The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1906-06-21
More Than Two Hundred Old
Soldiers Are Entertained at
Home of z. c. Simmons
TANNER STIRS OLD COMRADES
Grand Commander Rouses Enthus:-
asm by a Brilliant Address-Many
other Visitors Aid in Enter
tanning Big Company

More than two hundred and fifty
tmembe of the Grand Army from
cities IN southern Wisconsin and
northern Illinois came to Kenosha
Saturday night to attend the annual
dinner given by Hon. z. G. Simmons
in honor of the anniversary of his
arrival in Southport. In honor of
the coming Of the old veterans the
magnificent home Mr.. Simmons on
Prairie avenue was a mass of color
and lights. All about the grounds
were hung hundreds Of japanese
lanterns while great festoons of cleo
trio lights in red, white and blue
shades b1azed forth welcome to the
soldiers of the civil war. Just above
the door of the house was a great
motto in red, white and blue electric
lights reading "Welcome g. A. r.
Comrades"
The company of veterans from Mil
yankee, rs strong, we're the first to
reach the city. They were met at the
station by the members of Fred S.
Lowell Post and the march to the
home Of Mr.. Simmons was taken up.
At Main street the parade was joined
by twenty members of the Racine
post and a similar number from the
Waukegan post.
At the Simmons home Mr.. Simmons
was assisted in entertaining by z. G.
Simmons, Jr, and Mrs. Simmons,
Mr.. and Mrs. A. H. Lance, Mr.. and
Mrs. A. r. Towne, Mrs. Gilbert M.
Simmons and Miss Elizabeth SIM
mons, Mrs. G. E. Remer and
Bishop Fallows. Fully two thousand
people gathered round the house to
Join in the welcome extended to the
old soldiers.
The Zion City band was on hand to
furnish music for the occasion, and
added to this number of the members
of the Milwaukee Drum corps attended
the veterans from that city.
AS soon as the soldiers had con-
Guided their greetings to Mr.. Simmons
Past National Commander General A.
G. Weissert, of Milwaukee, took
charge Of the big gathering and an
nounced the first speaker of the even
ing, General John Gilman, Of Boston,
another past grand commander. Gen.
Gilman led the soldiers in singing
Marching Through Georgia" but
later in the evening he was called on
for another song and before he sang
he paid a high tribute of praise to
Mr.. Simmons for the consideration
that he had shown the old soldiers.
The principal speech of the eve
ming was delivered by Grand Com
mander James Tanner. Corporal
Tanner is the idol of the,Gfand Army,
and when he came to the front of the
porch to speak he was given an ova
ton. The old soldiers shouted them.
selves hoarse and threw their hats in
the air. Commander Tanner was
visibly moved BY the reception given
him by the Wisconsin veterans. II
prefacjng his remarks he stated that
the splendid entertainment which Mr.
Simmons had given the veterans was
one of the things that they had
dreamed of during the long years Of
the war and that while every old
soldier appreciated the work of Mr..
Simmons he wanted it distinctly
understood that nothing was too rich
for the blood of an old soldier.
He paid tribute to Mr.. Simmons
when he said that there were humid
red thousand men In the country who
~ = IL ~
soldiers every year, but mighty few
of them who did it. He spoke of the
memories that had been revived with
the reunion of the Wisconsin soldiers,
and he told Of the desolation in the
South, but declared that the war had
done more for the South than it had
for the North.
He spoke of reconstruction and de-
clared that the men who met on the
battle line had long since been recon
structed, but that there were few
who never felt the shock of carnage,
who still refused to accept the unity
of the nation. "These Invincib1es in
Peace" he declared ''were the In
visibles in war" The men who stood
with the draft in one hand and the
time table in the other looking for the
first train to take them out of the
country.
Corporal Tanner spoke in no I'M
certain way in regard to the move to
grant honorable discharges to de-
serters and declared that before he
would ask discharges for these men
he would ask that congress vote
thanks to Lee and the members of the
confederate army. In closing he
admonished the men Of the Grand