OCR Text |
Show I President Principal Speaker at Unveiling of Memorial to Founder of Organization. LESSONS OF HISTORY STRIKINGLY REVIEWED Dr. Benjamin Franklin Stephenson' Steph-enson' Honored by Special Ceremonies. WASHINGTON, July 3. Doeliiriujr that unlike the Pretoriau euard ot Koine, tho men who made up tho Union forces during the civil war wero inin.-vor inin.-vor of free institutions, that they fought for them and did not intend to sacrifice them to anything else, President Presi-dent Taft torlav, as the principal speaker speak-er at the unveiling of a memorial to Dr. Beniamin Franklin Stephenson, founder of the G. A. ?., paid a glowing tribute to that organization. Congress having contributed to tho cost oL tho memorial, President Taft said hp was present in his official capacity. Tho president spoke as follows: President's Address. H "Wc arc met to dedicate a memorial to a Union soldier, who served four years as a surgeon in tho Civil war, R and who also builded an institution by which Ihoro should bo united in the bonds of fellowship all tho sweet as-Kociatious, as-Kociatious, all tho doop lossons of lo3ralty and all the prido of patriotism that such B a civil war as that could arouse in mil- lions of hearts. "When men at tho formative period of life from IS to 22 arc associated H in any work, whether it be in college, R in societ3'. in church or otherwise, they H carry with them afterward the fondest momorics and associations for each other, because they havo passed through Hl a common mould. I can coucoivo no Hj bond of union stronger than that which united tho men who fought from '61 to ;G5 in the Grand Army, and ti was to the credit of the founder of tho Grand Army of tho Republic that ho saw the solid" basis upon which such a structure ns that great society could be erected. Prophets of Evil. '-'You will recollect that there were prophets of evil with respect to tho fate of tho United States after the war Hj should cease, after the end should .be accomplished, for which the north was fighting, and it was said that tho ag-gregation ag-gregation of a million men in arms tlireatcncd our free institutions. The.y recalled that the Protorian guard of oiuc was an instrument in furthering the ambition of those who would sup-press sup-press free institutions and who were to assume despotic power. But all those prophecies faded in nothingness. The B men who composed that million were B men in favor of free institutions, who Bl ' n:u ouffnt or them, and did not in- B - tend to sacrifice them to anything else. There was no man with the ambition to improve that army as an instrument, of despotism, oven it it had been willing to 'iurnisli itself as such, and so it was the marvel of othur countries that this great body of organized force, than which there never was a stronger or better disciplined army, faded out and disappeared into the paths of peace, preserving nothing but tho sweet mem-j mem-j ory and association they had formed during the war and the consciousness they had in their own hearts of having BSS rendered the greatest service, to wit, Ba tho preservation of their country. Purpose of Organization. "Stephenson organized this Grand BH Army of the .Republic to preserve the BB essence of that arm)- in its finest char- BBv act oris tics, in its democracy and in its BBJJ patriotism. BBS :i.L-'ar be it from me to criticize in BsB the slightest such organizations as the Cincinnati and the Loj'al Legion. They BsB are great organizations and those who BsK belong to them may well have pride in BsB them. But the Grand Army of the BsS Republic knows no limitation but ser- B, vice to the government in tho civil BK war; and therefore it is that congress, BBj recognizing the usefulness of such an BB; , organization in preserving patriotism, B' properly contributed $10,000 to this me- B' morial, and recognized the Grand Army BB of tho Republic as an institution which B may well havo national gratitude and BB ; national recognition. More than that, B the Grand Army of the Republic is B most useful in this: It represents the B concentrated opinion of the man who BB; fought in the war to preserve the union. B and it therefore may give authoritative B expression which no other body and no B ; other part of the people can" give, to BB j Bi No More Bitterness. Bl ''Forget fulness of tho strife which BB:: existed during the four years of tho B'i war, and I am glad to say that while BBj that bitterness may in a few instances. B obtain you will never And it to exist BB I between the men who actually exposed Bjl their lives on one side and the men who Bt exposed their lives on the other. The Bj union of the two sections has been BB; molded strongly and moro strongly by B'j those meetings, which ought to bo on- B; couruged bctwocn the blue and tho gray BB to occur as often as possible. Bji "Tt is fitting that such an associa- BB lion, which in the courso of tho next B generation will pnss away, should havo I such an enduring monument as this to BJ testify not only to the patriotic eer- BB vices they rendered during the war, but also to the service to tho country that they havo rendered by their holding high loyalty and patriotism siuco tho war to tho present day. "M'r. Commander-in-Chief of tho Grand Army of tho Republic, inasmuch inas-much as congress contributod to this monument and provided for its erection, I am hero officially to accept it at your hands, on behalf of tho government, govern-ment, of tho United States, this tilting momorial of fraternity, charity and loyalty." |