“It has been especially gratifying to me to participate not only with the people of Philadelphia, but with the people of the great West, where I have recently visited, in doing honor to the American army and the American navy.  No nobler soldiers or sailors ever assembled under any flag.  You had with you to-day the leaders of Santiago, Porto Rico and Guantanamo.  We unfortunately had none of the heroes of Manila with us.  But I am sure that our hearts go out to them to-night and to the brave Dewey and Otis and Merritt, and all the other gallant men that are now sustaining the flag in the harbor city of Manila.”

(A voice, “How about Hobson?”)

“The American people are always ready for any emergency, and if the Merrimac is to be sunk there is an American officer to do it.  He succeeded in doing what our foe has been unable to do, sink an American ship. (Applause.)

“I ask you, gentlemen of the Clover Club, to unite with me in toasting the Army and Navy of the United States, without whose valor and sacrifice we could not celebrate the victory we have been celebrating to-day.  Not only the men at the front, not only the men on the battleships and in the battle line, but the men at home with ambition to go to fight the battles of American civilization, should be the recipients of the gratitude of the American people.”

Hobson and his men were a great feature of the parade in the four-in-hand.  Hobson, during this visit to Philadelphia was caught, surrounded and captured at his hotel and was forced to make a speech, of which there is this report: 

“The young officer was plainly embarrassed.  His red face suggested it, his trembling voice told it.  In a low tone and frequently pausing, as if from a loss of a word, he said: 

“’Your reception has been so very kind that it seems almost as if I had lost the power to say anything.’

“Someone called out:  ’Never mind, you had nerve enough to go into Santiago Harbor,’ and then the crowd gave three cheers for Hobson.

“He began again.  ’The incident you have referred to is one you unduly magnify.  Believe me, it was really nothing more than a little bit of work, which came to my men and to me to do in the ordinary course of strategy in warfare.  That was all it was, a little bit of work, and it is sheer exaggeration to say anything else.’

“‘Can’t agree with you!  Can’t agree with you!’ was the shouted answer from the crowd.”

At the Clover Club jubilee dinner, Captain “Fighting Bob” Evans gave a wonderfully interesting account of the destruction of Cervera’s fleet, closing with a grim picture of war the celebration of peace.  He had been speaking of the blockade of Cuba, and insistently called upon to tell about Santiago, said: 

“Of our little scrap, it was the prettiest mix-up that was ever seen.  I want to say that no fleet ever met a braver enemy than we did at Santiago.  Those Spaniards stood up and got killed in the best possible shape.  Six hundred of them died in less than thirty minutes, so you can see that there was very little flinching on Cervera’s ships.