Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-01
THEIR NEW QUARTER
Encampment No. / of the Union
Veteran LegiOn's Dedication.
SPEECHES BY OLD ARMY OFFICERS.
Other Observances Of the Inaugural Day
Held at Night.
BISHOP PHELAs AND TIE COLUMBUS

The old vet. was in bis glory last night,
and be had his wife, children and relatives
with him at the dedication of the new hall
of Encampment No. 1, Union Veteran Lee
gion, No. n Sixth avenue. Colonel Com
manding F. G. Dorrington presided ;and
General Pearson, in addition to making the
opening speech, introduced the other speak
ers and was master of ceremonies
generally. 1t is needless to tell those
who know General Pearson that
he chased dull care away by making his
auditors roar with laughter from time to
time. The organization has one of the fin
est and most capacio us halls in the city, in
fact two Of them, but the rear one is sub-let
to number of secret societies who meet
every night in the week. The library is be-
ginning to-fill up and war histories SO far
predominant.
The veterans meet at any time they feel
like it, either to transact business or to fight
their battles over again, and they testify to
vast amount of enjoyment therein, and
ask for no help from the public. The OBJ
jects Of the association were fully set forth
by the speakers. General Pearson detailed
its history, telling how Encampment No.
had been formed in this city
BY FIVE OLD SOLDIERS.
Then Philadelphia heard of it and took out
a charter for similar organization, and
from the germ in this city the Veteran
Legion has spread from State to State, until
the North is dotted by such organizations as
the irmanent is with stars. Said he:
There were .S75 battles and skirmishes fought
during the war. and every old soldier fought
to be here some night and hear them lie Some
were wounded in every battle of the war, and
allowing that man shed one drop of blood in
each battle, he lost 5,S75 drops Of blood,
and yet they are able-bodied. I have
been elected twice commander because
am the most truthful man in the organiza-
toni I want some other man elected to give
him chance to learn to tell the truth. While
We keep green the memory OF the dead like
other soldier organizations, we are mainly de-
voted to taking care Of the interest OF living
soldiers, and since our organization in 1884, we
have paid our way and have never asked the
public for dollar When we can't pay we
will start dime museum and Mayor CaIlow
has promised to give trick show.
A quartet then sang "Annie Laurie"
and subsequently filed in the gaps between
each speech.
Inspector General Chapman, Of Bradford,
told how he came to this city to secure some
women organizers to build up Woman's
Relief Corps in Bradford. He is amember
OF profession that cannot lie-is an honest
lawyer like Pearson.
HANDSOME HARRY WHITE.
General Harry White, Judge of the court
OF Indiana county, referred to our complex
system of government, which until lately
had been considered an experiment. but
100 years of Constitutional rule.
marked by the greatest progress ever
made, have made it a model for
the builders of civilization. While be
thinks the war of 1861-65 will be the last
ever fought in the United States, those
years will ever be an epoch in history.
While with the young the Civil War is
tradition, with gray headed veterans it is
and no ceremony is vain. no time
that gives proper direction to
right thought and effort. The cause Of the
in 1861 was not known by the
masses Of the South. Nest of the people
there were like the rebel sergeant who had
Judge Jeremiah s. Black in charge as
prisoner at Harper's Ferry. When asked
in Judge Blacks presence, by some
of his comrades what the war
was about, the Sergeant replied: "They say
the war is for our rights. I don't know
whether I've got mine or not, but if I
haven't, d-d if I don't want them"
While the masses of the South were ac-
quainted with their State governments, they
knew nothing more of the General Govern
ment than that it delivered the mails to
them once week. If the war had done
nothing more than teach the South the
functions and principles of the General
Government the accomplishment would
have been of immense value. In the North
it was different. The people here understood
why the contest was waged on their part
In conclusion General White opposed the
commercial speculation that proposed the
removal of Libby prison to the shores of
Lake Michigan. He thought the memories
that cluster about it on the James river
would not follow it to Lake Michigan.
EULoG1Es OF WASHINGTON.
John II. Kerr, Esq, regarded the day an
appropriate one for the dedication of the
hall as it assisted to preserve the memory of
another grand event. the Inauguration of !
The Unions first President. Turning to the
portraits of Washington, Lincoln and
Grant, hanging in the rear of the presiding |
officers chair, Mr.. Kerr epitomized the |
merits of each in fitting terms. He said:
IF we do praise ourselves overmuch, you
will forgive us when you remember that we |
meet over the Office of gas company
In winding up, or rather running down, |
Mr.. Kerr stated that the great figure of the |
Civil War was the private soldier who |
periled his life on the scant promise of only |
possible renown and for mere pittance.
Judge Slagle referred to the formation of |
,wo parties at the close of the Revolution, |
me the Federal, contending for a strong |
central government, and the other the Ma
;ional Republican, which now is known as
,he Democratic. which was jealous of CEN
rallied power, urging its distribution among
he States. Washington was the wonder of 1
he world and is still the wonder |
If Europe. His rejection of crown after
lis glorious services, crown which would /
nave been freely given him by the nation,
vas up to that time the grandest spectacle
.ver witnessed by the world, but the vol
lntary surrender of unconquerable power
~ million Of trained soldiers, with arms
n their hands, at the close OF /
,ur Civil War, relapsing quietly into
million peaceable private citizens,
vas a spectacle equally grand with Wash
ngton's refusal of the crown.
THROUGH THREE CRISES.
Judge Thomas Ewing referred to three
periods in which this country each time
passed through great crisis. At the close |
# the Revolution anarchy stared it in the
ace. The evil was averted by the headoption
# the Constitution of 1887, framed by men
yreater than whom none ever existed in the
history of the world. The second was
,aused by the growth of the slave power
md of the doctrine of States rights, and
vas appeased by peaceable methods, and the +
bird was met by these veterans in the Civil
War, who, after establishing the national
ife, separated and lost themselves in the
luiet Of citizenship l .'stH 4
Colonel A. B. Hay stated that if anyone
wanted to know why it was necessary to
maintain these soldiers organizations, he
would reply that twas because the loyal
,eople OF the country had failed to do their
Iuty by them-had not done what they
Promised to do when these veterans went
ut to meet privation and death in 1861. He
ould not understand how General White
anne TO develop 50 much love for Libby \
1rison after having gone 10 SO much trouble