The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1909-05-26
OUR RECEPTION AT FREDERICKSBURG
A Meeting At The Court House.

~ ~ INV SOott s'OSSs'
The crowd began to gather at the
Court House early, on the evening of
our arrival, and by $500 every available
seat was taken. The rostrum was oc-
eupied by Gov. Fort, Judge Geolriek,
Col. Eugene Carter Massie, chief of
staff to Gov. Swanson, Mayor II. Lew
is Wallace, Col f. ID. Call, Mr. W. f..
Bordley, etc.
Col. Call called the assembly to or
der, and after creating laugh by tell
ing the visitors that they were safe in
Fredericksburg this time, introduced II.
Lewis Wallace. Mayor Wallace heart
lily welcomed the visitors, but said he
could deliver no lengthy address be-
cause Fredericksburg had ADLER repre-
sentatives on hand He then intro
duced Judge Goodrich, as an old vet
eran. Judge Goodrich said he was
veteran but not an old one He did
not belong to the antique species. He
recited the instance OF the soldier whom
Gen Jubal discovered running from the
front, "Why don't you know. they're
fighting in 'front.'" exclaimed the Gen
eral. 81 know it," responded the sol
der, "but I'd rather be a coward all my
life than To be dead for five minutes"
Judge Goodrich went on 10 refer to
fredricksbulg's par. as historical
town. He told how Washington had
been raised there and how Mary, the
mother of Washington, had lived there.
He told how James Monroe had re-
ceived his first political appointment
there, and had never stopped receiving
political appointments until he became
president. Judge Goodrich pad com
piment to the old veterans, and drew
an amusing comparison between them
and the type OF soldiers who were too
young to fight in the Civil War and too
old to light in the Spanish War. He
said the last kind of soldier commenc-
ed his fight after the war was over.
Judge Goolrick referred to the confed-
eracy having robbed the cradle and the
grave TO obtain soldiers for its armies,
and said that he himself had been
taken from the cradle.
He wound up his address by ex-
tending a hearty welcome to the visit
ors, and by giving touching picture OF
the reunited blue and gray ain our
union was strength" Whom God hath
joined together" said the Judge, mo
power can burst asunder."
Gov. Fort was then introduced and
began by saying he did not know he was
to deliver an address but he had been
told by the secretary OF the committee
that he was to respond to the address
of welcome, and as the expedition to
Fredericksburg was quasi-militarv one
he would have to obey orders. He
SAID that history seemed to roll rom
Fredericksburg like water from a ducks
back. He described the city's part in |
the Civil War as being like that OF the |
hub of wheel amidst the rim and
spokes OF war and devastation. H
ierred IN touching tribute, to the mon
ument to Mary the mother of Wash.
ington. He told how New Jersey and |
Virginia had stood together against
many common enemy. He then told |
how the North and South had clashed |
how Burnside had been given a re-
ceptlon at Fredericksburg that drove
HIM across the Rappahannock and how
Hooker had been given reception at
Charlottesville that also drove him
across the Rappahannock. He spoke
of the mastery strategy OF X. L. Lee,
to whom he paid a glowing tribute.
He said that those great men, Grant |
and Lee. had decided that peace |
should hover over the Republic aud |
that it had lowered ever since.
Gov Fort said he was one OF those
warriors Judge Goodrich had referred |
to as being too young to fight in the |
Civil War, and too old to fight in the |
Spanish War. He had fought in
neither. He said he hoped he never |
would fight in 4 battle. He went ON
to say that he believed il our country |
had, before the war, been knitted to
gether with the Telegraph, railroad and |
other means ofquick transportation, as
it is now, the work would never have
occurred. He closed his address with
a common tribute to the blue and the
gray--to the North and the South and |
after singing "lhe Star Spangled Ban
ner," the meeting closed.
A. TRAu6ER.