Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-02-14
Politics aud The g. A. r.

The Milwaukee Sunday Telegraph
is generally regarded as especially a
soldiers journal, and as authority on
matters pertaining to the G A. r.,
of Wis, therefore the following
from last Sundays issue of that pa
per should be accepted as conclusive
of the non-political character of the
organization:
A gifted liar who misrepresents
some newspaper at Washington,
sends out the following dispatch:
Rather curious reports are coming from
| Michigan TO the effect that Sherman move
/ ment is actually instituted there through the
Grand Army of the Republic organization
pledge is circulated among the ex-union soldiers
/ to support only such men for delegates as will
1 support Sherman at Chicago. and a pledge is
also taken to vote for him if nominated These
/ pledges are signed alike by the republican and
/ democratic members of the Grand Army or
ganization, and the boys are very enthusiastic
/ upon the subject"
Article XI., of the regulations of
the Grand Army of the Republic, is
as follows:
No officer or comrade of the Grand Army of
/ the Republic shall in any manner use this or
4 sanlzation for partisan purposes, and no dis
cussion of partisan questions shall be permit
I ted at any of its meetings, nor shall any nomi-
/ nation for political offices be made"
There is no rule of the Grand
Army more strictly obeyed than this.
In no organization Of the Grand
Army is any political question dis
cuSsed or raised. There was dis
position a year ago, in some Grand
Army organizations, to agitate the
questions relating to Fitz John Por-
ter, but it met with no encourage
meut and was discountenanced and
abandoned as being TO some extent
political in its character. Reliable
reports from the recent Grand Army
encampment in Illinois are to the
effect that the rumors which repre-
scented the order as divided on the
question of governor between rival
republican candidates were entirely
unfounded. Little squads Of com
rades, getting together, may in a
familiar way talk politics among
themselves; this cannotbe prevented;
but the policy and constitution of
the Grand Army forbid the introduce
ton of political questions into any
branch of the organization; and the
prohibition is sacredly respected and
rigidly enforced. In view of this
fact, any reader of a newspaper who
finds report that the Grand Army
anywhere is organizing for political
purposes, may put it down as sensa-
tional and false. 1t may be that oc
casionally demagogue gets into the
order in hope that it will cid his POI
Utica advancement, but lie soon
finds that his labors in that direction
are in vain among the comradeship
of the Grand Army.
The Milwaukee Sunday Telegraph
is in danger of being eassed as an
implacable bloody shirt organ.
Hear it:
OF course Colonel j. S. G. Black
burn, Kentucky's new senator, will
enjoy marching into the senate to
take his seat, But his Joy would
seem like gloom compared with that
be would have experienced twenty
years ago had it fallen to his lot to
march his rebel regiment through
Pennsylvania avenue to the capitol,
tear from it the stars and stripes,
march into the senate, drive from the
chamber, at the point Of the bayo-
net, Sumner, Wilson, Howe, Trum-
bull, Chandler, Grimes, and the bal
ance Of the senators; fire the mag
uiticent building, make Lincoln and
Stanton prisoners, sack and burn the
city and thus strike terror to the
hearts Of the loyal north. That
would have afforded him indescrib-
able Joy. Senator Blackburn would
not have hesitated to give his life
to do all that twenty years ago. The
changes which time makes are mar
vellous. Who cannot enjoy seeing
Senator Blackburn walk into the
chamber, take the oath and occupy
the seat vacated by Sumner, much
better than he would have enjoyed
seeing Colonel Blackburn driving
congress out and firing the capitol.
This is a great and most forgiying
Republic.
LEAvESwoBrH Free La5ce (Bour.
bon ranten: A squad Of saltinban-