Page:The World's Famous Orations Volume 10.djvu/135

 GRANT

REASONS FOR BEING A REPUBLICAN^

(1880)

Born In 1822, died in 1885; graduated from West Point in 1843 •, served in the Mexican War in 1846-48; a Colonel in the Civil War in June, 1861 ; a Brigadier-General in August, 1861 ; a Major-Qeneral of Vol- unteers in 1862; Commander of the Army of West Tennessee in 1862; made Lieutenant-General on March 2, 1864; Commander of all the Union armies, March 12, 1864; received Lee's surrender at Appwmat- tox on April 9, 1865; made General, July 25, 1866; Secretary of War in 1867; elected President in 1868 and reelected in 1872; an unsuc- cessful candidate for renomination in 1880.

In view of the known character of the speaker who is to address you to-day, and his long public career, and association with the leading states- men of this country for the past twenty years, it would not be becoming in me to detain you with many remarks of my own. But it may be proper for me to account to you on the first oc- casion of my presiding at political meetings for the faith that is in me.

I am a Republican, as the two great political parties are now divided, because the Republican party is a national party seeking the greatest

> One of the few speeches made by General Grant after he retired from public life. It was delivered at Warren, Ohio, on Sep- tember 88, 1880. He was then presiding at a Republican mass-meet- ing, and made this speech before introducing the orator of the day, Eoacoe Conkling, who, on June 5 of the same year, had made the speech nominarting him (Grant) for a third term. 107

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