Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-10-27
AN UNITED COUNTRY
Colonel Geo. W. Knaebel's Address
at Banquet Given in Honor of
Rough Riders.
IT'S GOOD TOBEAN AMERICAN
The United States Command Admiration
of the WOrld-Appeal for Help Coming
from Down Trodden Peoples Can
Not Be Ignored.

| AL the banquet given by the Ladies
Soldiers Aid Society and the citizens
of Santa Fe in honor of the Rough Rid
ers, on La Fayette day. October 49,
| Colonel George w. Knaebel spoke in
I behalf of the anembers1of' TIE Grand
Army of the Republic who were pres
ent. In his address he said, in part:
Ladies and gentlemen, Rough Riders
and old soldiers-In behalf of the old
soldiers of the Grand Army of the Re-
public | tender deep appreciation and
thanks for the bountiful repast of which
we have just partaken. 1t was a feast
fit for the gods, including the gods of
war, and, having been served by the
grace and beauty of Santa Fe in a su-
perb manner, will ever be a bright and
happy memory in our lives. Every
thing was exquisite, and never before in
the history Of the city was such 4 re-
past set before soldier and such JUS
tice done to it. Again | thank the la :
| dies on behalf of all the old soldiers. I
speak as soldier of the war Of 1861 and
as member of the Grand Army of the
Republic Of all this great and reunited
country. The Grand Army of the Re-
public was an organization of many of
the old soldiers who fought on the
Union side in the late civil war for a
cause they thought was just against
the south for cause it thought was
just and rarely, for such a long period,
in the history of the world was such a
fight put up 1t is said that "N her
Greek meets Greek, then comes the tug
Of war" but in this fight between the
north and south the Greek was not in it,
the tug of war; was such tug that
Greek never dreamed Of. In the recent
war with Spain we saw the north and
the south united under one flag and
fighting for it with the combined vigor
of the two sides in the civil war, and
Fighting Joe Wheeler was largely in
evidence, though small of stature and
we won the case because the evidence
was so convincing. | have told you what
the Grand Army of the Republic was,
and | will now say what it is, or ought
to be, in my opinion. 1t is now COM
greatest country on earth, and there are
no disloyal ones, and the time is at
hand when the doors of the old organi-
cation known as the Grand Army of the
Republic will be thrown wide open to |
admit freely, without any restrictions, |
every citizen of this magnificent re-
public, be he from the north, the south |
the east or the mighty west. Thank |
God for the truly united country, and |
thank God that the Spanish war has
brought this happy consummation
about. Upon behalf of the old soldiers
| congratulate the young soldiers. the
Rough Riders and all, and to the Rough |
Riders | say you had grand opportu-
nifty to show your grit and patriotism |
and you availed yourselves of it to the |
fullest extent and to the intense admi-
ration of your countrymen. Today is
La Fayette day, and it is commemo-
rated in honor of the Marquis de La
Fayette for the great aid he gave this
country in its struggle for liberty and,
should the people of Cuba prove COM
petent and able to govern themselves, l
can well imagine that in the future, in |
due appreciation of their liberty and the |
part taken by the arms of the United |
States of America in bringing it about, |
they will have their Rough Riders |
day." We can truly feel proud that we |
are American citizens. Do we all fully |
what that term really |
means? 1t means that every one under |
the folds of "Old Glory" is a sovereign. |
a king, clothed with greater dignity and |
honor than any king ever had or can
hope for. Emperor William, of Ger
many, is the sovereign of that mighty
country and the people thereof are his
subjects, but the people Of this country