The Republican journal., 1888-02-16
Maine Matters.
NEWS AND GOSSIP FROM ALL OVER TIE STATE


The twenty-lrst annual cncampment, Grand
Army. Department of Maine was held in Port
land last week. The meetings began at P. NJ.
Thursday in the Park Garden Theatre on
Federal street. Department Commander Cat
ley, in his annual address, congratulated the
comrades on having attained their majority as
Department of The Grand Army. Twenty
one years ago a few comrades. representing
fourteen posts, met in a hall over the First
National Bank in Portland, then occupied by
Bosworth Post, and held the first encampment
of this Department. In 1873 the Department
consisted of u posts and 1888 comrades. To-
day we number l49 posts and 923S comrades.
Only one post was organized the past year, f.
ii. Wilson Post No. 1l6. ut Orono. Two posts
have surrendered their charters, Phil Kearney,
Post No. ~. of Danforth, and Sam +. Hunt
Post, No. 1l6 of Troy. Commander Galley
expressed the hope that every comrade in this
Department WILL with voice and vote. heartily
support our national pension committee in
pressing the passage of the disability bill by
the present Congress. The posts throughout
the Department are with very few exceptions
i'll a prosperous condition. Some method was
urged Whereby there may be impressed on the
posts the necessity of forwarding their reports
immediately. The practice of Transforming
Memorial Day into a day Of sport was con-
demHed The sons of Veterans now number
81 camps and 636 members. and influential COM
rades We're urged TO assist them in every possi-
bile manner, feeling assured that not far hence
they VIII be the stan and support of the e.. \.
Il. There many towns in the State where.
with the help of the veterans good camps of
Sons of Veterans might be organized The
Woman's Relief Corps, both the State and
National organizations. are still pursuing their
good work. aud new corps are constantly or
ganlzlng. A good relief corps is essential to
the prosperity of every post. The Soldiers
and sailors Orphan Home was highly COM
mended. The purchase of banner for the
M .fN nIh Xt-ns dali
address closed with commentator of all the
officers of the Department, who have lent their
ready and efficient aid throughout the year.
The ADDRESSES Gle of the best ever delivered
by Il Department Commander.
Commander Galley commended the manage
ment of the soldiers and Sailors Orphan
Home at Bath. aud urged that every comrade
should demand for it that generous support
from the State to which it is entitled. He said :
There have been inmates of the Home the
past year. 10 children. Al the present time
there are -. ranging in age from three to fif-
teen wears. | am satisfied the affairs of the
Home are economically conducted. the average
cost of each inmate being but S12596. less than
il costs to support an inmate of the National
Home at Togu>.
The report of Assistant Adjutant General
+. {. Milliken, of Portland consists largely of
statistics. We omit those given by the Com
mander). Gain during the year by muster in.
602; hy transfer. 12, by reinstatement. 592 :;
total, 1881. Losses during the wear by death
ll2 by transfer, Ill by honorable discharge,
So: by suspension. 400; by di>honorab'e dis
charge. ] by di>bandment. posts: total loss.
lib. Net gain during the wear, POS. There
are 6SJ comrades remaining suspended. large
number of which will be rei.:stated. making
the actual strength Of the department nearly
10000 There have been dropped from the
rolls during the year. having been previously
suspended, 20) comrades. Two hundred and
siNty->even members or their families have
been assisted by the different Posts of the De
partment from the relief fund. One hundred
and seventy-one persons. hot members. have
been assisted. Total amount expended in as
>l>tance. S3l2l.Sl. There have been issued
during the year seven General Orders. three
circular orders and >iNty-one special orders.
About 5000 comrades We're in attendance at
the seml-annua cncampment. The council of
administration has been called together three
times during the year. No serious disagree
mcnts have arisen in any of the Posts during
the year While the increase in the number of
Posts has been small, Il very gratifying gain in
membership has been made.
The Department is now in tlour>hing COLI
dltion. with good prospects for the future.
When the fact is considered that many of the
Posts are few in numbers and scattered over
miles Of territory, their zeal an, fidelity to the
principles of the order are best shown by the
good work accomplished. These Posts many
Of them will he di>banded Only when no com
rade needs the helping hand and the last com
ratie shall be mustered out
The report OF Assistant Quarter Master Gen
eral b. +. Beal> makes the following showing
Cash on hand Jan. 1>t. l>>1, S2.0S4..S; re-
eeipts during 1857. S5,>W. Il expenditures in
1897. S15.l30.53: cash on hand JAM l>t. 1SSS
S2.326.J6.
In the evening the Comrades enjoved Them
selves about the city. Boswell and Thatcher
Post halls were open and many informal social
reunions held.
mittee> Were received and accepted. The re-
port of the committee on salaries recommends
ed for Assistant Adjutant General. $500; Quar-
ter-Ma>ter General. $500: Inspector. So Chief
Mastering Oiiicer, Ss9; Chaplain. $40 The re.
port was accepted, A resolution on the
death of Col. I. \. Roberts was passed.
The following resolution. offered by f. VI
Drew, of Lewiston, was passed: Resolved
that the department Commander shall annually
appoint committee Of five, to be known as the
committee on pensions, and that il shall be The
duty of said committee to Law before the proper
committee of the Legislature of the state such
matters as the Encampment may adopt relative
to State or national pension matters. \ resollt-
ton was passed that the Department of Maine
meinorlailZe Congress to appropriate sutfc-
eht sum of money to erect monuments on the
battlefield of Gettysburg to such organizations
OF the regular army As took part in the battle
Officers Were elected at the afternoon ses-
sion. The ballot for the Department ComlnaIi-
der resulted: Horace II. Burbank. of Saco
2l9 votes: f. NJ. Drew. of Lewiston. 50: ard
Col. Burbank was declared elected. The other
oibttio tIttttu were. Stlllof NOn1nlanUpf
\. J. Crockett, Rockland; Junior Vice Com
nander, +. w. Haskell. Wateryie: Chaplain
Rev. q. y. Shinn, Deering: Medical Director
}. b.. Parsons; Council of Administration
Isaac Dyer. Skowhegan. {. W. Hadlock. Port
land, q. A. Wilson. South Paris, W. Crosby
Dover. {. +. Nash. Augusta.
y resolution III regard to the equalization OF
back pay Was referred to the committee Oh
pensions. The place of holding its next ell.
campment was left to the Council of Admins
tration.
Commander-in-Chi Rea. Junior Vice Com
mander Llnnehan and Col. Dudley, of Lynn
Were received and given rou>ng cheers. They
responded in brief speeches. Department
Commander Burbank was installed. and APP
pointed +. {. Mlliken. of Portland, Assistant
AdJutant General and b. +. Beals. of Auburn
Assistant Quarterma>ter General. Tie en-
calnpment then adjourned.
The Grand Army Camp Fire i'm CITY Hall
Friday night was one of the biggest affairs OF
the kind ever given in Portland. At AN early
hour the galleries were flied with ladies. and
Chambers band gave a concert. On the floor
were set tables. and plates We're laid for oven
600. Commander Melcher. of Bosworth Post
called the company to ORDER and Rev. Q. IL
shinn said grace. Then there was singing by
the Portland tlale Quartette after which 10(
Young ladies' came on the stage and gave the
pitcher drill. afterwards acting as walters al
the dinner Dinner came next and six hun.
'lred veterans took hold with will, while the
crowds i'll the galleries made the scene lively
ana The band played during the repa>t. After
dinner Major Mecher made an address of wei.
come and Hon. Henry b. Cleaves acted as
POSTMASTER. When he proposed the first toast
Our Country and Our Flag and the veneer
able eNNice President Hannibal IIamlin rose
to respond, the hall rang with round after round
of applause, and his speech was applauded to
the echo. COMMUNICATIVE hief-Rea responded
to the toast. The Grand Army of the Repub-
lie" and was enthusiastically received. Other
toasts were responded to as follows 1.-The City
of Portland" by Mayor Chapman; ''The State
of Name" by Gov. Marble; '.Our Volunteer
Army by Hon. W. L. Lunt, of Portland
Our Navy by Past Department Commander
X. X. Galley, of Portland; Comrades who
Never Came Back by Rev. Mr.. PAYNE, of
Pine street Church. Portland. The exercises
closed by the whole company rising and singing
"Auld Lang Syne.'
DEATH OF COL. THOMAS A. ROBERTS
Colonel Thomas A. Roberts, colonel of the
18th Maine Regiment, died at his home in Port
land, Thursday forenoon. He was II years of
age. Col. Roberts was one of the Old-time cap
tains in the militia service and commanded the
Portland Mechanic Blues which is one of the
oldest militia organizations in the State At the
breaking out of the war, he was instrumental
in raising regiment for the field and was cho-
sen coloner, it being mustered in in 1862, and
entering upon the duty of command in one of
the forts near WASHINGTON IN nctnhar +ho