Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1889-08-29
G. A. R. ENCAMPMENT
AN ADDRESS BY COMMANDER
IN-cHIEF WARMER.
A Big Gain In Membership-A Recon-.
mendatIon to Place the American
Flag In the Public Schools.
Gen. Alger the New
Commander.

MILWAUKEE, Aug. 2s.-The 23d Ma
by Commander-in Chief Warner, at
1O.15. After prayer by Chaplain Whar-
ton, OF the Wisconsin Department, and a
brief intermission to allow the late dele
gates to seat themselves, Commander
Warner, at 1915, began to read his ad-
dress
Comrades and shipmates: ! am here
to givo an account of my stewardship.
The greatest honor ever conferred upon
me was my election as Commander-in-
Chief Of the Grand Army Of the Repub-
lie. In taking the obligations OF the
Office fully realized the importance of
the trust you had confld6d to me, and
then highly resolved neither by word nor
act to do anything that should drive q
deserving comrade from our ranks, and
to do all that in me lay to strengthen the
silver chords of oomradcship that / trust
shall ever bind the surviving soldiers and
sailtrs of tie Union Army and Navy,
one to another as brothers tried.
If, at the end OF my term, am enabled
to place In the hands Of my successor the
banner OF our order Illuminated with the
three great virtues, Fraternity, Charity
and Loyalty, my highest ambition will
have been gratifed.
The position of Commander In Chief
should be. in the futdre, Us 1t has been In
the past, position than which none is
more honorable; position to aspire to
which 10 laudabls ambition; position
that will lend additional lustre to any
name, however great, II Its duties are
we'll performed.
After eulogizing the g. A. r. at length,
the Commander continued:
The growth OF our Organization has
been steady and healthy. Strong as 1t
lie, 1t has never been, and, trust, never
will be used for partisan purposes or to
kratify the personal ambition of any man
or set OF men.
The greatest gain during the year has
teen In the Department of Missouri.
Eight departments show gain 10 men,
bership In good standing OF 10, 824, dis
Illinois. 1888; Iowa, 1913; Nebraska,
1863; Pennsylvania. 17i6; New York,
1905; Ohio, 2O03; Wifconsin. 2023; Mis-
souri,, 3652.
The net gain In membership during the
year Tin good standing) was 81, ,431.
"I commend to each department tho
patriotic practice OF the poets In the De-
partment of New York, of presenting on
the 22d of February, the BIZ thday OF the
Father of his Country, the America flag
to such public schools as are not yet in
ceive the Stars and Stripes from the men
who placed their bodies as living " all
between It and those who would tear II
down. The future citizaDs of the Repub
lie are being educated in the publ,
schools; the flag of their country SHOULD
ever be before them as an object lesson
From its stars and stripes let them learr
the story of liberty as exempll6ed IN tn,
lives of Washington Lincoln, Grant ant
a.. .t..ttn -.
their valor, suffering and death, rendered
the impt rishable fame of this illustriou
trio possible. Let them learn 10 lool
upon the American flag 'by ans els handi
to valor given with as much reverenc,
as did the Israelites look upon the Arb
! of the Covenant Let the 5000, 900 Of
' boys and girls in our elementary schools
be thus imbued with Il reverence for the
flag and all it represents. Then the future
of the republic is assured, and that flap q
5hall forever wave over the land OF the
free and the home of the brave. j"
"rhe last Eucampment alter much
discussion, by practically unanimous
vote, recommended to Congress service
pension bill and what Ia known as The
Disability Pension bill, the latter having
n received the repeated approval of pre-
vious Encampments. This acton was
the result CT comp romise, and In my
judgment was rs wise as II was just and
conservative. My experience in Con.
gress leads me to believe that you will
greatly strengthen the hands OF oui
friends In that body by demanding Al
Milwaukee the pension legislation asked
Tor at Columbus. Let the Committee OF
Pensions take your recommendations tt
Congress, backed by united Crane
Army OF the Republic, and there will bt
no failure. If we are true to ourselves
before the next Encampment every com
Iade disabled by age, sickness or acciden
and the widows aud orphans of veterans
will be borne on the pension roll. w,
should neither give sleep to our eyes no
slumber to our eyeids until Justice i
done our comrades.
'The service pension will come. Th
day is not far distant when an honorable
discharge fsom the Union army or nav
= shall be all the evidence required /,
secure pension to It's holder.
n y
1--WE, the survivors OF thesc men, W
We who gave the best years of our lives to GU
en- c1uutry, will present our claims TO Con
't' gress, and in doing so, will not approach
on tbose In authority with bated breath all
n, whispering humbleness, but rs free me
,ns .as W. will demand, asking only that whic
- is Just. We would rather have tn
- uAtlUn DuI tlfluK Luhu treC
II. monuments TO them dead. My country
m n, said an illustrious comrade. 'thi
'tnns: lie no time to use the apothecary's scale
Wv to measure the rewards OF the men VIII
ri saved tie country The spirit of thes
noble words should govern the legislativ
and executive branches of the Govern
T ment. that the performance OF the natio
Y. may be equal to her promise Comrade.
the Roman youth gloried In singing ho
= well 'Horatius kept the bridge In th
brave days of DID, So. through the agel
. shall the children of the Republic sing
how well you maintained the Constitr
tion, preserved the Union OF the State
established by the fathers, kept the fla
unsullietl, giving to the nation me-
birth of freedom
"Your deeds shall go down In son
and story which shall be sung and tol
by grateful people to the glad comm
time
sWhen the war drum throbs no longe
And the battle flags are furled
In the parliament of man.
The federation of the world.
Commander Warner finished his ad
dress at 1880 o'clock, when the Ell
campment took recess till p. IN.
This afternoon Boston was chosen 9
the next place of meeting. Saratoga, Ir
nf dianapolls and Washington were ais,
nominated, but Boston received en- owe
whelming vote.
OFFICERS ELECTED.