The Portland daily press., 1888-02-10
THE GRAND ARMY.
Annual Meeting OF the state En-
campment In Portland.
An Interesting Convention at Park
Winter Garden.
The Annual Reports Of the Principal
State Officers.

State Officers.
The Grand Army were favored with beau
tiful weather yesterday for the first day OF
the State encampment. Not since the Ma
tional Encampment met here have Portland
streets been so full of soldier boys. Brass
buttons, blue suits, slouch hats, adorned
with the red diamond, the Maltese cross,
and other insignia Of the various corps who
fought ON the Potomac, upon the heights OF
Lookout Mountain, with the Army of the
Cumberland, and on the Gulf, abounded.
There were no young men in the crowds,
but gray hair and canes were numerous.
But If the bodies were affected by time the
old spirit was there, and comrades grasped
each other by the hand and fought their bat
ties over again in hotel corridors, and in the
lobbies of the Park Winter Garden.
From City Hall, Grand Army Hall, the
Falmouth Hotel-the headquarters for the
State ofIicers-Thatcher Post Hall, and 9TH
er buildings floated the flag of the Union,
while the stars and stripes waved over the
Park Garden where the Encampment was
held. The theatre had accommodations for
1900 delegates, almost third as many more
seats as were required. The auditorium
was transformed into an eneampment, and
prettily draped with flags, while the win
dows were neatly curtained. A more COM
Portable hall could not be desired.
The encampment was called to order in the
afternoon at 2 o'clock by Department Com
mander Galley. The delegations were seat
ed by counties, placards being displayed in
different parts Of the hall. Among the de-
partment officers present were Senior Vice
Commander Samuel l.. Miller, Chaplain
Rev. @ ii. Shinn, Assistant Adjutant Gen
eral e. G. Milliken, Assistant Quartermaster
General b. f. Beals, Inspector Henry 4. Sell
lers, Judge Advocate +. NJ. Drew and Chief
Mastering Officer l.. ID. Carver. OF the
Council of Administration there were pres
ent j. w. Black, G. w. Hadlock, George A.
Wilson, Charles 4. Wing, and Wainwright
Cushing There were also present Past De-
partment Commanders George l.. Beal, G. p.
Mattocks, Selden Connor, Nelson Howard,
Daniel White, A. c. Hamlin, Isaac s.
Bangs, Elijah M. Shaw, A. B. Farnham,
Benjamin Williams, James A. Hall and
Samuel w. Lane.
F.A. Motley of Bosworth Post was officer
of the day and E. J. Lunt of Thatcher Post
officer Of the guard.
After the encampment was called to Or
der, Chaplain Q. II. Shinn offered prayer.
A committee on credentials composed Of
A. A. G., E. c. Milliken, c. NJ. o., L. d.
Carver, A. /. g., II. L. Sellers and Comrades
J. w. Coppers and J. Deering were appoint
ed. They reported 72O comrades entitled to
seats and votes.
Pending the committees report Depart
ment Commander Galley read his annual adj
dress.
COMMANDER GATLEY's ADDRESS.
Comrades: One year ago at the Goth annu-
al encampment you hOn0red me by electing
me to the highest office in the Department. l
sincerely thank you one and all for the cSn-
fdence reposed in me, and will proceed to
give you short account OF my stewardship
before surrendering the gavel to my success
or. On learning Of my election as command
er hestated at first, as to whether to ae-
cept the position or not, as at that time L
was in deep affiietion at home, and my busl-
ness required all my attention. The ready
effers OF assistance and the assurance OF
hearty support from my comrades all over
the State, however, FASTENED my decision to
assume the command, and to perform the
| duties OF the office to the best OF my abil-
| ity.
Today, my comrads, congratulate you on
having attained your majority as Depart
ment Of the Grand Army. Twenty-one years
ago few comrades representing IA Posts
organized under provisional charter met
In the hall over the First National Bank,
then occupied by Bosworth Post and held
the first eneampment OF this Department.
The early struggles Of the Posts first .orgau-
lied are well known to the older members Of
the order. Many of them died soon after their
organization, and only out of the nrst 4S
Posts survived. In 1878 the Department con-
sisted of n Posts and l, 1888 comrades; today
we number 149 Posts and 9,23S comrades in
good standing, gain In 10 years Of nearly
5000
There has been but one Post organized the
past year, L. II. b. Wilson Post, No. 116, at
Orono, and two Posts, Phil Kearney No. SO
Of Danforth, and Samuel Il. Hunt Post No.
116 Of Troy, surrendered their charters.
There bave been applications for Posts In
several localities adjacent to Posts already
organized, signed by those who have
been members OF other Posts. and some from
comrades in good standing. but after careful
inquiry into all the circumstances connected
with them, we haue not deemed it advisable
to grant their request. We have gained the
past year 208 members, principally from the
suspended list, and hope larger gain may
be obtained the coming year from the same
source. / feel sure that IL the officers OF
Posts would exert themselves great reduc-
tion could be made in the number remaining
suspended at the close of the year.
There have been three meetings Of the
council of administration, one in Portland
in June, one at Ellsworth, July 4th and at
Lewiston in September in connection with
the smi-annual encampment, all OF which
were well attended.
The semi-annual encampment, held in con-
nection with the State fair, was very sue
cessful IL the committee had more time for
preparation, the result would have been still
mo CaffGfaptArU aa thew only had tNEn
weeks to make all arrangements, and the
| change from the fair to the Grand Army
ticket on the railroads not being thoroughly
understood, deprived US of the profit on
| hundreds of tickets sold at way stations.
| The net profit on the fair and campfire was
| S46S.s3, for which we are largely indebted to
| the comrades of Custer Post Of Lewiston
and Burnside Post of Auburn, for the hard
work they put into it and their full attend
| ance at both fair and campfire. Another
| year, with more time to make arrangements,
| have no doubt the amount can be more
than doubled and feel assured the commit
| tee this year can obtain better terms from
the fair trustees than we could from the last
one. as they looked upon it as an expert
| ment.
The 21st National Encampment was held
| at st. Louis, Missouri, Sept. 2Sth, Goth. and
and 30th, and was attended by the Depart
ment Commander, Assistant Adjutant Cen
| eral five representatives and three alter
mates. l am sorry to say none of our Post
Department Commanders could attend
| About sixty comrades and friends accom-
| panied the delegation from here, ana the
| trip out was a pleasant one indeed. The
| citizens Of st. Louis did all in their power to
entertain and do honor to the Grand Army,
and il we had been blessed with fair wealth
| er, there would have been the grandest
| parade of veterans since the war. As 1t was
| 10000 men marched through the mud and
| rain over the route of four miles, while the
| sidewalks were crowded with 100000 more.
| Miles of streets were Illuminated at night
until they were as light as day by thousands
of gas lights ON iron arches and covered
| with porcelain globes.
| The banquet at the Lindell Hotel to the
| delegates after the close of the Encampment
was the grandest it he's ever been my for
| tune to attend. Six hundred comrades filed
the large dining hall completely and at the
close every one voted it the finest banquet
| they had ever attended.
For the business of the National Eneamp-
ment must refer you to the printed prs
ceedings, copies of which the Assistant Ad-
| jutant General will present to each post in
the Department. Suffice it for me to add,
| there was a feeling of harmony and unity
| prevalent in all the meetings, and every
resolution was adopted by majorities so
large as to make It practically unanimous.