Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-10

atty, ,incites to insurrection, treason or rebel
lion or in any manner impairs the efficiency
and permanency of our free institutions, and
| to encourage the spread OF universal liberty
equal rights and Justice to all men.
NOT A POLITICAL ORDER.
1t cannot be said too often that the Grand
Army of the Republic is not political or
ganization. From the beginning of its or.
ganlzation to the present time, when the
order numbers over 400, 900 men, political
partisanship has been carefully avoided. ]
do not think that any one can point to any
formal action taken by the Grand Army
during the last quarter of a century which
will 60 to show the contrary. So long ago
az the annual encampment in 1863, only
four years after the organization Of the
Grand Army, this rule was adopted:
No officer or comrade of the Grand Army OF
the Republic shall in any manner use TINS or
ganization for partisan purposes, and no dis,
cussion of partisan questions shall be permitted
at any Of its meetings. nor shall any nomina-
tons for political purposes be made.
There is no danger that the Grand Army
will ever become political organization,
not specially because of the rule it has lad
down in regard to this matter, but in the
very nature OF things, for the moment it did
become q political organization 1t would be
dissolved by that very fact. The expert
ences that the soldiers, standing side by
side, went through during our Civil War
tend to strengthen kind and fraternal feel
ings between them and unite them together.
When they struggled on the battlefield,
marched in the ranks or fought against the
enemy on our men-of-war, they worked in
common cause, and one man did not ask his
neighbor "What are your politics?" or
"What church do you belong to?"
NO POSSIBILITY OF PARTIsANsHIP.
And now, after the war, the Grand Army
holds this vast body of men together by the
memories which are attached to the late con-
fict. The moment you attempt to change the
organization and make it political, instead of
patriotic and national, you will arouse feel
ings in the members which, instead of tend
ing to "bind together" Ito use the term
found in our rules and regulations), will
tear asunder. For as long as "birds of q
feather flock together" the members of po-
litical parties, as such, will prefer to frater-
nize by themselves. As the object of the
Grand Army is no more political than 1t is
religious, there is no more likelihood that 1t
will be turned into political debating club
and use its influence in promoting the elec-
tion of some candidate to Office than there is
that Its posts will become series of schools
for the discussion and settlement of theo-
logical problems.
From the beginning until the present
time Democrats, Republicans, and indeed
all parties, have fraternized at the various
meetings and encampments as brothers. In
our organization a man is not Republican,
Democrat, Socialist, Mugwump, a Ma
tionalist, Roman Catholic, Protestant or
an infdel-he is comrade, and is addressed
as such by members of the order, no matter
what rank he held In the army.
ITS SECRET SIDE.
Ihave said that the Grand Army of the Re-
public is in one sense" alsecret organization.
There is nothing taught or acquired that is
not entirely in accord with the teachings of
the Christian Church; its teaching of char
lty, loyalty and fraternity comprise all there
is in citizenship. The ritual is secret and
so are certain signs and passwords used in
the order.
The strength of the Grand Army member
ship in good standing, as given in the de-
partment returns December 81, 1889, was
3s7, ,974, distributed in the different States as
follows:
Alabama, 22l; Arizona, BOZ; Arkansas, lS5O;
California, 6,366; Colorado and Wyoming. 2SS7;
Connecticut, 6,84o; Dakota, 8.5l5; Delaware,
,2l5; Florida, 40; Georgia, $50; Idaho, 442 Hi.
nois. 81 3l3; Indiana Is l65; Iowa. 20 2Sl; Kansas
SSH; Kentucky, 6,6O3; Louisiana and Missis-
q, ,SF; Maryland, 2224: Michigan, q, ,255: Min.
nesota, S40s; Missouri, 10, 8SS; Montana, GA;
Nebraska, LAS; New Hampshire, 6o43; New
Jersey, 1873; Ne New Mexico, Ssl; New York,
44,6l3; Potomac. 2s77; Rhode Island, 2SS7; Ten.
nessee, S,06l: Texas. sl3; Utah, 143; Vermont,
5 206; Virginia, l.2l3; Washington and Alaska,
1 742; West Virginia, 9. l65; Wisconsin, Il. sA
FUTURE OF THE G. AR.
As to the future of the Grand Army of the
believe it will keep on increas-
ing in numbers every year until it embraces
in its membership every honorably dis
charged soldier who is within reach of q
post. or course, our country is very large,
and though we have eight or nine thousand
posts in our organization they are widely
There will always be a consid-
erable number of men who, on account of
their remoteness from district organiza-
ton, would be unable to belong to the order.
Then, again. there is a great number of
honorably discharged soldiers who do not
feel able to pay the annual dues which have
10 be met in the Grand Army. There are
many others who are physically feeble, and
who would not feel able to turn out at
post meetings. And so, while all men who
fought for the Union wonld be glad
% become members of the Grand
Army of the Republic, there
ire, as say, different causes which will pre-
rent some of them from becoming members.
AS to the future of the Grand Army, its
members will gradually die off until, say 30 |
Years hence, there will probably not be left |
! single representative of the organization. |
While survivor remains the custom will |
prevail of decorating the graves of the SOL |
liers who fought for the old flag.
A PROPHETIC VIEW.
We can fancy on some future Memorial |
Day the last survivor OF the Grand Army of |
he Republic, an aged man, tottering with |
eeble step to the cemetery near his home |
or the purpose Of paying a floral tribute TO |
be men who fought with him for the same |
ause so many years before. We can well |
imagine that the incident will be regarded |
q OF great historical interest; that it will |
orm the subject of many q touching poem |
md brilliant essay in the press of that |
period, and be fruitful theme for the brush
# the painter.
Years ago it was prophesied by some |
spient politicians that an organization like |
he Grand Army of the Republic would |
end to keep alive the bitter memories of the |
rar. The history of the organization does
lot bear out this statement. Its relations |
With ex. Confederate soldiers have always
)eeu lTlenoly, anu ~ ~ On TecOIu t0at sew
raj times members of the Grand Army have
net and fraternized with Confederates hav-
ng similar organisations. During the yell |
ow fever epidemic in the Mississippi Valley
md after the Charleston earthquake the ap-
zeal for aid from those respective sections
vas promptly and generously met by men,
'ers of the Grand Army of the Republic,
Though they knew they were helping the
men who few years before had been their
m emies