The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-08-19


which work:has been done by the Adjutant- Gen
eral in connection with the duties of his office is
worthy of especial mention.
We desire to call especial attention TO the preser-
walton Of the records Of the Grand Army Of the Re-
public. This IL n matter Of the utmost importance,
and every facility should be afforded the Adiutant-
General TO properly preserve the records, and to
that end we recommend that the Council Of Adj
ministratiOn be dircctedto confer with the Adutant
General and provide proper means for the care and
preservation of the records Of the GAR.
We take pleasure in commencing John Cameron
Acknowledgement, for that conscientious and faith
full performance of duty that entities him to the
waTmest thanks ofthe Grand Army the Republic
and we recommend the adoption Of his report.
Respectfully submitted in r., O. and L.:
Thomas j. Stewart Pa; Alfred G. Monroe Mass;
Oscar F. Iochead, Mlich III. 2. Thompson, H.;
Lorenzo Il. Hill, Me
JUDGE-ADvOCATE-GE GENERAL.
The committee on the report Of this officer
reported that the opinions Of the Judge-Advo-
eate-General are correct and they should be
approved. motion was carried to adopt the
report except as to the cases from New Jersey,
Delaware, and Pennsylvania.
CASES UNDER AMUSEMENT.
The Tneampment then took up the consid-
Grafton Of the New Jersey case. In this case,
the Commander of the Department, with the
advice of the Council of Administration had
suspended the charters of certain Posts. The
Posts appealed directly to the Commander-in-
ment Commander. 1t was claimed by the De-
partment of New Jersey that such direct ap-
peal could not lie, and also that the Com
mander-in- Chief had no right 10 review the
merits of the case The Encampment refused
to concur in the ruling of the COmmander-in-
Chief and Judge Advocate.
The Delaware case raised q question Of law
as to whether certain testimony offered by par
ties upon trial by cOurt-maFtial and ruled out
should have been admitted. The Judge-AdvO-
cate-General decided that it should have been,
and the Encampment sustained his decision.
In the Kane case from Pennsylvania, Kane
being a commissioned officer in the army, was
tried by e0urt-martial, ard was dishonoraby
dismissed from the service. The Wan Depart
ment subsequently revoked the order so far as
the dishOnOrable dismissal was concerned The
question was whether OF not he should be re-
ceived as member of the Grand Army, it be-
Ing claimed that he had not received an honor
able discharge The Judge Advocate decided
that he was eligible, and the Eneampment sus-
tanned the decision.
THE VETERANS on MORMONIsM.
The Committee on Resolutions reported the
following, which was adopted
Whereas the preservation Of the unity Of the Gov
eminent Is the highest duty of all aud whereas il
Is the duty OF citizens everywhere to try and en-
force the laws; and whereas any interference by n
sO-ealled ecclesiastical authority with temporal
affairs IL menace to the instituonsOf the country;
and whereas the Mormon leaders have for years
taught, and continue TO teach their people to look
upon the Government as an enemy, and continue
an organization By and through which the lawsare
nu!litied and the flag insulted now therefore, We
the members of the Grand Army OF the Republic,
In Encampment assembled, recognizing the facts
demand that the fag be everywhere respected, and
do resolve that II is the duty Of the American peo
pie TO require their representatives in Congress to
pass such laws win efeetualIy release the Terri
tories of the United States from the control of said
ms IN neaf ne mn
lection of the laws
sUNDRY MATTERS
On communication from committee from
the Department Of Ohio asking the National
Encampment TO recognize and indOrse Ladies'
Auxiliary Societies, not Relief Corps, the COM
mittee reported adversely, and the report was
adopted.
The committee also reported adversely to a
proposition from the Department Of Arkansas,
asking the Government to locate a branch of
the Soldiers Home at Hot Springs. The report
was coneurred in.
SERVICE PENSIONS.
The majority of the Committee on Pensions
reported adversely to the sO-called universal
pension bill, of which the following is a copy:
Be IL enacted By the Senate aud House Of Repre-
SeGttrsS &c, That all officers soldiers and sailors
who served IN the army, navy or marine corps of
the United states for period of net less than GO
days, between March (, 1851 and July l. 1866, and
who were honorably discharged therefrom. shall
receive a pension of So per month during the re-
mainder of their lives. This act shall take effect
from its passage.
Comrade Bennett, of Indiana, presented the
following minority report
We recommend the adoption of the resolution
offered by Comrade Loriug indOrsing the s. service
pension bill We believe that If this Encanpment
is to truly represent the veterans of the old army it
must itself initiate pension legislation and not ac-
cept the suggestion of pension claim agents and
party politicians that the veterans favor this meas
ure because it spares them degrading conditions
trifling teehnicalities and hooking delays; that
the financial condition of the country permits il !;
that ample presidents support IL that majority
OF the GA II. Posts have pettoned for it, that the
failing health and the energies of the veterans re-
qure it, and that the justice and honor of the
try demand IT,
CoMRADE LORING,
of Massachusetts,, moved that the minority re-
port be substituted for that presented by the
majority of the committee, and repeated his
steotyped speech that he has been making
without change of syllable for years.
COMRADE MERRILL, OF MASS:
If the Grand Army of the Republic wish to ac-
eompiish anything IN pension legislation, to do
anything for our disabled and needy comrades we
to do it standing side by side shoulder to shout
der. rs we did in the olden days. If we divide our
councils, If We antagonize one another how can we
hope to accomplish anything in pension legisla-
ton? Three successive National Encampmeats
nave Salu, TWO Dy unanimous vote ana third by
vote nearly so, that it was wisdom to ask of Con-
gress only part of what our friend who favors the
IS per month asks; that il was wisdom to demand
of Congress. first that the needy the sick and dis
abled should be pensoned before asking Congress
to go further and give pensions to the well men.
Applause.
Now, comrades, the difference between the s. per
month men aud the Pension Committee is this:
They believe in asking 50 for everybody now The
Pension Committee believes that il is a matter of
wisdom TO ask first the pensions for the cripples
for the legess, the armless, the eyeless the sick
the men in the alnishouse, and that the well men
should stand aside while the procession goes up to
the front. Applause. My cOmTadc Loring saws
there only two parties in this pension business,
the IS a month man and the claim agent. If that is
so the National Pension Committee and the Ma
tiOnal EnCampment are branded standing with
the claim agents of the country and against the
veteran. l resent, In the name of the National
Encanlpment and the Pension Committee that
imputation. Applause. My eorlradc has good
deal To say about the claim agents and certain fee
bill. Claim agents may fight out their own battles
with him. am not interested in them. The old
law gave to pension agents $40, in each case to be
paid by the applicant in advance and to be retained
by the claim agent whether successful in the case
not. The result of that law was to make claim
agents induce everybody, whether they thought
they had claim or not, to file claim, pay their
$40 in advance and this dishonest claim agent did
not care whether he received his pension or not
Now, the agent may receive So If successful and
the amount that the claim agent receives is less
than Sl3 in each case, because that is about the
proportion-lSs successful claims out of %.
NY eomrade says that if you pass the s. service
pension BILL a mans honorable discharge is his
pension certificate, and he has nothing to do but to
go to the post-otfiee and get his IS month. What
arrant nonsense! If the IS a month pension bill
should pass the applicant must send his application
to the Pension Office, the same as he does now
The Pension Office does not accept, and YOU will
never get a law through Congress TO accept, "a