The National tribune., 1884-10-02
RELIEF CORPS NEWS.
Gleanings from National Headquar-
ters--NeWs from the Departments.

HEADQUARTERS. NATIONAL WoMAN's RELIEF
CORPS, TOLEDO O.
KATE b. SHERWOOD, National President.
EMMA ID. SIBLEY, National Secretary.
TOLEDO, o.. Sept. %, 1884.
As your news gatherer at National Headquar-
ters / have nodded a good morning to the busy
scene at the Secretary's desk and received the
following for my weekly contribution:
The Provisional Departments report rapid
progress, Minnesota having sent out three APP
plications for charter, and California and Da-
kota have been i'll correspondence with Post
Commanders with the prospect of several new
Corps soon being added to their roster
Department of Dakota has been formed, but the
official report is not yet in. National Core
spending Secretaries are no less enthusiastic
ally engaged in. the discharge of their duties,
Mrs. NJ. Isabelle Foster, of Bangor, Me-, having
forwarded applications to Camden, Ft. Fair
child and St. Adams. She has also assurances
from comrades of Searsport, Milo and other
places, that they have the matter under con-
sideration, and that when the Corps are formed
they shall be under the National Order. Mrs.
Foster is at present sojourning in Massachusetts,,
where she will combine Relief Corps business
with the pleasures of visit, hoping, she says,
to become fully informed in the duties of her
position.
WORKING HAND IN HAND.
Since the last look at the file of Grand Army
communications there has been added well
come message from Comrade c. B. Stilson, Asst
Adj't-Gen., Dept of Iowa, accompanied by
roster of the Department. He says: " We will
take great pleasure in distributing any orders
or circulars that you may wish us TO. Iinclose
one OF our rosters Am now preparing new
one and will forward one as soon as complete"
Aside from the business proper very many
inquiries reach Headquarters from parties seek
ing employment or often it is an appeal from
some needy comrade or his family to extend
aid in an hour of extreme helplessness In all
cases some effort is made. in their behalf--at
least, such appeals never pass by unnoticed !;
and of the latter class, where immediate assist
ance is asked, the case is promptly referred to
those persons empowered to investigate the
case and render such assistance as may be
needed.
Col. Edward G. Miller, Dept Com. of Iowa,
to whom was recently forwarded for his eonsid-
Grafton a letter bearing a story of want and
misery of resident of that State, thus speaks
g / thank you for the interest you have shown
in this matter Your sympathy does honor
to your heart and your society" And again,
If we find that this story is true and that he
is deserving, he has claims upon the State and
US that cannot be ignored We will do what
we can."
Department Commander F. j. Babcock, of
Oregon, is in full sympathy with the objects of
our Order and has already rendered inyalua-
bic assistance to Corps in that State. He writes,
as a conclusion to his letter, Hoping Pro-
yisional Department will soon be an estab-
lished fact, so we may take advantage of the
long Winter evenings to relight our camp-fres
and infuse new energy into both Posts and
Corps" 1t is the intention of the National
President to appoint Provisional President as
soon as possible, with the hope of forming a
permanent Department at no distant day.
Col. Henry NJ. Nevius, Dept Com of New
Jersey, always friend to the cause, sends his
General Order. No. II, containing favorable
mention of the work of the Order in his De-
partment, and giving for the information OF
those interested in the formation of Corps the
address of the National Corresponding Secre-
tary assigned to that special field, Mrs. Maggie
Davis, Brooklyn, n. Y.
EXTENDING THE GOOD WORK.
Applications for charter sent out from Head
quarters are to Comrade John Black Jr Adiu-
tant, Admiral Reynolds Post. Lancaster, Pa;
Mrs. Nina NJ. York, Collyer, Kan; Comrade
Z. w. Beach, Commander, Morton Post, Joplin
Mo. From the good old Green Mountain State
come the names of p loyal ladies enlisted un-
der the name of Chamberlain Relief Corps, No
4, st. Johnsbury, VT, while from Norfolk, Va.
almost in the shadow Of Fortress Monroe, are
others mustered as Shaw Relief Corps, No. 2.
OFFICIAL DECISIONS.
Decisions of the National President for the
past week being embodied for the most part
in those already published, it is not deemed
necessary to reproduce them here, unless it is
to say the recommendation to Department
and National officers to resign executive offices
in Corps viii not assume the form of an Order
while at the same time it will continue a rec
ommendation, to be carried into effect so far as
possible after the expiration of the present
term of Corps Office if not before the President
firmly believing it to be for the good of the
Order. The Past National President, Mrs
Barker, entertains the same view Another
point which will draw second notice is, thai
the question of admitting all loyal women int
our Order, if otherwise eligible, has no longer
place in Corps discussion; and any motion
recognized by Corps or Department which
would either directly or indirectly exclude
| such applicants on the ground that they wer,
not the near relatives of soldiers, is wholly un
constitutional, and, therefore, cannot be sus
tanned by the National President.
DEPARTMENT OF INDIANA.
Prior to the National Convention at Mime
apolis a meeting of delegates from Indian;
/ Corps was held at Elkhart, Ind, to form De
partment. But as the regularly appointed
Instituting and Installing Officer, Miss Emm,
| ID. Sibley, was detained by illness, the meeting
was irregular and imperfectly organized. Con
| ferring with Past Department Commander Jas
| r. Carnahan, at Minneapolis, an officer whose
Decisions and Opinions" as Judge Advocate
/ General, GAR, were adopted and approved
! by the National Encampment, July, 1883, th,
! National President, Mrs. Sherwood was ad
vised to declare a vacancy in the offices of tht
/ Department and the proceedings in convention
! null and void, and to order new election
| Upon her return from Minneapolis this wa
! done, and now, as the following report of Mrs
Holbrooke, National Instituting and Installin.
| Officer, will show, Indiana is squarely OF
| her feet, with every prospect of doing excellen
| work as Department. Mrs. Holbrooke ha
the rare distinction of having instituted three
! Observation-Disclosures Michigan, and now In
diana having superior qualifications as pre-
siding officer and understanding herself ami
her work thoroughly. She was much please,
with her reception at Fort Wayne, where sh
| was royalty entertained. The following is he
| official report of her Indiana visit:
i THOROUGH WORK THIS TIME.
Mrs KATE b. SHERWOOD
National President, W.R.C.:
| Ihave TO report the very harmonious and success
ful organization of the Department of Indiana q
Fort Wayne, Sept. IL, 1884, with full delegatio
present from Shiloh Corps, EliShart; Corps No.
The following officers were duly elected and in
stalled President Mrs. Alice, Griffin, Elkhart;
V.-P., Mrs. Sue Beals. Fort Wayne j. V.-P., Mr.
Hattie Floyd, Kendailville; Treas, Mrs. Mar
Titus, Elkhart; Chap, Mrs. Emily o: Strope, Foi
Wayne; Inspector Mrs. Addie Hall. Kendallvile
Con-, Mrs NJ Jennie Graham Fort Wayne; Guare
Miss Fannie Mendenball, Fort Wayne. Mrs Adeli
Beck, ElShart, appointed Secretary but nt