The Colorado statesman., 1909-05-01
TAFT EULOCIzES
GENERAL GRANT
SAYS HE WAS THE EVERY GENIUS
OF WAR TO SUPPRESS
THE REBELLION"
STRUCK AT The ENEMY
SPIRIT SHOWN BY GRANT AND
LEE AT APPoMATTox is
NOW TRIUMPHANT

delphia.-President Taft was
the principal speaker Tuesday at the
Grant birthday dinner of the Union
League Club and paid striking trib-
ute to the soldier President. Incl
dentally he said a defeat at times
would not hurt the Republican party
Mr.. Taft was sharply criticised a
year ago because of references to Cen
oral Grant, and he took advantage of
this opportunity to express anew his
admiration for General Grant as man
as soldier and as president.
After making complimentary refer
encs to the Union Leagues patriotic
support of the Union army during the
war, Mr.. Taft said:
1T is peculiarly fitting that this
club should celebrate the birthday of
that man who then was coming into
prominence and upon him hung, it
would seem, the whole destinies of
this nation.
1T is not for me, in the presence
of a gentleman who knew him, who
served with him, who ran the risk of
upon his life, his peculiar virtues, or
attempt to picture his character at
length in his company.
But there are certain things with
respect to General Grant that today
come back with reference to our pass
ing life. They said Grant had not the
military genius that other generals
displayed in the war To my mind
his mind and brain represented the
very genius of the war to suppress the
rebellion, because it was his mind that
grasped the thought that until we had
fought it out with our brave opponents
and met them in the field and fought
them as soldiers, until we convinced
them by our strength that the battle
was hopeless, we could not expect to
have united country. And therefore
from the time he began in Belmont
until he accepted the surrender of
Lee at Appomattox, he fought not cit
les, not points of strategy, but he
fought the enemy, and he fought and
fought and fought until he wore out
the opposition, because only by wear
ing them out could he hope to bring
about the condition in which there
should be complete peace.
THE spirit shown by Grant and Lee
at Appomattox is today, | trust, tri-
umphant. Between the two leaders it
existed when the terms of the surren-
der were signed, but it was impossible
under the conditions that that spirit
should control and make itself imme-
diately manifest between the two sec
lions. The conditions were such that
that could not be. But what | mean
TO point out is that the spirit we now
rejoice in, as we find between the two
sections no remaining bitterness, is a
spirit that as between the two great
commanders existed the day they
shook hands and signed terms of sur
render
1T is a matter that / have very
much at heart. l believe it is posi-
BILE to make the two sections even
closer together. We are all in the
same boat in more emphatic sense
than we ever were before in the his
tory of the country; l mean business
boat, and they of the South especially
their business men, are trembling in
the balance of doubt as to just where
they are politically. l look forward
into the next decade, not with the
hope that the South shall become Re-
publican. for, staunch as l am in my
support of the Republican party,
think good opposition is necessary
to make Republican party, if it is
to control the government, useful to
the people, and a defeat at times
would not hurt it. What l am looking
forward to is division in the parties
In the South SO that there shall be
tolerance of political opinion there, so
that in their state government and in
their national affairs there shall be
more than one political creed to be
subscribed to and supported"