Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1899-06-09
THE GRAND ARMY HERE
THE CRANDEST GATHERING OF 0LD
SOLDIERS HERE TO Enjoy
THE 18TH ANNUAL ENCAMPMENT.
A FINE CROWD.

nation. When Spain oppressed the
Cuban aud the wall of the starving
mother and babe was waited to our
shores, every man, woman and child in
this land arose as one person and with
menance in his voice and deter
mined look in his eye, and with out
stretched hand declared: tive will send
our soldiers" and we did! Heaven be
thanked for such a country; God bless
such soldier!
admire your profession-it is one
procession of glory from the firing of
the first shot at the battle of Lexing-
ton to the charge of San Juan hill.
How we'll l can picture to my mind
the beautiful and quiet morning on
which the black smoke suddenly
pored i'll thunder clouds from the fun
nels OF Deweys ships as he steamed in
to Manila harbor, and how American
honor in the cause of right flashed in
tightening sheets from those guns, and
how on that May day another battle
was fought that added still more to
the glory of the American hero; further
on L see how Sampson and Schley
sailed down the coast of Cuba and
sent the Spanish fleet to the bottom
with shots that remembered the Maine
and Wyler's murdered thousands; and
how the rough rider and the regular,
the blue and the grey, the black and
the white, charged, side by side, on San
Juan hill. Yes my friends this is a
good time to live-we are all glad to be
here.
Tho feats of the American soldier in
'ds have caused apprehension and awe
to sit on the brow of foreign nations,
and taught them that wrong of no
character will be tolerated within or
near our shores, and now today where
ever under the sun, on land or on sea
the stars and strips unfurl to the
breeze it commands profound respect
and stands for all that is good and
, holy, symbolical of justice, liberty and
Humanity. Again we welcome you.
s Commander F'arr's Address.
Following is the address of Depart.
ment Commander E. p. Farr, some-
: what condensed owing to lack of space:
!, Comrades: bid you fraternal
t welcome to the Sixteenth annual en-
} campment of the Department of South
L Dakota, Grand Army of the Republic.
S The past year has been the most event
:, full one in our nations history since
4 the close of the great struggle in which
o we took an active and honorable part
}, No class of our citizens, save the en-
listed volunteers of today, have taken
n more intelligent or loyal interest in
v passing events than the veterans of '61.
n Many of you have come long distances
/ to respond to the annual call of our
q Encampment and to represent your
u several Posts. And while many are
t present we recognize that time has
t been busy in the field of human life
4 this present year and that our ranks
+ have grown thinner But we would
g devoutly thonk our Great Commander
!, for all the manifold manifestations of
n His loving kindness to us, and for the
u favorable conditions that surround us.
: All over this great state comrades
r have been looking forward to this re-
o union with anticipations of great pleas
d ure, and our visit to these historic
u grounds will ever be held in cherished
J. remembrance.
t. While we congratulate ourselves on
n being present here today, we would
o also take joyful cognizance of the
's hopeful conditions of our country at
d this time, realizing as we do, that we
ls have never been stronger nor more q
8, unit from the north to the south, from
p the east to the west, than today.
IS These anniversaries bring to our
memories many sad scenes of the past,
9 yet we rejoice in the strength of the
l. ties which bind US together, and real.
g ize that these gatherings in the spirit
& of Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty,
s. give renewed strength to patriotism
= and an additional protection to "Old
n Glory"
= Let us pause for moment at the
o very threshold of this Encampment,
j. while memory takes US into the Holy
8 of Holes and we again see the SOL
9 dierly form and listen in rapt atten.
b tion to our lamented Comrade Ander-
son, as he pleads with the Encamp.