The National tribune., 1900-05-24
THE COMRADES OFFERING.
A Splendid Statue of Gen. Grant Set Up
in HE RotIrda OF the Capitol.

in the RCtInda OF the Capitol.
| Last Saturday was the elimination OF Il
movement among the comrades of the
Grand Army of the Republic, begun imme-
diately after the lamented death of Gen.
| |. =. Grant at Mt. Gregor. July %. 1885.
/ In the following September the Commander
| iu-Chief sent out Il circular suggesting Il
subscription of 10 cents from each comrade
| for Il statue of Comrade L. :. Grant in the
| Capitol. More than 10000 comrades re-
( Sponded, and the money was placed i'll the
| hands of a committee consisting of Past
! CommandcrS-in-C Chief $. =. Brdett, of
! Washington; X. Il. Beath, of Philadelphia,
and K. \. Alger, of Detroit; Past Depart
ment Commander Selden Connor. of Maine;
| Col. r. S Grant, of Ohio. and Horace S. u.
| Clark, of Illinois. The Committee con-
| tracted with Franklin Simmons, an Ameri-
| can sculptor residing in Rome, to make the
statue, and last Saturday it was formally
accepted by both Houses of Congress.
THE STATUE
| is of marble, of heroic size; it stands on a
granite pedestal emblazoned with bronze
seal of the GA r.. and represents the grim
| old hero in the full uniform of u General
| equipped for The field, with top boots and
! gauntlets, his cloak over his left arm, his
| right hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
| 1t stands in the ro5IInda, along with those
/
hero OF Appomattox stands near the west
| ern entrance, fianked on either side by
| the famous paintings of the Surrender
OF Cornwallis" and the Surrender of Bur
goyne."
The unveiling took place shortly before
noon in the presence of Mrs. Grant, Mrs.
Sartoris, Miss Sartoris, the officers of the
G.A.R:. Speaker Henderson, and Senator
Frye, President pro tenn. of the Senate.
IN THE HOUSE,
In accordance with a resolution the
Commander-in-Chief and Committee were
| admitted to the floor during the proceed
| ingS. and a portion of the gallery was set
apart for comrades. Mrs. Grant, Mrs
Sartoris and grandchildren of Gen Grant
were IN the Speakers gallery. Comrades
Burdett, Beath, and Seldea Connor We're
present to represent the Committee. and
Col. George Fl. Patrick represented the
Commander-in-Chief
The blind haplain--Comrade Couden-
alluded appropriately to the occasion in
his prayer.
Mr.. McCleary, of Minnesota. Chairman
of the Committee On Library, sent to the
Speakers desk the GAR. Committees
letter OF presentation, and offered the fol-
lowing resolution:
Resoired by the House (tte Senate con-
currtng), That the thanks of Congress be
given to the Grand Army of the Republic
for the statue of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.
ResoLCed, That the statue be accepted
and placed in the Capitol, and that u copy
of these resolutions, signed. by the pre-
siding officers of the House OF Representa-
tlvcS and the Senate, be forwarded to the
Chairman of the Committee of the Grand
Army OF the Republic on the Grant Me-
mortal.
In concluding his remarks, Mr.. Nc
Cieary said:
Every man who had any part however
humble in the preservation of the Union IS
entitled to the gratitude OF the world. Hence
the proprlety of enshrintng within this
Capitol, the temple OF the greet pacific
principle of representation, the building
in which the representatives of the Com
monwealthS meet, a statue of the great
commander through whose genius the
alike OF the genius which it commem-
crates and the brave men whose cheerful
contributions produced it, will be accepted,
and 1t will be preserved in honor through
the coming centuries"
Mr. Warner, of Illinois, who served
under Gen. Grant, said in part: "Illinios
has the honor OF having given Ulysses
5. Grant TO the volunteer army OF the United
States. In accepting, as a representa-
tive OF that State, the invitation 10 speak
OF him on this occasion, l appreciate my
inability and the inability of any man
adequately to set forth his greatness and
his worth. Within five years he was in
command of all the armies of the United
States; the army under his immediate
command had moved by the left flank,
down through the Wilderness, Gen. Lee
had rendered him his sword and surren-
dered to him the gallant Army of Northern
Virginia, and our country was saved and
united forever. Within eight Years he
Was President of the United States; and
but short time thereafter all the poten-
tentateS of the world felt honored in stand
ing uncovered before the modest, unas-
sumlng American-the former woodchop-
per and country clerk. To-day his statue
honors the Capitol OF the greatest Nation
on earth"
Gen. Grosvenor. Of Ohio, said in part:
"Thirty-tive years have passed over our
heads since Grant achieved the cIIIInina-
ton Of his great fame as soldier Dur
ing that time there have been wars in
the world. During that time there have
been great changes in military tactics. in
military organization, in military sup
plies and munitions, and all that apper-
tains to the military arm of governments:
but l venture to say that among those
who have come and gone--among those
who have led armies in Egypt, in Ger
many, i'll France-there has been no man
who has any pretense of competition with
Grant as a soldier to-day. He has been
criticised somewhat by one of the great
Generals of Europe, great in the amount of
pay that he draws, great iii the high rank
that he holds, great in the splendid decora-
tons that he has; but | ask, my country
men, here to-day, when we are consid-
ering something of Grant in the light of 30
years, whether we may not with a pride
that is enjoyable contrast the career of
Grant, all his mistakes, if he ever made
any, compare them with the most critical
eye, with the best thing that has been
done by the British army in its great cam
paign against the Beers. and tell me wheth-
er Grant does not shine like meteor"
Mr.. Brosius, of Pennsylvania, said in
part: "lnseparably connected with the
glory of AppomattoX, and equally charac-
teristic of the true soldier, was Grants
sincere and devout prayer for peace; and
the memory of one of the noblest acts of
recorded time would be incomplete with
out allusion TO his intense desire near the
close of his life that his countrymen, whom
he had SO signally favored when they
were in his power, should return to their
first love, and bring back the blessings of
a restored and harmonious Union"
RICHARDSON'S ESTIMATE OF GRANT.
Mr.. Richardson, of Tennessee, who
fought i'll the Confederate army against
Grant, said in part: ''The most extrava-
giant and fulsome eulogy that can be pos.
sibly bestowed by human lips upon Gen.
IRA nj does NOT i'm the cIirl1tast da0-rap de-