The Portland daily press., 1885-06-25

been issued 81 900 badges, which has yield ed
to the national encampment profit of $500,
the badges having been contracted for at
twenty seven cents piece. This is lower
than any former contract price.
1t will be seen that the sale of badges pro-
yides large revenue, W hich saves necessity to
increase the per capita tax, and thus every
comrade is peculiarly interested in procuring
badges through national headquarters. In
addition to this question of revenue. every
comrade should feel just pride in wearing
badge manufactured from captured cannon,
and in no other way can they obtain genuine
captured cannon badge. In this connection it
is proper 20 recall the resolution of the
eighteenth national encampment. especially
prohibiting comrades from wearing any other
membership badge than that supplied by
tional headquarters.
Commander in Chief Beath reported to the
last encampment as having contracted with the
ordance department for the twelve bronze
pieces of rebel cannon which have been de-
livered to us, weighing in all 1928 pounds,
for which we have paid 81 ,947,O7. The pieces
are all of Confederate manufacture, and gave
evidence of hard usage.
For the Hon. Robert T. Lincoln, secretary
of war, General Stephen V. Benet, chief of
ordnance, and Past Department Commander
Alexander, of the department of the Potomac,
who kindly interested themselves in securing
these cannon, we have had prepared and pre-
sented to each profile cast Of ex- Presidents
Lincoln and Garfield, made of cannon metal
and handsomely framed. These were pre-
pared and without charge, on behalf of the
national encampment by Comrade J. X. Da
wilson of Philadelphia.
DECISIONS.
In accordance with the opinions rendered by
the Judge advocate general have made the
following decisions:
l. A post may adopt bylaws fixing certain
nights for the muster of recruits, and having
regularly adopted such bylaw, may refuse
to muster u recruit who presents himself for
muster upon any other night.
2. post commander. whose post was dis
banded in 1874, and he did not join another
| post until 1883, lost all honors and privileges
| acquired by having been post commander, and
| was not, upon again joining the order, entitled
| to seat in the department encampment by
| reason of his being past post commander of
| such defunct post.
8. There is no provision in the rules and
regulations authorizing member of the coun-
| Gil of administration of department to dele
| gate his official powers to another by proxy.
4. A comrade who has been dropped from
| the rolls of post on account of on-payment
| of dues for a year or more, is no longer
member of the Grand Army of the Republic;
and the post of which he was member has
no jurisdiction over him for any purpose, ex-
| cept to receive his application for re-instate-
| ment.
| 5. A department encampment having pro-
vided by its bylaws duly enacted, for a relief
| fund, to be raised by assessments and dona-
| tion and board to manage and disburse the
| same, subsequent encampment cannot, by a
new resolution framed by majority vote,
transfer the money in this relief fund to its gen.
eral fund.
6. In the absence of any action by the de-
| partment encampment fixing the time and
| place for holding its annualmeetings, the power
| to fix the time and place therefor deyolyes upon
| the council of administration.
| I. An officer who was by order of the Presi-
dent dishonorably dismissed from the army
June 10, 1864, and whose disability to re- enter
the army attaching to this order was removed
by another order dated July %, 1879, is not
eligible to membership in the Grand Army of
the republic.
s. After an applicant has been duly elected,
but before he has been mustered, if he should
SO conduct himself as to convince the comrades
| of the post that he is unworthy of membership
in the Grand Army of the Republic, they may,
by vote of the post, ask the department com
mander to set aside the ballot by which such
applicant was elected, and it is lawful for him
to set such ballot aside.
8. A person who served during the war the
| suppression Of the Rebellion only as citizen
or volunteer aide on the staff of general Off
Ger, without having been commissioned or
mustered into the army, is not eligible to
membership in the Grand Army of the Re
| public.
Your attention is called to that portion of
| the Judge advocate generals report which re-
fers to the irregularity of comrades and post
officers in addressing questions for decision
direct to national headquarters, instead of to
their departments.
here desire to introduce the substance Of a
letter written by me to a distinguished COM
rade early in my administration, briefly en-
bodying my views upon the growing evil OF
the misuse of titles:
II sincerely trust that Grand Army journals,
everywhere, will take position to mould sen :
timent among the comrades against the lavish
misuse of titles. Not oulY is the writer spoken
of in the press as General" but nearly all
letters and documents received by him come
addressed in the same way, or by some other
designation of rank to which he has never at
tanned. While no comrade more highly than he
honors the soldier who has worthily won and
worn rank and title in the army, yet, in justice
to such, to the rank and file, and to the fact
he reminds all that his line Of duty was in the
ranks of the armies of his country, wherein
he believes faithful service is distinction and
honor of which any American citizen may
justly feel glowing pride"
Experience has strengthened these views
and they are earnestly commended to the ma
tional encampment.
THE VETERANS RIGHTS UNION.
l heartily endorse the organization known
as the Veterans Rights Union, which has
already accomplished much in securing from
those in authority some recognition of the
claims of those, who when duty called, risked
their lives for the preservation of the Republic
The noble purpose and unselfsh patriotism Of
this organization is shown by the fact that its
members are pledged not to be candidates fol
any office, nor to originate any application foi
office. The aims and objects of the organiza
ton are to secure to our comrades their rights
and privileges under sections 1854 and 1900
of the Revised Statutes of the United States
and section 8, chapter 2S7, laws of 1875. In
other words the Union urges, as it rightfully
may and ought, that when other qualifications
are equal, the soldier should be preferred, be-
cause he ,caS soldier.
THE SONS OF VETERANS.
The purposes of this organization are pat
riotic and in full fruition may do great
work yet conviction strengthens with years
that it should be entirely Independent of the
Grand Army of the Republic. The worthy
sons of patriot sres, will by self control better
learn manly self reliance and do not favor
any kind of merging of any other association
with ours. 1 am opposed to the perpetuatior
of the Grand Army, believing the mission O
our great comradeship will have been full
filed when the last comrade has joined the
final muster out.
NOT PRESCRIBED SOCIETY.
knowing that there is nothing in the Crane
Army of the Republic inconsistent with tn,
most exacting personal duty or the strictes
religion, deemed it for the interest of thu
order to appoint special committee to lay it
nature and workings before the proper Cath
Ole ecclesiastical authorities of the United
} States, that they might know our organization
has nothing to conceal and that our purpose
: are commended by all who understand them
l appointed as such committee Comrade
w. S. Rosecrans of California, NJ. L. Nc.
Mahon of New York, and ]. G. Linehan O
Now Hamnshire and have the Measure to her