Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-07-30
COMMANDER BEATH s ADDRESS.

our national encampment, we meet In
| this beautiful city of the great northwest
to again exchange congratulations on the
| work more than realizing the hopes of a
| year ago. Because of the ability and zeal
| of the officers of Posts and departments,
| and by reason of devoted labors of indi-
| vidual comrades there have been added
to our rolls over $4,000 members and to-
| day our numbers exceed 253 900.
The returns for the quarter ending
( June 80 are necessarily incomplete, but
gains reported by the departments for
| the quarter makes the total membership
| at that date 253, S95. On March 81, 1883,
thirty-two departments reported 1915
| posts and 146, 1873 members. On March
| 81, 1884, thirty-six departments reported
| 1923 posts and 233, 595 members, gain in
these twelve months of four departments
and 1,748 posts and 81 Alp members.
| NATIONAL HOMES.
The committee appointed at the last
encampment to secure the establishment,
| by the government of soldiers home
west of the Mississippi, have performed
| their duty with great success, and will
report in detail to this encampment. The
establishment of home in that large Sec
| ton is most excellent project; but the
| great value of this measure is that 1t en-
larges the present system, which provides
| only for those disabled in the service.
| The committee placed in this bill the
provision that all honorably discharged
| soldiers and sailors of the war of the re-
| bellion, who, by reason of old age or dis
ease, are incapable of earning a living,
shall be entitled to all the benefits of the
home, whether the disability was in
cured in the service or not. As congress
has also in this bill recognized the justice
e.
| the benefits of this home, recommend
| that the encampment memorabilia con-
gress in favor of the modification of the
existing statutes SO as to admit our com
rades of the navy to equal privileges in
all the homes. [ was asked during the
| year to assist in the project of raising
| funds for the establishment in Virginia
| and North Carolina of homes for confed-
| crate veterans. Believing this to be out
| side of the line of my authority, and that
| / had no right to commit the Grand Ar
my in any matter not in the line of our
| declared objects, could only say that the
| proposition would have to go before the
national encampment.
woMANs RELIEF CORPS.
I deemed it duty to call personally on
| the national officers Of the Woman's Re-
| lief corps in Boston to ask if there was
the prosecution of their work. | also met
on several occasions their efficient West
ern organizer, Mrs. Kate B. Sherwood,
senior vice president, and in all these in
terviews was deeply impressed with the
fact that they had in themselves the
ability and resources to carry out the de-
tails of organization, and that what they
most needed from us was the expression
of our hearty appreciation of their work
and of sympathy in their objects. They
are now much further advanced in or
ganization in this one year than the
Grand Army was in the same time. Com
| rades who doubted the wisdom of our
| taking any action last year will soon see
that this Woman's Relief corps is to be
| our Grand Army reserve, ready to respond
for efficient help in all our social and
charitable work.
SONS OF VETERANS.
At the last encampment the following
was adopted:
RESOLVED, That we hail with pleasure ali
organizations having for their object the
perpetuity of the principles which are
dear to us, and we recognize in the Sons
Of Veterans of the United States of
America one that is entitled to the conf
dence and support of all comrades of the
Grand Army of the Republic.
When this resolution was presented to
the encampment looked on it as general
in it's character and applicable to any of
the organizations embraced in the term
of Sons of Veterans, and remained under
this impression for some months, or until
the publication of correspondence be-
tween a comrade, interested in the work,
and the chairman of the committee. [
then learned that the intention was to
positively recognize one branch styled as
the "Sons of Veterans of the United
States of America" to the exclusion of
the other known simply as "Sons of Vet
erans." If any statement explaining this
difference in their titles was made to the
encampment it escaped my observation,
and that of quite number of members
with whom have conversed, and being
satisfied that there is very general mis-
apprehension Of the effect of the resolu-
ton, it is we'll that you should now un-
derstand the distinction then and there
made. | am at a loss about making any
recommendation and deem it preferable
to call on some of the comrades who have
been specially engaged in this work, for
full explanation, 90 that the encamp-
ment may direct what is best be done. I
feel sure, however, that if the Grand Ar
my is to assume other relationship to the
Sons Of Veterans, y. S. A we should in
sist on the complete abrogation of the
many high-sounding titles that have been
distributed with lavish profusion, and
that they should be required to wear a
uniform that will not be confounGed with
that of the G.. A. r.
THE PENSION OFFICE.
In General Order No. 4, it was an
nounced that over 100000 applications for
pensions were on file awaiting evidence
from claimants; thousands of these were
delayed in settlement by inability of ap-
plicants to ascertain the addresses of
their officers or comrades, and as a 10 cans
of aiding these, the commissioner of pen
sions, comrade. Dudley, requested the
help of the Grand Army, by our furnish
ing, on cards issued for the purpose, the
name and address Of each comrade, with
his company, or regiment, or vessel
These, arranged by regiments and states,
would make directory valuable for such
a purpose and large numbers of our posts
responded promptly to the request made
in this general order, but many others
failed to realize the importance of the
work and have not yet made any returns
/ am informed that, up to July 9, the ad-