Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1885-07-02
GRAND ARMY MEETING.
A Great Gathering at Portland
Marvellous Growth Of the Order
in Recent Years.
Important Recommendations Of the Com
mander-in-0hief-T Woman's
Department.

The nineteenth annual encampment of
the Grand Army of the Republic, which
was held at Portland, Me., last week,
eclipsed any gathering of the order hereto
fore held, and the capacity of the Pine
Tree States chief city was put to a crucial
test in providing adequate accommodations
for the immense throng. We condense
from the dispatches the following report of
the doings of the order during its three
DAYS encampment:
The streets through which the parade was to
pass were crow ded with reople and gay with
bunting At eleven o'clock the signal gun for
starting the procession was fired. and tn
great line moved forward without halting
un Il the PROCESSION had passed a given
point, when 10 WAS made prarent how great
Is the number of Grand Army men now here.
lt had been calculated that it would require
two hours for the procession to pcss, but
tnst tead of that IL took more than three
houis. The most careful est mates of the num-
ber OF men in line place the figures at $4,000,
OF whom 10000 wore the Uniform Of the Grand
Army OF the Republic. 1t appears that some OF
the commanders in several of the departments
had been overlooked in the instructions as to
their positions in the parade. and those who
time and finding no place assigned for them,
gave mp the idea Of joining in the procession,
and took favorable positions for watching the
marching OF their comrades. Entire posts OF
many of the departments, including a number
from the West, and even in the Depai tment OF
Maine, did not participate in the parade, and be-
cause OF this neglect it Is calculated that more
than 8, 90 members Of posts did not parade. The
oversight was due to the disregard of official
orders that all posts should register on arrival.
The executive committee declare that nearly sc
per cent. more men have come than the m
men Instead OF six Il has been found neccs- s
sary in some cases to put ten men in tent.
This crush could not be foreseen by the com
mittee, and they disclaim any responsibility.
Commander in Chief Kountz was greeted with
generous applause from all sides, and Gen.
Logan, who rode in carriage with Congress-
man Reed, received a continuous ovation.
When the line had entered Congress street. on
It's way TO the encampment, where the process
sion was to be dismissed, Commander-in-C Chief
Kountz, Gen. Logan, and many other distin-
guished men lett the procession and were driven
rapidly through other streets 10 the reviewing
stand.
Upon The grand stand we're Commander-in
Chief Kountz, Gems. Logan, Slocum, Robinson,
Beatty, and Black, ex-Gov Fairchid, OF Wis
consin. and Governor Alger and staff, OF
Michigan. After the end Of the procession had
passed the grand stand, soldiers called loudly
for Gen. Log gan. who was obliged to respond
briefly, referring merely to the benefits OF the
In the evening a reception was rendered to
Commander in Chief KountZ, as a representa-
tive of the body, at City Hall Addresses Of
welcome were delivered by Gen. Hall, Depart
ment Commander of Name; by Gov. Robie,
who also paid tribute to Gen. Grant; and by
Mayor Deering, of Portland. Commander
k9pntz ks 5 Eeglsd On RSshalf 2S himself aRSSo
Gen. Henry w. Slocum, of New York, and Gen.
Logan.
The business session was held in the City
Hall. The delegates were distributed through
the hall by States, their positions being indi-
Gated by little banners upon black walnut poles.
The galleries were open to comrades having the
national countersign. and they were well filled.
At lS4S the gaysl te SRge tRs Sy
Chief shanafelt, of Michigan, the roll or mem
Commander in Chief Kountz, in his address,
stated that the order now consisted OF thirty
eight Departmental, 5,026 posts, and 2s7.637 MEM
bers. During the eleven months now ended
the membership has increased s7,0si. The
Commander Chief advised that OF
sst ths sSs2t ,bond SIsH be ssnd ana
that there should be no further increase OF
funds at the national headquarters. During the
year the Commander-in-c chief travelled more
than $4,000 miles in his official capacity, having
visited all the departments except those OF Flor
ida, Arkansas, and New Mexico. The address
contained u reatfrmaton of the claim of DIR. B.
f. Stephenson, of Springfield, Ill, to be the orig
inator Of the order. and commended the Neter.
ans Rights Union, the Sons of Veterans, and
the Woman's Relief Corps, and pronounced In
favor OF so amending the pension laws that
every disabled soldier entitled thereto shall re-
ceive a pension from the date Of his disability.
I,esed - .as parpstaation of the Grand Army,
believing the mission Cf our great comradeship
will have been fulfilled when the last comrade
has joined the final muster-out. Knowing that
there is nothing in the Grand Army of the Re-
public inconsistent with the most exacting per-
sonal duty or the strictest religion, deemed 1t
for the interest of the order TO appoint special
committee to lay its nature and workings be-
fore the proper Catholic authorities of the Unit
ed States, that they might know our organiza-
tion has nothing to conceal and that our pur-
roses are commended by all who understand
them. The committee reported, having fulfilled
its mission, that assurances had been given by
Archbishops Ryan and Gibbons that nothing
could be found in the aims OF the Grand Army
to prevent any good Catholic from becoming
member
The Commander-in-C Chief deprecated par
ticipation in politics as an organization, and
urgently advocated the Mexican pension bill
and bill to grant disabled soldiers pension
from the date OF disability. He also urged that
Decoration Day be not desecrated by devotion
to recreation and pleasure. The Womans Re-
lief Corps now has twenty-five permanent and
three provisional departments, with subor-
dinate corps in nearly all the States where the
Grand Army exists.
RESOLUTIONS of sympathy with General Grant
were adopted by unanimous rising vote, amid
great cheering. Remarks were made by several
comrades eulogistic Of the sick soldier at Mount
MacGregor
Commander-in Chief Kountz was presented
and another made of wood from every State and
Territory in the United States which gavels are
TO be used by the Grand Army of the Republic
so long as it exists, and then by the Sons OF
Veterans. The vote to meet at San Francisco
next year was Two 10 one.
The formal session of the Woman's National
Relief Corps opened with speeches by Past
Grand Commander Paul Vandervoort, OF Ne
braska, and Past Grand Chaplain Foster, of New
York. Mrs. Logan was introduced to the as
sembly, and in few words thanked the dele
gates for the manner in which they greeted her.
The report of the President for the year was
read. After adjournment Mrs Logan held re-
ception.