Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1897-08-31

beautiful day greeted the veterans Of
the G. A. r. yesterday. The features of
the day were the arrival of President
Mckinley at three o'clock in the after
noon, the parade of naval veterans and
ex-prisoners of war and the banquet
rendered the president at five o'clock.
When President Mckinley entered the
banquet hall it seemed for fully five
minutes as though the roof would have
to fall or the sidewalks bulge with the
roars of applause and greeting. Then
the president said, very slowly and dis
tinctly:
Mr. Toastmaster and Comrades, and
My Fellow Citizens: wish I might frame
fitting words to make suitable response to
have accorded me here tonight I come
with no set form of speech: I come with
no studied phrases to present to you, but
I come in the spirit of comradeship: to
talk with you as we have often talked In
the past, around the camp fires in war as
we'll as at camp fires in peace. (Ap-
plause.) TO me, I see by the programme,
has been assigned the toast 1.-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 be-
cause they love 1t. Such an army the
United States has always commanded in
every crisis Of her history. (Applause).
From the war OF the revolution to the
late civil war the men followed that flag
because they loved that flag and believed
In what it represented. (Applause.) That
was the stuff of which the volunteer army
of 1861 was made. Every one Of them not
only fought. but they thought. Ap-
rlo nd nf fhoi
thinking. and did not always agree with
their commander. daughter and ap-
plause.) That young soldier who In the
late war. upon the battle line. ahead with
stripes. way in front Of the line. but the
enemy still in front Of him, when the
general called out to the color bearer:
Bring those colors back to the line."
quicker than any bullet that young SOL
der answered back: Bring the line up
to the colors.' prolonged applause.) 1t
was the voice Of command; there was
man behind it. and there was patriotism in
his heart.
$50 nigh to grandeur is our dust:
So near to God is man. When duty whis-
10, thou must! the youth replies.
Il can"
"And so more than 100000 brave men
responded and made up an army grander
than any army that ever shook the earth
with it's tread. (Applause) And engaged
In holier cause than ever soldiers did be-
fore. What defenders. my countrymen.
have we now? We have the remnant OF
this old. magnificent, matchless army of
which have been speaking. and then as
allies in any future war, we have the brave
men who fought against us on southern
battle fields. (Great applause.) The army
of Grant and the army Of Lee are together.
(Applause) They are one now In faith,
in hope. in fraternity. in purpose and in
an invincible patriotism, and therefore the
country is in no danger. (Applause) In
justice strong. in policy secure. and in de-
votion to the flag all one. Great ap-
plause.) My fellow countrymen, I thank
you and bid you goodnight" prolonged
applause.)
The Naval Veterans.
Rear Admiral Sears called the twelfth
annual convention of the National Asso-
citation of Naval Veterans to order Tues
day afternoon. About 300 delegates
were in attendance. Daniel F. Kelly,
of Philadelphia, was elected rear adj
miral for the ensuing year over Will
Il. Atkins bv vote of 81 to 10.
Ex-Prfsoners of War.
The National Association of Ex-pris-
oners of War met in national convention
with Commander Charles F. Sheriff, of
/
ance was the largest since the organiza-
ton of the association. The report of
the adjutant general showed GO local
associations with a membership of ! 1892
and 702 individual members, a total
membership of 1904. There was SUBJ
stantial cash balance in the treasury.
Several speakers advocated the pas
sage of the ex-prisoners' relief bill to be
presented to congress. Commander
Sheriff was reelected.
The Great Parade.
Buffalo, N. Y, Aug. 26.-Forty-five
thousand men on Wednesday marched
through streets glorious in flags and
bunting, receiving the ovation of a half
million people. The president of the
union they fought to save, himself
their comrade, was at their head. When
the line of the grand army procession
moved at 10: 80 Wednesday morning, the
sky had not n cloud. The transforms of
the night left clear, bracing air that
was like tonic to the marching men.
The procession moved for five hours
and ~ minutes. Along the route of
march 100 girls, dressed in the colors
of the flag, scattered flowers in the path
of the soldiers.
President Heads the Parade.
President Mckinley rode in a carriage
at the head of the procession and waved
his hat at the cheering crowd. At the
reviewing stand he took his position with
Commander in Chief Garrison and Gov.
Black and the headquarters staff passed
in review. OF all the throng viewing
the procession. no one person was more
enthusiastic or more affected by the
sight than President Mckinley. With.
his hand on his hat, continually un-1
covering to the national colors or the