Speeches of Benjamin Harrison, Twenty-third President of the United StatesHarrison, Benjamin
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Speeches of Benjamin Harrison, Twenty-third President of the United States
Harrison, Benjamin
Harrison, Benjamin, 1833-1901; Speeches, addresses, etc., American; United States -- Politics and government
You will not expect, nor would it be proper, that I should follow
the line of your spokesman's remarks, or even allude to some things
that he has alluded to; but I will not close without one word of
compliment and comradeship for the soldiers of Illinois. [Applause.]
I do not forget that many of them, like Logan--that fearless and
first of volunteer soldiers--at the beginning of the war were not
in sympathy with the Republican national administration. You had a
multitude of soldiers besides Logan, one of whom has been immortalized
in poetry--Sergeant Tillman Joy--who put their politics by "to keep
till the war was through;" and many, I may add, like Logan, when they
got home found new party associations. But we do not limit our praise
of the loyalty and faithfulness of your soldiers to any party lines,
for we realize that there were good soldiers who did resume their
ante-war politics when they came back from the army. To such we extend
a comrade's hand always, and the free and untrammelled exercise of his
political choice shall not bar our comradeship. It happened during the
war that three Illinois regiments were for some time under my command.
I had opportunity to observe their perfection in drill, their orderly
administration of camp duties, and, above all, the brilliant courage
with which they met the enemy. And, in complimenting them, I take
them as the type of that great army that Illinois sent out for the
preservation of the Union and the Constitution. Let me thank you again
for your friendly visit to-day; and if any of you desire a nearer
acquaintance, I shall be glad to make that acquaintance now.
INDIANAPOLIS, JULY 25.
Two thousand visitors from Edgar and Coles counties, Illinois, paid
their respects to the Republican nominee this day.
The excursion was under the auspices of the John A. Logan Club of Paris,
Charles P. Fitch, President. There were many farmers in the delegation,
also eighty-two veterans of the campaign of 1840, and the watchwords
of the day were "Old Tippecanoe and young Tippecanoe." The reception
took place at University Park, notable from this time forward for many
similar events. Prominent among the visitors were Geo. F. Howard, Capt.
F. M. Rude, J. W. Howell, E. R. Lodge, Capt. J. C. Bessier, M. Hackett,
James Stewart, and Mayor J. M. Bell of Paris; C. G. Peck and J. H. Clark
of Mattoon; and Hon. John W. Custor of Benton. State Senator George E.
Bacon delivered the congratulatory address. General Harrison replied:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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