Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-12
VETERANS IN COUNCIL
Representatives of the North
and the South.
MEETING LAST NIGHT
NOTABLE ADDRESS BY CAPT.
GRIFFITH, x-CoNFEDERATE.
Chaplain Couden's Tribute to Blue and
Gray-Admiral Schley Speaker
Yesterday.

There was a genuine love feast at Grand
Army Hall last night. the participants be-
ing the former soldiers of the Union
armies and those who served under the
southern of the confederacy.
prominent veteran who attended this re-
union of the blue and the gray said it
would be especially gratifying to Presi-
dent Roosevelt on his homecoming to find
such a meeting in progress in the very
shadows of the White House
Before the meeting called to order
the venerable soldiers of the north and the
south greeted each other with hearty hand
clasps, and used the endearing term COM
rade when addressing the men who were
deadly enemies forty years ago. They
were gathered about the hall in groups,
"Johnnies' and "Yanks," relating Incl
dents of the great war in the COS. when
the sharp rap of the gavel called the as
semblage to order last evening.
Commodore Francis B. Allen of Connec-
ticut. the presiding officer. in opening the
meeting. predicted that the G. a. R. Hall
would be filled to overlooking this evening
when the soldiers of the Army of the Po-
tomac returned from Manassas
1T is a principle in philosophy he said,
that one body cannot be at two places at
the same time.
He spoke of the benifcent results that
would follow the organization of the blue
and the gray into a great national associa-
ton and predicted that the proposed grand
parade and review by the President in
Washington next year of the northern and
southern soldiers, the Mexican veterans and
those of the war with Spain would be one
of the greatest and most SlSnlncahl events
of modern times.
Chaplain Couden's Address.
Commodore Allen the introduced Rev
Henry NJ. Couden, the blind chaplain of the
House of Representatives. who addressed
the former fighting men. He explained
that the first he had heard of the reunion
meetings of the blue and the gray was
when his wife was reading to him the ac-
count of yesterdays sessions in an evening
newspaper.
Then l said to myself" said DR.. Couden,
what do those old buffers of the blue ana
the gray want to get together for! Inc
grays have plenty of coffee now and the
blues have plenty of tobacco. Is 1t because
they want to drink coffee and smoke To-
gether?
those who have been in 1t. When Cen
Sherman said. War is HI he only eX-
pressed a little bit of it.
Il am glad the blue and the gray are
mingling together under one flag, with one
country and I trust we are worshiping one
God. When we are one great brotherhood,
under one great Father. then, and not I'M
til then, can we expect peace. We must ali
realize that are brothers One thing
that made the so hard in the sixties
was because the combatants were brothers.
Il was in the war two years, and know
what war is / should like to meet the
comrade in gray who shot and shake
his hand. for l afraid l killed him.
That is the feeling of the boys in blue, and
l believe it is the feeling of the boys in
gray. because they meet today in that
worthy love which each American citizen
feels for his country
Rev Mr.. Couden spoke of the reverence
that should be felt for the old flag, and
then referring to the causes which led to
the civil war, said:
What the politicians in Congress could
not settle in debate we boys of the north
and the south had to go out on the battle
field and settle. But you boys in gray
fought too hard for us fellows in blue, and
during the war l often wished you were
towards and would run away But you
didn't run. You fought US, and you fought
US hard l guess some of the men in gray
often made the same wish about our men
The reason we made the Spaniards va
cate Cuba" continued Chaplain Couden.
was because this was united country
The men from the north, the south, the
east and west in our armies went to Cuba
went"
In conclusion he paid high tribute to
Gen. Joseph Wheeler and Gen. FitZhugh
Lee referring to them as grand men,
and splendid types of the American SOL
der"
Observation-Disclosures Represented