The new North-west., 1888-03-30

GRAND ARMY ENcAMpMENT,
Something of the Montana Department ="
the Recent Meeting.


Something of the Montana Depar'Ho
the Recent Meeting.
In addition to the items OF the en''"p
ment nublished last week the following ""S
be of interest,
A very able and interesting address was
made by Department Commander f.
Waters. It is worthy Of that preservation ~
history which was provided in resolu..on
that 1000 copies of the proceedings OF 'no
four encampment meetings should % pun
1isbed. For this S175 were APPROPRIATED.
We do not believe it can be done tor that
amount, but any reasonable deficit Will
doubtless he met nv personal contributions.
Adiutant- General Cnlyer's report sbo"eu
that one new post-George u. Meaoe' a'
Anacouda-had been mustered in during the
wear. Three camps of Sons of Veterans were
established during the year. The gains OF
the Grand Army during the year were: oy
muster, 1o2; by transfer, 5; by reinstatement
34-total, 43l. Losses: by death, IL; honor
able discharge, 4; transfer, 1G; suspenslon'
412-total, ~ Net loss, IS. Present MEM
bership, 506. The loss by suspension, prin-
cipaliy, doubtless, for non-payment OF dues'
is enormous. In transitory communities
like Montana generally, many join POST
90 elsewhere and are suspended. Many
others are unable to pay the dues which are
necessarily heavy in small Posts, over
three-fourths the humber OF those suspended
we're re-instated, but it is serious question
if some means should not be devised, or at
least urgently sought, Whereby, except lor
other than non-payment of dues, the
rule might be established, "once member
of the Grand Army, always a member" AS
a rule G. A. R. men are poor men. They
spent the best years of their lives fighting for
the Union, while others were amasslng
money, and lost that opportunity to get
start in the world. Some acquired bad hab-
its, many others contracted disease or were
wounded and have never had pension. Ihey
average about fifty years of age now; al
though the older ones dropping out keeps
down the general average, and dues are not
always easily paid. Would it not be well
for Departments to allow Posts the privilege
of retaining deserving but arrearage members
on the rolls, at discretion, and no Depart
ment dues be exacted where no Post dues
are received?
The report of Capt. Henry Romeyn, In
spector. eneral, was complete and com
mendable Capt. Romeyn took great inte-
rest in his work, and was as thorough. going
in that as in all other things he undertakes.
He visited all but three of the NJ ontapa
Pests, expending s!6 out Of the 500 appro-
priated. While he doubtless found a deplor-
able lack of uniformity and care in Post
work and accounts, his report was very
charitable toward those who were slack. He
found two G. A. R. men in aims houses and
two in Post hospitals, all OF whom were
cared fer. There was $50 appropriated for
inspection this year He notified Posts that
old Springfield muskets with bayonets could
be bought in lots of ten for 81 % each by
sending draft to Chief of Ordnance, Wash
ington, D. G.; also belt, cartridge and cap
box for 80 cents per set Boxing costs 81 00
extra Every Post can therefore secure few
stands of arms at nominal cost.
The new officers were published last week,
but an error occurred in the delegates to the
NaGlOUdl hG SOiulAAouoS W Il AS
correct list is Delegates, James H Mills, W.
P. Wyman; Alternates, R. e. Fisk, James
E. Galloway. Col. Galloway was an officer
of General Grants first regiment, and won
merited distinction. Capt. r. e. Fisk served
we believe, in the Almy of the Potomac,
and won his rank by merit. Capt. Wyman
was gunner on board the flagship at Hamp-
ton Roads when the Merrlmac WAS playing
such havoc with the fleet; was one OF the
volunteers who went aboard the Monitor the
Saturday night she arrived to fight the Ter
ror of the Sea, and we are informed, fired
the first gun in that memorable naval duel.
The Banquet given by o. S. Grant Post
No. IA to comrades and invited guests was a
splendid affair. The Macqueen House din
ing room is the largest in the Territory, and
by the way, it has no peer as a hostelry ex-
cept the McBurney House. In this were as
sembled 80 guests with the magnificent 9TH
U. S. Infantry Band, (Which may be remem-
bered as the one furnishing music on the
occasion of the "Gold Spike Driying,") to
discourse music. After the feast Capt.
Romeyn, Master Of Ceremonies, on behalf of
the Posts at Glendive, Miles City. Billings
and Livingston, presented Post Commander
Waters with splendid gold badge. Then
followed the toasts, of the responses to
which we can only cite the following from
the Yellowstone journal Of March 9th,
which published very complete account of
the Encampment.
After these pleasing preliminariss came
the regular order Of toasts, the first being
"Our Country, one and indivisible; may the
good in its past prove but foreshadowing
of its future" To this Comrade T. J. Gal
braith was called upon to respond, and if
his auditors live to be an hundred years old
they may never again listen to such 4 mas
terly handling of this subject; gifted by ma
ture with all the attributes of finished
orator and full to the throat with the suhlim-
ity of his theme the grand old man played on
the heartstrings of his auditors with a master
hand, and sounded to the echo the glorious
sentiment of patriotism in every listeners S
heart. No word of censure or reproach to
the Old South escaped his lips; no recogni-
ton of the valor Of the Union Veterans that
was not coupled with an equal need of
praise for the Confederates; while on the
altar of the New South, rising like a Phoenix
from her ashes, the choicest garlands of his
oratory were hung. He spoke for nearly an
hour without notes. holding his auditors so
spell-bound that he was rarely interrupted By
applause, but at his conclusion he was greet
ed by SO spontaneous and prolonged an out
burst that the very walls shook.
The next toast was s'The Old Flag; may it's
every star shine as beacon Of hope to the
oppressed of every land, until tyranny, op-
preston and wrong shall be no more" Com
rade W. F. Sanders was called to respc nd,
and as his name was announced willing
hands joined in an appreciative welcome to
the silver-tongued orator whom we all know
so we'll. AS he stood before the assemblage
his impressive air and the set expression on
his countenance gave timely notice that
something more than ordinary was pending,
and as the cadences of his exquisitely modu.
lated voice broke upon the ear in reverent
utterances Of the flag Of the free, the promise
was sustained. Without apparent mental
effort, but with an energy that seemed ire
sistible he spoke, and time was uunoted.
Words, liquid and bright as the purling
brook, and others fiery and scathing as wars
blast, came from his lips as he told the his.