The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-22
A NIGHT FOR EXPANSION
SPANISH WAR AND PHILIPPINES
OCCUPY LOYAL LEGION.
A Ringing Speech by Maurice Thomp.
son. Ex-Confederate, Wild
~ Cheered.

House as one of the most enjoyable as well
as one Of the most memorable ever held.
The meeting was a combined celebration of
the anniversaries of Washington and Lin
coin, and speeches were made on the lives
and achievements of those two great pa
triots, but somehow or other the speakers
drifted to the Spanish-American war, and
before the last one had been heard a num-
Der remarked: This might have been
termed expansion night" One of the guests
of the evening was Maurice Thompson, who
was a Confederate in the war of 1~S61-1865,
but who aroused wild enthusiasm by his
ringing declarations that he has been en-
tirely cured of the malady with which he
was then suffering, and he was again and
again cheered as he took his seat, the vet
Grams who had been on the "other side
rising as one man, frantically waving their
~handkerchiefs in recognition of the spirit
of unity so aptly described by MI. Thomp-
son. Many members of the Legislature
were present, and a number were called on
for short talks after the regularly prepared
programme was completed.
Admiral George Brown, commander of the
Legion, acted as POSTMASTER, calling on
the various speakers and introducing them
in his usual graceful way. The first speak
er was Judge D. w. Comstock. of the APP
pellate Court, who responded to the senti-
ment, Washington"
Judge Comstock, in eulogizing Washing
ton, said. among other things:
washington was possessed of the genius
of common sense. He had not the fancy nor
imagination of the poet or the orator; his
practical judgment took the place of that
talent which often dazzles and bewilders but
is incapable of administering to the sub
stantial interests of large communities. He
was as just as Cato, without
his austerity; as brave as Caesar
the social amenities he was the master.
Hospitality was the rule and daily habit OF
his home and life. He was a gentleman; he
was considerate, not only of the rights but
Of the sensibilfties Of others; he was OPP
posed to slavery and his intercourse with
those whom the law had made his bonds
men was characterized with thoughtful
kindness. He served his country without
pay. Shared the hardships Of the camp and
the musket from a cold and hungry sentinel,
surrendered to him his scanty meal
stood guard in his stead while he ate. With
his great physical strength he had the
delicacy of a woman; he directed that his
correspondence with his wife be de-
stroyed thus signifying his unwill-
ingness that the ingenious words Of love
intended for the eyes of one alone should
be the subject of the idle curiosity or rude
jest of others. He was a gentleman, not
the first, there We're Greeks before
ma In 0bN - 49, 49,.
with us yet; they do not crowd any walk
In life, but are found In all its honorable
vacations, but no man ever bore the grand
old name with easier grace or better title.
There was a diversion in the programme
when Professor Graham, superintendent of
the Soldiers and Sailors Orphans Home,
led the entire audience in singing "a Thou
sand Years, My Own Columbia
John B.. Cockrum. of this city, responded
to the toast General Grant" Mr.. Cockrum
excused himself from attempting to ade-
quately handle his subject in the brief time
allotted, saying that an analysis of the life
and character of this great man would fill
volumes. He was a genuine soldier, a true
friend and a. determined foe. At seventeen
years of age he went to West Point after
working as other boys in the community,
going into the forest to haul wood. Even
at this age his sturdy nature, manly and
true, was manifest and he was ready to
fight even then when opportunity offered"
The speaker went on to speak of his youth
full efforts, telling how he graduated after
hard work and entered upon a career not
eXcelled by any other man from any other
part of the country-I might say he was
the equal of any man of any country" No
matter how he is studied nor what consider
alton is given to those about him, he stands
q truly great man. Unpretentious, without
influence or friends, he won his way to the
front of the armies and there made his
stand, dauntless and victorious. What
w CSltA1l6NOL 1919 = AAA1
mighty sword preserved" The speaker re-
viewed his calm. courageous methods as q
statesman, showing how much he had done
to preserve the Nation Immediately after
Lincoln's death. Mr.. Cockrum's efforts met
much applause.
Glory a song to the air LAS We Go March
ing On composed by Rev. William A.
Quayle, interpolating for the last verse
words Of his own, running:
We'll take the white mans burden and
500 tfnV frppdOm'C l1aVGm.
And crave the benediction, the guiding hand
of heaven,
And thus fulfill the mission that ProVldence
has given,
In helping freedom on"
These words aroused the wild enthusiasm
that seemed ready to let itself loose last
night on the slightest reference to expan-
sion.
MR.. THOMPSON'S SPEECH.
AS Maurice Thompson arose to speak
there was intense silence, many of the vet
Grams remembering that he had been on
the other side,' and this he at once re-
ferred to himself, declaring that he was
but a scrap raveled from the old gray"
From that on the audience was his as he
spoke slowly and ~thoughtfully. Each sent
ence counted, and the feeling grew more
intense as he proceeded, until the culmina-
ton in the remarkable ovation as he con-
cluded. Said Mr.. Thompson;
Veterans of the blue, officers and MEM
bers of the Loyal Legion: J. who am but a
scrap raVeled from the old gray, offer to
you my profound thanks for the warmth
that glows in this occasion, and | greet
you in the name of American patriotism
and Anglo-Saxon civilization. which this
Legion so fifty embodieS. lApplauSe.l The
perspective Of thirty-six years gives a soft
ened and hallowed light by which to inter
pref the spirit Of 1863 and the spirit of this
moment. We were calling ourselves enemies
when the toil-knotted fingers of Abraham
Lincoln were setting the final definition to
freedom, but time, which proves all things,
has proved that we were not enemies. Even
while we were fighting we recognized the
kinShip of brotherhood. Why, my friends,
on the picket line you brought me coffee and
| filled your pockets with tobacco. lap
plauSe.l You remember 1T and so. do l.. The
fact is that every battle of that wal was
but a booming note Of emphasis in the ex-
preston of Anglo-American patriotism.
[Great applause.l While we fought we We're
but justifying our birth and our breeding.
When Abraham Lincoln stood on the field
at Gettysburg, and in the awful memory
of that battle said, The brave men, living
and dead, who struggled here, have conse-
detract,' he voiced the true ana lneXt1n-
guishable American spirit, for, my friends,
he included both the blue and the gray.
He understood and recognized the amazing
sincerity of the race. In his great ana tender
heart every drop of American blood was
significant Of the power to which all man
kind must look for freedom.
Feeling that il is an honor TO be with
you and feeling that the time has come
when what was a difference between US has
one body, l can say to you that / am hope
full and cheerful, but not boaStful. My
friends, the epoch-making forces OF history
thrill to one another from distance TO dis