Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-02

fuSRleS anu
cancy be now filed. ..o
.The committee also recommends lhe
massage of the following resolutions;
"Resolved that the Society OF tne , Ar'
of tho potomac. assembled at It's thirty
seventh annual reunion. again urges upon
Congress the prompt passage Oh the ~.
ericksburg National Park Diil. "hlI . n ra
twice nassed the Senate, and been TWICE re-
norted fayorably by the House mlntary
Committee of the Fifty-sixth ana Fifty
seventh Congresses. :,
',Rcsolved that Congress be reques.eo ~
act upou this bill at the winter session o,
the present Congress because 1t Is DESIRED
by the Grand Army of the Republic, py tnls
society by the United Confederate Neter
ans and by the mass or tne sursiu9ls ~
the great armies which there contended IN
greater numbers and with greater losses
than on any other field OF like extent our
DANIEL E. SFCKLES.
"HORATIO c. KING.
Committee"
Commissioner Macfarland's Address.
District Commissioner H. B. F. Macfar-
land was introduced and his appearance
was greeted with hearty applause and
cheers. He said:
1--WE have no heart.er welcome than Tor
YOU who defended the national capital and
ended the civil war VIGOROUSLY. In this
month. when we commemorate your COM
rades who poured out their life for our
country in camp, in prison and on the pat
tlehe.d. we rejoice to see you In Washing,
ton. which you saved from the enemy, and
which owes It's development as well as us
existence to you. In the fires of your mighty
conflict, when Washington was the symbol
of the nation and the object of control the
National Capital was welded to this site pc
yond the power of removal, and after the
war Ulysnes s. Grant. the great captain un-
der WHOM ou won your final victory. used
all his influence as President to make the
federal city what George Washington
planned il to be.
.'Out at Fort Stevens Is the only battle
field of the District of Columbia 1t marks
the repulse Of Early. in sigh OF the Cap
itol. 1t was a little fight, but II Is his
toric. not only because it was fought within
the national capital. but because It was
the only time that Abraham Lincoln. the
mighty commander-in-chief, was under fire
IN that war. From the ramparts where
Lincoln stood. which ought to be preserved
in a national park. We can see Virginia,
scene of your many battles, protecting
Washington. finally taking Richmond;
while to the northwest lie Antietam, where
George Brinton Mcclellan, whose statue
you are to unvel today. won his greatest
triumph: and Gettysburg, where under
George Gordon Meade. You turned back
the high tide OF the confederacy.
''This city, with all its surroundings, is
alive with memories more vital and pre-
cious to you than any one else. You have
a sacred right TO the freedom OF the ma
Cdpitdi oAio ouh hoSPAtohly 10 SIM
ply your due.
To US of the younger generation you
seem like knights of a greater time, the
day of giants, north and south, of the
greatest intelligence and devotion and valor
ever seen in battle array. But we see also
that you are examples Of the victors Of
peace. 1t Is the spirit of the men of the
civil war that We need. 1t was that spirit
of trust in God of self sacrificing love for
country which moved you to eager re-
Spouse when Abraham Lincoln called, 80
that you went out from home, from bust
ness success and fair prospects, regardless
of consequences. Not for money not for
fame hut for patriotism and for the glory
and salvation OF this nation, the hope Of the
world That spirit which shone In the
smile on the bright face Of your comrades
as they received the death wound has made
You In every community leaders In the
best civic life. That self-same spirit we
YOU saved so that all those deaths and All
those services may not have been IN vain.
Response by Retiring President.
The retiring president. Gen. Dwight. made
a response to Commissioner Macfarlands
address. He said he first came to Washing
ton two days after the battle Of Bull Run.
when the returns" from mat fight were
coming in and he added. they may be COM
ing In yet He said that forty-six years later
ne found the people Of Washington are no
longer frightened by mention Of the Black
paid a beautiful tribute to the city of Wash
1ngton. and said the soldiers of the ciyfl
war were amply repaid for their services
from '61 to IS In bcing factors In the crea-
ton OF such a magnificent city. He spoke OF
the value of true comradeship. and said the
old soldiers viii try to keep the beautiful
capital city SO that 1t can be said always
and forever, Ais quiet along the Potomac
tonight
The orchestra played Marching Through
Georgia" with Gen. King waving his hands
as batons and the entire audience arose
and Joined IN the chorus
Announcement was made that Martin w.
Littlejohn of Brooklyn, who was to have
made address, was unable to be presen,
owing to Illness.
AS Gen. Oliver o. Howard stepped to the
greeted with tumultuous applause He
spoke of his pleasure at being present and
meeting Mrs. Mcclellan. He said the en-
peror of Germany once asked him IL he
could not be "a young old member of the
Society of the Army of the Potomac" He
also said ne was asked while in Germany
IL he intended residing in Washington. Hi,
reply was, No, l am going to live In the
United States. where the people have some
privileges that they do not have here
The tale was greeted with laughter
The general compared the beautiful
Washington of today with the washington
of 1851 with its mud roads and tumbied
down houses. He said:
There were thirty generals In the civi
war commanding independent aTmleS-
last independent army l commanded wa
that of the Tennessee. / am now the onll
survivor of the thirty generals 1 hav
named. God bless the Army of the Poto
mac. We fought together and well di
together
Gen. Curtis Giant In Stature.
The new president of the society. Ger
Curtis. who Is a giant In stature. then step
ped to the fore and amid applause proceede
to address his comrades. He said tina
nearly one-half million men from first (
last of the civil war were recorded in tn
Army of the Potomac. and declared the me
OF that army never lost faith in their caus
and never disobeyed orders.
mo army in Europe would have passe,
through so many disasters. sustained sucl
great losses and endured such extrem
hardships as did the Army of the Poto
mac" he said THE Army OF the Potoma
always did its duty regardless of VIII
commanded 1t. We have come here to un
veil a statue in memory of him who wa
the first Inspiration of the grand old Arm,
of the Potomac. Gen. George B. Mcclellan
Il the war with Spain the sons of thos
who wore the blue fought shoulder 4
shoulder with the sons of those who wor
the gray In freeing from Spanish tyrann,
the helpless colony of Cuba. now FIRE
republic