Excerpt from Liberty and Union! Speeches Delivered at the Eighteenth Ward Republican Festival: In Commemoration of the Birth of Washington The Eighteen Ward Republican Association commemorated the birth of Washington by a public festival at the Gramercy Park House, on Wednesday evening, February 22d, 1860. At 8 o'clock, the members of the Association and the invited guests proceeded to the dining saloon, where a sumptuous repast was provided. Elliot C. Cowdin, Esq., Chairman of the Committee of Arrangements, presided, while Job L. Black, Esq., President of the Association, and Wm. K. Strong, Esq., occupied seats at the head of the tables on either side of the President, supported at the opposite ends by Messrs. James M. Cross, Jas. M. Thomson, and J. Austin Stevens, Jr. Rev. Dr. Bellows, in a very appropriate prayer, invoked the Divine blessing upon the assemblage and upon the cause of liberty; after which, the company partook of the bountiful provision that had been made for the gratification of their alimentive desires. Having spent an agreeable hour in discoursing the bill of fare, the cloth was removed and the intellectual programme was presented by - The President, who, in announcing the regular toasts, addressed the company as follows: Speech Of Elliot C. Cowdin, Esq. Fellow Republicans: - In assuming the duties of the post which the unmerited partiality of the Committee of Arrangements has assigned me, I claim your generous indulgence. While I am not insensible of the honor, I know full well that there are many, very many, of my fellow Republicans of the Eighteenth Ward, better qualified to discharge the duties of this occasion, but there is no one more earnestly devoted to the noble cause which has brought us together. (Applause.) We are here as neighbours and friends, to interchange friendly and social salutations, and to declare anew our unalterable attachment to the principles of the Fathers of the Republic. We are assembled as Republicans, to rejoice together with exceeding joy, that, after a well-fought battle, a signal victory has been won by the Representatives of the nation, and that the Banner of the Constitution is again planted on the walls of the Capitol. (Loud cheers.) We meet to commemorate the birthday of the pure and noble Washington - that hero, sage, and patriot, "whom Providence left childless that a nation might call him Father." About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.