The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-07-03
PLAIN TALK FROM A VETERAN - LOYALTY
TIE ONLY SAVE BAsTs


PLAIN TALK FROM A VETERAN LOYALTY
THE ONLY SAFE BASIS.
To THE EDTToR: Kansas always leads II Will
not be long before she Will be az the head Of the
y. A. K. column. / also want Kansas TO lead in
the w r. G. work and be at the head OF the col
unan 1t IS painful, therefore, to in THE TRIB-
uNE a letter signed Member from Topeka"
ti>an.) advocating the exclusive plan of member
ship IN the W. r. G.. thought this question had
been settled at Denver at the time of the National
organization of the W. r. G. The writer of this
article IS a member of the c. A. H. and very earn
est and IN full sympathy with the loyal women Of
the land IN forming for every CT. y. r. Post w
X. Z. My partaer In business who is an edu-
Gated physician in good practice. and who
was soldiers wife during the war; and my
self made an active canvass OF our town and
succeeded in getting n w. r. G.. started with a
enarter membership oil 81 loyal women. When tie
representatives OF our w. X. G. went to the Depart
ment Encampment at Topeka they found that
the Topeka W. II. G. had erased the word IoyaI''
from their rituals under the heading of eligibility
of membership, thus restricting membership to the
wives, daughters, etc. of soldiers.
PAST MAJoR-GENERALs' WIVES SOCIETIES.
As member of the G. A. r. have nothing to
say II the wives OF our major generals wish TO form
an exclusive " Past Major-Cenerals' Wives So
ciety, but let their organization be called by its
proper name IL is needless to make further illus
trations
Now, let examine the exclusive plan of men,
bership in its details and bearing on the c. A. r.
to which il processes to be auxiliary and with
which It proposes TO work hand in hand in prae-
tealIy illustrating the three cardinal principles of
our Order-Ffaternity, Charity and Loyalty. Our
Post has one hundred and fifty members of
which not over twenty-five were married men
when they served as soldiers during the war Our
members however with very few exceptions are
married men now-that is, they have married since
the war. The exclusive plan logically carried out
viii ostracse all those women who have married
since the war. Do you suppose we want an aristo-
eraey connected with the GA. r.? Heaven forbid
that such thing should ever occur while there IS
one veteran left in the G.. A. r
II, on the other hand, in the exclusive plan, the
wives OF all soldiers are admitted to membership.
then those women who have married since the
war would become members only through their
marriage; that IS, on the old feudal idea of woman
being only chattel, like a horse q COW or a dog
and becoming member of the w K. G.. only
unGer the ieuds1 cloak OF her husband.
Tine cornerstone OF Loyalty Is thus thrown
away, and these interesting queries present thenn-
selves: q If woman marries minister of the
Gospel, does 1T make her a minister, too? % If
woman marTies lawyer, doesit make her lawyer,
too? t3) II a woman marTies physician does il
make her physician, too? (4) If a rebel woman
marr1es a loyal ex-soldier, does that make her
loyal, too? No argument IS needed TO show the
faliaeles OF the exclusive plan, because it takes
away Loyalty.
The writer believes in wounan's rights-the right
TO educate herself and become a minister of the
Gospel, lawyer, physician, adopt any calling
she chooses according TO her ability but not under
the cloak of her husband father or brother; aud
for this principle will fire I1y very last cartridge
and use the rifle as a club to keep up the fight.
COMPARED WITH THE G. A. r
The great attraction in the G. A. r is that it does
not know any aristocTacy and makes no distinction
OF rank. We all meet upon one common level.
Even our hOnored war general. W. I. Sherman is
In the G.. A Il. only ComFade Sherman. We will
take our Post room any G.. 4. Il. Post room in
the country for an illustration. 1 served three
years as a private az the front with rifle IN my
hand, dong my duty. / participated IN every
battle that my company and command were in.
and it was my fortune or misfortune as YOU choose
to take It, never to be any detached duty of any
kind when n battle occurred but always to be with
the company and on duty at the front. It never
was my fortune TO obtain Through TO visit
my home. The next eomrade to me came with ms
command to the front, and before he ever had
chance 70 fire a shot st the enemy he was
wounded and in due time was dscharged-a cripple
for life. Over opposite sits cOI0red man as black
as the ace of spades. He formerly was a slave and
served faithfully his full time in colored regiment
during the war; and he Is still in the service of his
Uncle Samuel at the present time. Here is
man who came out IN a three months Fegi-
iment he served his time. was discharged and
reIoIned his wife and children Then comes
captain during the war, but his captaiIey does
not make him any better eomTade than the rest.
And so / could go with many more iHustFa-
distinction in the G. A r. between a four years
man or q three months man; We all meet in the
spirit OF fraternity comrades, and only test
OF eligibility 10 membership is loyalty.
OPPOSED To ALL ExcLUsIvENEss
It will be pertinent to ask if these aristoeratio
societies who. on the exclusive plan hide behind
their husband soleiier-eoats, admit eoloTed woeA
INTO their societies and meet them IN the spirit of
fraternity? or If that second grand fundamental
principle of our Fraternity -has to hide
and get cut of sight like that poor principle of
Loyalty? 1t Is needless to inquire if orr aristo-
cratic, exclusive, thou societies
still retain Charity of their principles for
without Loyalty there be but little left of either
Fraternity or Charity. The aim and purpose of
the loyal women of the land IN forming societies
auxiliary TO the G. a. r. Is somewhat the same
basis as the q. a. R.-prmariiy to help poor and
distressed old soldiers. their widows and orphans
of the opinion that the poor old soldier viii
accept the help that Is given him by a woman who
lnul ~ frTr ? 81
Just as thankfully, whether that woman was the
wife OF soldier during the war, or married
an ex-soidier, OF IS only what members of
the Z. a Il. are proud OF being-Ioyal 20 the L.
> flag. trust aristoeratic notions Of exclusive
ness will ever prevail in any Of the societies con-
nected with the G. A. r.. which welcomes all LOYAL
nifty, Charity and Loyaity.-F. NoGL. member Of
Junction City Post, Junction City, Kan.
Relief Corps Roster.
WHEN AND WHERE THE VARIOUS DEPART
MENTs WERE ORGANIZED.
We are indebted to Mrs Sarah Z. Fuller. Ma
tional Secretary, for the following roster Of the
Woman's Relief Corps:
Observation-Disclosures Organized Feb u, 1879 at Fitch
burg; % charter members Pres Mrs Sarah T.
Fuller; Sec, Mrs. katriuer L. Beedle Cambridge
Present officers Pres. Mrs. NJ Susie Goodale;
always been. by invitation of the several Dept
Commanders, at their headquarters in Boston.
Membership, april /, 1854, 1870
New Hampshire. organized Oct. o. 1880 at La
conia- The present officers are Pres, Mrs. LuIl,
Milford See, EIrs. Celia +. z. Foster Milford
Ohio.-organized Jan. &c. lSS4. at GAINESVILLE
Pres, Mrs. Lottie N. Myers; Sec Mrs Ada f.
Clark, Canton. Headquarters, Canton. Sixteen
Corps when organized.
Iiiinois.-Organized Jan 80 1884 at Decatur
Pres, Mrs. Julia G.. Sine, Rockford See. Minnie
Owen, Rockford. Headquarters, Rockford. Five
Corps when organized.
Kansas Organized Feb G. 1891 at Topeka Pres
Mrs Louise II. Brown, 0iathe; Sec, Allie Myers
olathe. Headquarters, Olathe. Eighteen Corps
when organized.
New YorIx.-Organized Feb :, 1884 at Hon
Pres, Mrs Sarah @. Nichols, Auburn; See. Mrs
Maggie L. Hausbeek, Jersey City, Nj. Seventeen
Corps when organized
Connecticut.-0 Organized April l. 1884 at New
Haven. Pres Mrs Elizabeth G. Keifer Water
bury; Sec, Fannie NJ. Bragg, Waterbury. Head
quarters, Waterbury. Five Corps when organized.
Miehisan.-0rganized April ?, 1854 at Lansing.
George Headquarters, Lansing. Ten Corps when
organized.
acknowledgement April ., 1884, at St. Paul.
Pres Mrs. Louise NJ, Merrill, st. Paul; Sec, Jane
f. Harlocker. Headquarters, St. Paul. Fifteen
Corps when organized.
BIaine.-orginized June Il, 1854, at Bangor
Pres, Mrs. Emily V. Littefieid, Bangor; Sec Mrs
Inzetta A. Small Pittsfeld. Headquarters Bangor
Seven Corps when organized
Pennsylvania.-Or June 1919 at Pitts
burg. Pres, Mrs. Terese f. dollhouse. Allegheny
City; Sec, Mrs. Abbie Lynch. Pittsburg Head
quarters Pittsburg. Ten Corps when organized
The following Corps report directly to Ma
tional Headquarters, but in four of them De-
partments will be formed prior to the National
Conventions:
Vermont