Evening star., 1902-02-20
Large Attendance of Veterans
Of the War Of Rebellion.
PRESIDENT A GUEST
RECEIVED WITH ENTHUSIASM
AND SPEAKS ELooUENTLY.
His Claims to Comradeship-speech of
Gen. Torrance, Commander
in-Chief.

more enthusiastic body of Union Veteran
soldiers than those who assembled in the
banquet room Of the New Willard last
night on the occasion Of the reception and
banquet in honor of General Ell Terrence.
commander-in-chief Of the Grand Army OF
the Republic.
There were nearly 200 Of the members of
the order and large number Of invited
guests, including Lieut.. Gen. Miles, cabinet
ofncers, senators and representatives and
men distinguished in every walk In life.
AS these met In the large reception room
they were welcomed by the reception COM
mittee, consisting of Israel W. Stone, COM
mander OF the Department Of the Potomac;
Benz. F. Bingham, senior vice commander;
Ivory G. Kimball, junior vice commander;
DR.. Thos. Calver, medical director; Rev. f.
{. Stevens, chaplain B. p. Entriken, as
slstant adjutant general; Geo. E. Davis,
assistant quartermaster general; Geo. T.
Davis. judge advocate; Alfred Shaw, in
spector; II. w. Burns, chief mastering Off
GER; 0. II. Oldroyd, chief Of staff; S. 8.
Burdett. past tcommander-in-chief;W William
Gibson, past department commander.
The line of march into the banquet room
was taken up at O. oclock and the veterans
filled five long tables radiating from
larger one al which were seated COmman-
der Stone and the chief invited guests
After saluting the colors which were borne
by K. =. Marcelus and guarded by Geo.
w. Hazer and z. NJ Robinson and the in
vocation OF blessing by Rev. Howard Will
bur Ennis attention was given to the menu,
and for a couple of hours stories Of camp
life and incidents of many a skirmish and
battle were heard about the tables
The Presidents Arrival.
There was vacant chair at Comman-
der Stones right, and every one knew
that 1t was reserved for President Roose
welt, who had promised to be there at 10
o'clock. General Miles was a late arrival,
and upon his entrance he was greeted with
loud applause. and cheers, all rising to their
feet.
The President arrived on schedule time
and was met at the elevator by Comman-
der Stone and Past Department COmman-
der Hopkins. With the President were Post
master General Payne and Assistant Secre-
tary Loeb. As the party entered the room
all rose and cheered to the echo, the yeter-
ans remaining standing until the President
had reached his seat at the table, and then
applause, lasting for some moments
When order was restored Commander
Stone, In a few appropriate words, gave q
welcome on behalf Of the Grand Army, es-
pecially Ito the President of the United
States, himself a comrade, who has been
tried In the fire Of battle" He then turned
the exercises over to Past Commander Hop
kins, who acted as POSTMASTER and was
extremely happy III his introduction Of the
speakers. He first introduced General Tor
renee who spoke to the toast. 1.-The Grand
Army of the Republic He said:
Gen. Torrance's Speech.
1--WE are optimists and have always be-
lieved in the flag and all 1t represents. No
prophet of evil is a welcome guest in as
semblies like this. The war did not de-
moralze us. 1t was constructive, not de-
ctr nf oh
fled the work and made heroes Of all en-
gagged in it. Those who died suffered only
physical death. The rivers made immortal
by their deeds of ValOr INCREASINGLY muir
mur their names. The woods that shelter
cd them i'm bivouac continually repeat the
story of their sacrifices and the noun
tains and hills perpetually regard their sa
cred dust Those who survived We're crown
ed with the highest honors.
Five times the White House opened it's
doors to receive a soldier as the nations
Chief Magistrate. The first upon whom
the laurel wreath was bestowed was Amer
ica's greatest soldier, Ulysses S. Grant-in
war, a warrior brave, invincible; in peace
a citizen, modest. gentle, patient, just. And
last Of all, that true representative of the
men who marched in the ranks. William
Mckinley, of exalted dignity and grace,
loving and beloved, the conSummate flower
Of our American institutions. He, also fell
a victim to the spirit OF lawlessness and
hate and received in his own body the
Never was crime more destitute Of excuse
nor good and evil SO strongly contrasted
His work Is finished, but the great temple
Of liberty upon which he wrought with such
skill has been sprinkled with his blood and
made doubly dear to his countrymen.
Tribute to the President.
"Again the doors Of the White House
opened and again the soldier entered-not
Of the great war; but Of the war great in
Is upon his face, his arm is strong, his
heart Is brave and true, and my comrades.
the touch of elbows has not yet been lost
Mr.. President. we salute you. and extend
to you a soldiers welcome. We thank you
for the gracious tribute paid the soldier in
United States. We thank you for your
action taken in behalf of veterans in the
public service and your manifest concern
that the cup of injustice shall not be press
ed to the lips of the worthy soldier of the
republic, no matter how humble he may be-
''Mr. President. our old commanders are
dead and our ranks break, break, like the
waves Of the sea. We are fewer in num-
ber tonight than ever before, and from he
yond the mysterious sea comes to our
hearts the low murmur of voices that hal
low this hour and crown 1t with the sweet
ness of a benedicton. With unabated af-
lection for our old commanders we salute
you as commander-in-chief. and pledge to
you the same devotion and obedience that
led us in the Olden time to SupremeSt sac
rifices for our country's welfare.
Some Still Unreconstructed.
"There are yet some unreconstructed per-
sons and there are still some unforgivfng
patriots, all Of whom love, but we cannot
consent to promote good feeling by forget
ting the sacrifices by which the Union was
saved. The principles for which we con-
tended were right. and not only so ad-
judged by the wager of battle, but by the
considerate judgment of mankind. Seces-
sion was political heresy; treason a polit-
ica1 crime, and slavery morally abhorrent
THE first call to arms was to resent an
insult to the flag, and. to suppress the re-
bellion; succeeding calls brought great ar
mics into the field to gave the Union: the
final and effectiveI call was to make men
free. Thus our cause. which was righteous
In the beginning, ROSE from one degree of
grace to another, until 1t became glorious at
it's consummation. The very grandeur of
our cause and it's complete triumph made
it Impossible for it's defenders to keep alive
the hatred born of evil strife, and So the
hand Of reconciliation has ever been ex-
tended by the Union soldier to the men OF,
the south since that April day, in 1865.
when the clouds of war were dispelled and
the sunshine of peace lighted the way TO
every soldiers home. But honorable and
enduring peace cannot be secured by for
getting the brave men who wrought the
brave desds nv which the glorjons dow OF