Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-09-13
AN EXECUTIVE MEETING.
of the Convention-Excitement Over MT. Cleveland's Note of Regret.

I
 COLUMBUS, O., Sept. 13-At an executive session of the Grand Army of the Republic council, held with closed doors in the morn ing, Commander in Chief Req submitted the annual report on the condition of the organ 1zat1on. It was lengthy document and showed that the present membership was 33o,936, gain since the encampment of a year ago of B, ,2S0, although nearly 1000 comrades had died The largest percentage of gain was in Kentucky. Commander Req commented upon the failure of congress to pass the pension bill recommended by the late encampment. An invitation from the Ohio centennial to accept it's hospitality was accepted unanimously. A telegram from President Cleveland, addressed to the Grand Army, was read, which said that owing to pressing public business of the hour it would be impossible for him to be present. He apologlzed for not answering more promptly, saying the invitation had been mislaid, and thanked the organization.
 The Grand Army encampment of 1889 will be held ill Milwaukee This was decided upon by the National encampment late in the afternoon, the vote being unanimous Indianapolis, and Atlanta, Ga, made fight for the honor, but finally withdrew Before the encampment adjourned Gen. N M. Cur tis, of New York; Gen. Goodman, Califor- mia; Gen. J. C. Linehan, New Hampshire; Judge Veisey, Vermont; Congressman Warner, Missouri, and H. M Duffield, De troit, were placed in nomination for the posi- tion of commander in chief Warner Miller placed Curtis in nomination in an elouuent speech.
 It was Il o'clock when Commander in Chief Req called the encampment to order in the Metropolitan Opera house. In accord ance with precedent only delegates were admitted.
 Eoluminous reports were submitted bv the adjutant general judge advocate and quartermaster general. The report of the committee on pensions, submitted by George 5. Merrill, gave rise to a prolonged and ami mated debate. It excited their action in re- gard to national pension legislation, and spoke ill exceedingly bitter terms of the fail ure of the disability bill The report was opposed by delegates from Kansas, Texas and other states, who urged the indorsement of a service pension bill. This was opposed in several vigorous speeches by delegates from Pennsylvania, New York and Illinois and finally the report of the comittee rein doring the ''indigent" bill was adopted.
 There was an exciting scene during the afternoon session of the encampment While the pension was under discussion a number of papers were handed up to the chairman to be read Among them was a dispatch from President Cleveland acknowledging the re- ceipt of invitation to attend the encamp- ment, and explaining that it had been mis- laid by his secretary and forgotten in the press of business. For this and his inability to be present he expressed his regrets The reading of the dispatch, according to some of the delegates, was followed by misses, groans and cheers, and for fifteen minutes the en- campment was in an uproar Half dozen motions were made from as many parts of the room to lay the dispatch on the table and to refer it to the committee on pensions Several delegates demanded vociferously the name of the officer comrade who had taken it upon himself to extend the invitation, and Gen. | Keller, in an excited manner, asked Com. mander Req if he was responsible for the action. He responded promptly in the mega tive, adding that he had no authority to in- ] vite the president. Some of the delegates l took advantage of the circumstance to make | a general onslaught on the presidents pension | policy and his vetoes. Finally all the motions | were declared out of order, and the regular | business was proceeded with.
 Last night it was developed that the invi 1 tation had been extended by the local com | mittee, to which body the reply was addressed, | and that it had gotten into the hands of the | adjutant general of the national encampment by an error in the exchange of papers.