The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-08-29
The Third Day of the G. A. Il.
Encampnlent.
COMMANDMENT Chief Warmers
Address to the Soldiers,
A Heavy Strip of Timber De-
strOyed by Fire.
Attempt TO AsSassinate Wit
ness Against Burke.

MILWAUKEE, WIS, Aug. 2S.-EOl-
lowing is the address sof Commander
in-chief Warner:
COMRADES AND SHIPMATES:-I am
here to give an account my steward
ship. The greatest honor ever confer
redupOn me was my election as COM
taking the obligation of the Office l
fully realized the Importance of the
trust you had contided to me and then
highly resolved neither by word nor
act to do anything that should drive
| deserving cOmrade from our ranks, and
| to all that in me lay to strengthen the
| silver cords of cOmradeShip that |
| trust shall ever bind the surviving sol
diers and sailors of the Union army
and navy one TO another as brothers
tried. If at the end of my term L am
enabled s,6L t" place sooo,i in the the
banner of our order Illuminated
with the three great virtues, fraternity,
| charity, and loyalty, my highest am
bition will have been gratified. The
| position of commander-in-chief should
be in the future as it has been in the
past, position than which none is
more honorable; position to aspire to
| which is Il laudable ambitiOn;a position
name however great, if its duties are
well performed. After eulogiZing the
q. A. r., the commander-in-chief con-
tinued: The growth of our Organi-
ZatiOn has been steady and healthy.
| Strong as it is, it has never been and l
trust never will be used for partisan
purposes. or to crafty the personal
ambition of any man OF set of men.
The greatest gain during the year has
been in the department of Missouri.
| Eight departments show a gain in
membership in good standing of IL, SA
distributed as follows: Illinois, ,283;
iowa, 1 ,12S; Nebraska. ,7O9; IPennsyl-
vania, 1,746; New York, IS; OhiO,S
1000; Wisconsin, ., 023; Missouri, 1852.
the year lin good standing1, was
q. Adj"
Commander Warner referred briefly
| to the reports of his staff officers, the
| decisions of the judge advocate gem
eral, the completion of history of the
q. a. R., the census of soldiers and
| sailors, and then took up the subject
of the flag and the public schools. He
| said:
Il commend to each department the
| patriotic practice of the posts in the
department. of New York, of present
| ing, on the I'D OF February, the birth
| day of the Father of his County, the
| American flag to such public schools
as are not yet in possession of one.
| Let the children receive the stars and
| stripes from the men who placed their
bodies as a living wall between it and
| those who would tear it down. The
| future citizens of the republic are be
| ing educated in the public schools.
| The flag of their country should ever
be before them as an object lesson.
| From its stars and stripes let
1 bn oF
as eXemplIfied in the lives of Washing
ton, Lincoln. Grant, and the patriotic
| sons of the republic, who, by their
Yalor, suffering and death rendered the
| imperishable fame of this illustrious
| trio possible. Let them learn to look
upon the American flag, ''by angels
hands to valtr giVen". with as much
reverence as did the Israelites look upon
the ark of covenant, let the 5000, 900 of
boys and girls i'll our elementary
schools be thus imbued with a rever-
ence for the flag and all it represents.
Then the future of the republic is as
| sured and that flag shall forever wave
DER the land of the free and the home
of the brave. The matter of pensions
mander reVef fof t the 'n Conclusion G9@n
of his address. Preceding this
he alluded gracefully in turn to
| topics connected with the Grant cot
ltage OF Mount McGregor, memorial
| day ObservanceS. deaths in the organ
iZatiOn charity. WOman'S Relief Corps,
Sons of Veterans and military tele-
| grapherS.
The conclusion of the address, was as
| follows. 1.-The committee on pensions
have been unable to make any progress
in securing favorable consideration by
| congress of the pension bills recon-
mended by the Columbus encampment.
The reason for this failure will be Civ
| en- by the committee and | know that
| its members are in no way to blame.
| The question of pension legislation will
come before you again for discussion
| and recommendation.
The number of comrades entitled to
| seats in this eDcampment reach 1000
| the largest ever accredited to an en-
| campment a deliberative body SO large
| its members coming from all parts of
| opinion. 1t is but natural that all will
| not aglee in the discussion, but
when the discussion closes and the en-
| campment has acted, its action should
| receive the earnest support of every
| comrade. Without mutual concessions
| there would be no legislation. The
| voice of the eneampment represents
the best thought and Judgment Of the
majority and should become law unto
4
Republic has never exercised its full
| influence in pension legislation because
| of the division in its ranks The
measures recommended by the national
| encampment should not be antagon-
/ lied by conflicting measures urged by
| departments of posts. Unity of action
will secure satisfactory results. a
| divided council will contribute to de-
| feat our demands, which should be
reasonable and consistent. The last
encampment. after much discussion
/ by practically unanimous vote rec
| commended to congress aseryice pension
bill and what is known as
I latter having received the repeal as a
detail of previous encampments. This
action was the result of a compromise,
| in my judgment, as it was Just and
conservative. My experience in con-
gTesS leads me to believe that you will
| greatly strengthen the hands of our
friends in that body by demanding at
Milwaukee, the pension legislation
asked for at Columbus. Let the com
missioner of pensions take YOUR rec
concentrations to congress. backed by
a united Grand Army of the Republic,
and there will be NO failure. IL We
are true TO ourselves. before the next
encampment every cOmrade disabled
by age, sickness or accident, and the
1 WILLOWS anu OIpHAuo Oh veterans Will
be borne ON the pension roll. We
should neither give sleep to our eyes
j nor slumber to our eyelids. until JUS
tIcs is done our comrades. The STR
vice pension will come. The day is
not far distant when an honorable dis
} charge from the union army or navy
: shall be all the evidence required to
: secure pension 70 its holder.
aid its dAwni12, tongue and pen
Aid its hopes of honest men,.
r A pension given as reward for ser
!. vices to the state is surely
s as good ground Of prop
: erty rs any security for money ad-