is in no
| The President Leads Forty-five Thou
I