Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-09-29
NORTH'S VETERANS
SOLID FOR Will SON
Men Who Wore Blue Approve
His Handling of Foreign
Problems.
PROMISE THEIR SUPPORT
President Welcomes Survivors of
Civil War to Nations Capt.
tai for Encampment

WASHINGTON. September 2s.-vet-
Grams of III" Civil War here for the an
nual cncampmcnt %: the Grand Army OF
the Republic were formally welcomed
/ to the capital Tonight by President
( Wilson. who told them their battles
/ fifty years ago wcr. fought that the
-rcatest instrumcntality for the nrlift
: Of mankind the world has "vcr seen
might not be Impaired
l Tn" President spoke amid scenes OF
I patriotic fervor In tho crowded conven-
/ tion hall into which tho old census
! building had been converted. Colonel
I David J. Palmer. comma nder- in chief
Of tho g. A r., introduced him amid
+ ;hundcrous cheering. and informed him
4 that the veterans stood solidiv behind
the administrations conduct OF the
! present day foreign problems. and that
7 their sons would support him in any
steps he might take.
PRESIDENT FREouENILi
/ INTERRUPTED by APPLAUSE
/ The President was freIucntly inter-
rupted by applause as he spoke TO the
veterans. their families and friends
! He did not touch directly OH the Euro
pean war. or on problems growing out
Of ii. but devoted his address TO the
mission Of the United States and les
} sons taught by the Civil War. lie
/ spoke OF the war as one Of the few in
I history OF which both sides could be
proud
, rhc meeting marked the formal open
inr Of the Grand Army cncampment
which will continue during the re-
maindcr Of the week. with the great
parade and presidential review to-
morrow
The Presidents address. in part. fol-
lows:
/ 1T is singular thing that men Of q
single generation should have witnessed
what you have witnessed in the
crowded fifty years which you celebrate
tonight. You took part when YOU were
young men in struggle. the meaning
of which. ] dare say. you thought would
I not be revealed during your lifetime,
and yet more has happened In the max
! ing Of this nation in your lifetime than
/ has ever happened in the making OF any
\ other nation in the lifetime OF n dozen
generations.
! LOOK BACK ON WAR
ABSOLUTELY UNIQUE
The nation in which YOU now live
q
! fought. You have seen many things
which have made this nation one of
the representative nations OF the world
with regard 10 the modern spiri, Of that
, world, and YOU have the satisfaction.
which. dare say, few soldiers have
| ever had, Of looking back upon n war
absolutely unique in this. that instead
of destroying il healed that instead of
making permanent division, it made Il
| permanent Union. This nation was
from the beginning spiritual enter
prise. and YOU have seen the spirits of
the two once divided sections of this
country absolutely united. a war
which seemed as if it had the seed of
every kind Of bitterness in il, has seen
single generation put bitterness alb
solutely out of its heart
| This is 4 miracle of the spirit. so
far as national history is concerned.
This is one of the very few wars in
| which. in one sense, everybody cnra accd
may take pride Some wars are to be
reErctted; some wars mar the annals of
history. but some wars. contrasted with
those. make those annals distinguished,
show that the spirit OF man sometimes
springs to great enterprises that are
even greater than his own mind had
! conceived.
SET NATION FREE FOR
CAREER OF DEVELOPMENT
| You set the nation free for that
great career of development. OF un-
! hampcred development. which the world
/ has witnessed since the Civil War.
! But, for my own part, | would not be
| proud OF the extraordinary physical
| development of this country, of it's ex-
| traordinary development in material
| wealth and financial power, did I not
believe that the people OF The United
States wish all of this power devoted
| to ideal ends. There have been other
nations as rich as we: there have been
other nations as powerful; there have
been other nations as spirited, but I
hope we shall never forget that we
| created this nation, not to serve our
selves. but to serve mankind
Il hope ! may say without even an
implication of criticism upon any other
great people in the world that Il has
| always seemed to me that the peoplc
OF the United States wished to be re-
garded as devoted to the promotion of
particular principles of human right.
The United States were founded. not 70
provide free homes. but to assert huma n
rights. This flag meant great enter
prise Of the human spirit Nobody. no
large bodies of men. in the time that
flag was first set up. believed with a
very firm belief in the efficacy or de :
mocracy. DO you realize that only so
long ago as the time of the American
! Revolution democracy was regarded as
an experiment in the world, and we
! were regarded as rash experimentors ?
But we not only believed in il: wc
showed our belief was well founded
and that nation as powerful as any
in the world could he erected upon
| the Will of the people; that, indeed.
there was power in such n nation that
dwelt In no other nation. unless also
In that other nation the spirit of the
people prevailed"
RUEGEUs-GRIII. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Harry Meyers. clever cabaret entertainer,
rIl To- inh 4 Int,