The Portland daily press., 1898-09-05


was too warm. He proceeded to the in
fantry plain, as it is called.
The men of the Ninth Massachusetts,
Fifth Illinois, Eighth Ohio, 18th, 2lst,
2sd and 10th infantry were assembled
without arms. About 5000 men stood
in close order. General Wheeler said:
''The President of our great country has
come here to greet the soldiers that
marched SO CALAMITY up San Juan hill on
July /. He comes here to express the ma
tons thanks to these brave men. I wish
to tell YOU that when the President sent
me mere two weeks ago to command this
| camp he enjoined me in the most en-
phatic language that ! should, without
regard to expense. exercise any and every
authority necessary to make comfortable
this body of brave men who by their
courage have raised this republic to the
| highest position among the great ma
| tions of the earth. I have the honor and
pleasure of introducing to you the Presi-
dent of the United States. -
PRESIDENT M'KINLEY SAID:
general Wheeler, soldiers of Camp
Wikoff, soldiers of the fifth army corps:
I trust that yol will put you hats on. !
am glad to meet you. I am honored to
stand before you today. I bring you the
gratitude of the nation, to whose history
you have added, by your valor, new and
glorious page. You have come home
after two months of severe campaigning
which has embraced assault, siege and
battle, so brilliant in achievement, SO far
reaching in results as to command the
| unstinted praise OF all your countrymen.
You had the brunt of the battle on land.
You bore yourselves with supreme cour-
age and your personal bravery never be-
fore exceeded anywhere, has won the adj
mirarion Of your fellow citizens and the
genuine respect of all mankind, while
your endurance under peculiar trial and
suffering has given added meaning to
your heroism. Your exertions made easy
the conquest of Porto Rico under the re-
sistless army commanded by Major Miles,
and behind you, to proceed at moments
summons, were more than 200, 600 of your
comrades ready to support you, d1sap.
pointed that the opportunity which you
had did not come to them, yet filed with
pride at your we'll earned fame and re-
| joicing upon your signal victories. You
were on the line of battle; they, no less
| than you, were in the line Of duty. All
have served their country in its need. all
will serve 1t as long as they may be re-
quired and all will forever have the
thanks and regard of grateful people.
"We cannot bid you welcome here to-
day without our hearts going out to the
heroes of Manila CD sea and land, whose
services and sacrifices. whose courage and
constancy in that far distant field of op.
erations have never been surpassed by
any soldiers or sailors the world over. To
the army and the navy, to the marines,
to the regulars, to the volunteers, and to
that Providence which has watched over
them, all the ration today is full of
THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE
"The brave officers and men who fell
| in battle and those who have died from
exposure and sickness will live in immor-
| tai story and their memories will De per-
petuated in the hearts and the histories OF
a generous people; and those who are de-
pendent upon them will not be neglected
by the government for which they SO
freely sacrificed their lives"
The soldiers cheered many times. The
part of the field where the Eighth Ohio
stood, the regiment which is some times
called the Presidents Own" was par.
ticularly noisy. The party then went to
the detention hospital by road that
passed in the rear of the general hospital
The grave yard in which sixty or seventy
plain new wooden crosses stood, was neal
the road on the left. The Preside nj
solemnly raised his hat.
4 Mr.. Mckinley went through all the
wards of the detention hospital in the
same careful way in which he had gone
Through those Of the general hospital.
When he came to the last ward, Major
r. Z. Ebert said:
"This is dangerous ward" and turn
ing to Secretary of War Alger, inquired,
"Do you think the President had bette,
go in herer"
Mr.. Mckinley, without waiting to hear
what General Alger's reply would be-,
started into the ward. General Alger and
the others of the party remained outside.
The Presidential party then drove
through lines of cavalry drawn up on
either side of the road. Among them
were the rough riders, the I'd. 9th, 9th,
10th and LIST regular cavalry.
The third regulars we're still acting as
the Presidents escort.
Mr.. Mckinley then drove to General
Wheeler's headquarters and sat under the
shade of tent flap for while. Mr..
Alger and General Wheeler were with
him. The President saw Colonel John
Jacob Aston in group q few yards away
and he beckoned to the colonel, who went
over, shook hands with the President
and sat few minutes in the party.
The President and those with him too k
lunch with General Wheeler and his staff
After lunch the President, Mr.. Alger,
General Wheeler and Col. Hard, of the