The Mena weekly star., 1909-05-06

PRESIDENT TAFT SPEAKS AT uN' ION LEAGUE BANQUET IN
 PHILADELPHIA.
CELEBRATE THE GENERALS BIRTHDAY
Chief Executive Expresses Anew n's Admiration for General Grant as Man, Soldier, and as a Pres'oent Spirit Manifest at AppomattoS Triumphant Today.

FnlfduelpHla, ApTu ~ iN' | Taft last night was the prlnclpal
 speaker at the Grant birthday dinner 1 of the Union league in this city ana l paid striking tribute to the soiuler president. Mir. Taft was snarply
 criticised a year ago because of cer-
 tain of his references to Gen. Grant
 and he took advantage of last nights | opportunity to express anew his ao-
 miration for Gen. Grant as man, as
 a soldier, and as chief executive of the
 United States.
 After making complimentary reter' ences to the Union leagues patriotic
 support of the Union army at the out
 break of the war and during it's con
 tinuance, MT. Taft said:
 "It is peculiarly fitting that this
 club, each year, should celebrate the
 birthday of that man who then was coming into prominence and upon him
 hung, 1t would seem, the whole des-
 tinies of this nation.
 Tt is not for me. in the presence ot a gentleman who knew him. who serv-
 ed with him, who ran the risk of life
 and death with him, to descant upon his life, his peculiar virtues, or at
 length attempt to picture his character
 to this company"
 But there are certain things with
 respect to Gen. Grant that to-day come back with reference to our passing life. They said that Grant had not
 the military genius that other gener- als displayed In the war. To my mind
 his mind and brain represented the very genius of the war to suppress the rebellion because 1t 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 I 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 cities, | not points of strategy, but he fought | the enemy and he fought and fought and fought until he wore out the op | position because only by wearing them out could he hope to bring about the condition in wEsch there should be complete peace.
 What I wished particularly to dwell upon tonight was the spirit of that peace at Appomattox. represented on | th1 opa band hv tha rpagnamfty and farsightedness of Grant and by the self restraint and courage and far sighted patriotism (for that 1t was) on the part of Lee in bringing the | struggle to finish"
 That spirit at Appomattox Is to- day, trust triumphant. Between the l two leaders 1t existed when the terms of the surrender were signed, but it was impossible under the conditions that that spirit should control and tween the two sections. The condi- | tions were such that that could not be. i The remnants of slavery, the dis | tressed condition of the south and the
 feeling that had been wrought be-
 tween the two sections could not be downed by the mere expression of two | such leaders as Grant and Lee, as 1t
 was necessary I suppose that we should go through that 30 of40 years in order that the rent which was made to the foundations Of our coun- | try and for our civilization should be reunited in common country, with common spirit. But what I mean to point out Is that that 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 that they shook hands and signed the terms of surrender. It is a matter that have very much at heart. I believe 1t is
 possible to make the two sections even closer together.