The National tribune., 1908-06-04
SECRETARY TAFT ON GEN. GRAM.

| quite a distinguished gathering. Inc
principal ceremonies were at Grant.
tomb. where Secretary Taft made The
address. The parade was formed witt
] the Regular troops stationed around
New York. the National Guardsmen an6
a fine display of the veterans in spite
of the threatening weather. About 2.50(
were in line, and there was quite 9
showing of war vessels in the river
| Maj.-Gen. Frederick ID. Grant was in
charge of the military, and Gen. George
| B. Loud. the Chairman of the Memorial
| Committee, with Maj.-Gen. Charles f
| Roe in command of the National Guard
Among those present at the tomb were
Gov. Hughes; Gen. Julius Stahel, one
of the few surviving Major Generals:
Gen. n. Martin Curtis and Col John j.
McCook.
Secretary Taft's address has attracted
general attention all over the country
and has been subjected to much severe
criticism. In regard to the cause of the
war he said:
There are some who think that the
civil war was unnecessary. that it might
have been avoided. 1 cannot agree with
them. The situation was one for which
only such a CONFUSION as war, dreadful
as that is, could afford a complete
remedy. This day brings back to us the
awful losses that were entailed, and re-
news the fond memories of those know Il
and unknown heroes whose devotion to
duty is an everything assurance of the
patriotism of this people,
As to the day itself he said:
This day should take us out of the
atmosphere of self-seeking. of money
making. or pleasure hunting and of
peaceful sloth. that we may value again
the many instances it reviveS of mental
and physical courage, Self-denia1. self
restraint and self-sacrifice The day
with its "reminiscences assures us that
the hearts of our people to-day. eager
as they seem now in the search for
wealth and comfort. would furnish Il
response to the Nations call as full, as
willing and as mighty as was the re-
Spouse when the struggle for the Ma
tons existence began in 81
I'VE are humor-loving people, and
our sense of the ridiculous is very
keen-almost too keen-and in the mer-
camille and material spirit which has
been rife we are prone to make light OF
exhortations to patriotism and the forms
and symbols thru which patriotism finds
expression. ! think we have gone too
far in this direction. Patriotism is a
real virtue. and the forms and symbols
which suggest it are proper reminders
OF serious duty and keep us in touch
with it as an elevating motive"
The part of Secretary Taft's address
was that relating TO Gen. Grants career
before the war, in which he said:
1T is true that Grant received an edu-t
cation at West Point, but certainly moth
ing was developed there in him to indi-
cate his fitness or ability to meet great
possibilities. He did well in TIE
Mexican War. as did other Lieutenants.
But in 1854 he resigned from the Army
because he had to. He had yielded to-
the weakness of a taste for strong drink,
and rather than be court-martialed he
left the Army.
He returned from Vancouver. on the
Pacific Coast, to his family in St Louis
without money, without property
dishea.tened man. He accepted from
his father-in-law loan of rs acres OF.
land, upon which he constructed house
fer his family, and there he carried on
farming operations. His chief business
seemed TO be that of selling wood. of
cutting and piling it i'm the back yards
of the weil-to-dO people of st. Louis"
This does not do justice TO Gen. Grant
and is inaccurate as to the exact facts,
particularly as TO the causes which led
to Gen. Grants separation from the
Army. These causes do not appear in
any record, but they are well understood
by those who are familiar with the con-
ditions in the Regular Army at the
tiple--s There We're bitter factions in the
Regular Army then, as there always
have been in every army and navy. and
probably; always will be- These lines
converged into the. strong sectional de-
narration, which was then making AM
almost impossible rift between thei
Northern and Southern officers. Fac
tional troubles had had much to dol
with driving jefferson Davis himself out;
of the Army, and his resignation from It'll
after little over two years service has
always been clouded in mystery. Ati
the time of Gen. Grants resignation
Davis was Secretary of War, and the
Southern element in the Army wasj
in the ascendancy, insolent and
and making it as uncomfort-
able as possible for officers of Northern
birth who were not actively pro-slayery.
1t was the policy of Davis and his
friends to weed out the Northern Off
GERS who were not in sympathy with
their designs.
IL may be that Capt U. S. Grant,
drank too much. This was, however.
too common fault among officers of
that time to cause Grant to be singled
out for expulsion Hundreds OF others
whom it is known drank more deeply
and fiagitiously, were retained in the
Army, often to its great misfortune.
People forget that drinking was yeti
a 'gentlemanly" habit, and getting
thoroly drunk the custom at dinnerl
parties.
1t must be remembered that Fort
humboldt, where Capt Grant was sta
toned on the northern coast Of
was in 1884 much more re-
mote from civilization than any post to
which an Army officer can be assigned
to-day There was a loneliness and
desolatioD, multitude of DISCOURAGE
ments, a hopclessness of any future that
we cannot conceive of being possible TO
an officer in the Army to-day. At that
time the pay of a Captain of Infantry
was $50 month, with allowances oil
four rations and one servant. The gold
fever was at its hight; it was very difficult
to keep the enlisted men to their terms