Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-04-28
TRIBUTE TO GEN. GRANT
Delivered by Gen. Wheeler at Pittsburg
Last Night.
Rear Admiral SchIey Responds to the
Toast Our Navy at the Same
BANQUET.

A dispatch from Pittsburg, Pa, last night
says: Politics gave way to patriotism at the
annual banquet at the Americas Republican
Club IN honor of the birthday of General
Grant tonight, and instead Of the names Of
such prominent republican leaders among
the speakers as Mckinley, Harrison, Reed
and Sherman. the army and navy had the
call and the guests of honor were Gen. Jo-
seph Wheeler and Admiral Wlnfleid ).
Schley. The dinner was held at the Hotel
Schenley, and in many respects was the
most successful ever given by the club.
Covers were laid for 800, and had there
been room, probably twice this number of
tickets would have been sold. Preceding
the dinner. the distinguished guests held a
reception, which lasted more than an hour,
and it was long after the time fixed for the
banquet when the guests filed into the ban
quet hall to the inspiring strains of the
Stars and Stripes {. L. Magee was
chairman at the dinner table, and Clarence
Burleigh, city attorney, was POSTMASTER.
Major General Wheeler responded to the
toast Grant as follows:
Gen. wheeIer's Address.
Calm and beautiful the morning Of July
%, 1885, dawned on Mount McGregor, where
the life of the greatest man OF the nation
was slowly ebbing away. Ulysses S. Grant
was in the immediate presence Of the foe
whose might the great warrior had ever
Succumbed. For nine long months had ne
gazed undaunted into the face or death
keeping him at bay with one hand Wnlle
with his pen in the other he bravely finished
the work that would make provision for the
beloved wife and children he should leave
behind him.
"A few moments after 8 o'clock the sill
Yer cord was loosed, the golden bowl
broken and the spirit OF the patriot-war-
rior had returned to the God who gave 1t
In every city, town and hamlet in our land
heads We're reverently bowed and sorrow
and sympathy were expressed in every
countenance.
The southern papers all wrote of the
man who, twenty years before mad com
PEELED the surrender of their armies and
the crushing of the cause freighted with
all their hopes. And southern cities tolled
their bells in token Of their mournful sym
pathy.
Loved u General.
at was as general of the armies of the
United States that General Grant was held
in the most joyous and honorable remem-
brance by the north, and by the act of the
north and south alike he died as general of
the armies of the United States. BY this
act the whole distance between 1865 and
1885 was bridged over. The north had no
thought save of the man of Appomattox
and the south had no thought save of him
who told the worn and ragged confederate
their horses home with them, they would
need them for the spring sowing, and who
threw his soldierly honor into the scale
when Andrew Johnson was hesitating
whether he should, by arresting Gen r. Z.
Lee, violate the terms of the confederate
surrender and the sanctfty of the parole.
1T was the generous magnaninity of
Grant, after compelling the surrender of
the confederate armies, that did more
to bring about the reunion of the states
than ten millions of troops could ever have
accomplished"
In closing his remarks Gen. Wheeler
painted the personal character Of Gen.
Grant whom he spoke of as loyal to God,
TO country, to friends, to all his undertake
lngs His determination was unconquera-
Bile, his spirit congenial toward those whom
he trusted.
Two Historic Names.
Two names, said Gen. Wheeler, would go
down to ages yet to come, side by side.
Grant, the leader, magnanimouS in victory;
Lee, than whom no greater ever survived
defeat. Grant deserved his renown IN each
of his characters as patriot, warrior and
devotion, tenderness and love; his great
desire and end after Appomattox was a
reunited nation.
Gen. Wheeler concluded by recalling
Grants remarkable prophecy:
"At soma future day the nations of the
earth will agree upon some sort of con-
gress which shall take cognizance of in
ternational questions of difficulty and
whose decisions will be as binding as the
decision of the Supreme Court is upon u.s."
whether this be the prophecy" Gen.