The state capital., 1891-08-08
BOYS IN Blue

HCUMRADEs-This is the silver anniversary
of birth, not of a wedding. The wedding
occurred when the bridegrooms. the youth
of the land, enlisted in its defense. Abras
ham Lincoln celebrated the marriage nup-
tials Columbia was tho bride. Her ves-
ture was the nations flag. The pledge to es'
tablish that flag over the domain of ceses.
sion was the pledge of her hand. When the
pledge was grandly redeemed, through
bloody strife, through suffering and death,
and after the yictors had placed OH
tile brow of the bride a new diadem;
whose gems were honor, yalor, fame:
untainted with slavery, country
re- united and free, the fruit of
that marriage was the Grand Army of
the Republic, an offspring worthy of its
royal parcntage. Tile man must be blind
indeed w ho has failed to see in recent years;
as time has impeled our column toward the
river which all mankind must cross, that
the q. A. r., as it has become better known.
has been constantly marching to Il higher
place In the estimation of the people gener1
ally as we'll as the veterans of the war; that
the spirit of true comradeship is constantly
taking Il deeper hold in the hearts of COM
rades, and that time has not demnish ed, but
quckened, their pride of service; not
quenched, but intensified, the ardors of
their love of the flag and all 1t represents; !;
not dulled, but enivened, the sOl1ierly
spirit which they exhibited i'll the old heroic
days. Any charge to the contrary is an in
suit to the veterans as a class and as indi-
vi1uals.''
After referring pathetically to the deaths
during the year of sherman; Porter, Hamlin,
Devins, Tobin and other honored members
of the order, the commander in chief con-
tinued:
"The present nstration encountered
the same disturbances in the departments of
Louis lana and Mississippi that had troubled
my predecessors. From various sources OF
information that have been accessible to
me, believe that large majority of both
white and colored comrades in the depart
mentS of Louisiana and Mississippi are
strong in the conviction that it would be for
the best interests of all individually, and
of the posts, and of the order, to have a sep
| arate department in louisiana and some of
the other gulf states made up of such posts
as may apply to come into it, and having
concurrent jurisdiction with the department.
already established in such states-concur.
rent in respect to the chartering and mus.
tering OF posts, but each department having
exclusive jurisdiction over the posts which
it may receive. My best judgnent, after L
year of painstaking investigation, is that it
would be wise to confer upon my successor
the authority to create such a department.
He may either find it necessary, or think it
best to exercise the power conferred
L
| executive officers refrain from inlor5in
| appeals for contributions for any purpose,
however worthy, except those expressly
named in the objects of the order Feter-
| ans apt to be strongly influenced by such
| indor 5emcnts. 1t is recommended that
| congress be appealed to to provide for tho
| maintenance of Mt. McGregOr cottage. The
| G. A. r. has been paying the expenses be-
cause no one else assumed them.
s.1he arpumout n fnyOr of Spryicn OcusiO0
| legislation has been urged upon con 5rass
without avail. but under the disability pen
| ON bill about 900 pensions arJ now bcins {
allowed per day, ana will be until the docket
| of applications is Substantially cleared. The
| number who thought the b IL too liberal is
| rapidly diminishing as the act becomes bet.
ter understood.
"The commander in chief recom omnends that
the legislation giving preference in the civil
| service to discharged soldiers be amended
| so as to recognize the idea of service apart
| from discharge or disability.
| Comrades. our order has not reached its
| high water mark, neither i'll numbers nor i'll
| glory power. In cultivating fraternity
and charity it works Oh the same lines with
| some other organizations But there is an
+ other basic principle of our order which is,
| in sense at least, peculiar to tit Is the
| broad principle of loyalty. Here we provoke
| criticism and on the ground that there is no
| dsloyalty now. True. no class or section is
engaged in disloyal acts; but, as is Well
| known, there are men here and there
| throughout the land who adhere
to the pernicious doctrine that seces
| sion by state is right and
| therefore resistance to attempted coercion
| is not dislOyalty or rebellion. The iron hce
| of Andrew Jackson crushed the first threats
| of overt action based upon this doctrine
| When, in tho next instance, q threat was
nil ,fJ i,,tn raI fla
| of war and rivers of blood to suppress it. 4
| third effect is not likely to appear again in
the south, because It is not conceivable how
| the interests of that section can be 80 adj
vantageously situated as they are within
the Union. But the doctrine permeates the
| political literature Of the country. The seed
| took deep root in the disciples of Calhoun
and others who labored to plant 1t. AS oul
country extends its borders. and sections
| become antagonistic in interest, we can say
| that another effort may not be made some
where. So long as this danger exists, how
| ever remotely, the work of the g. A. r. is
not finished. No organization since the war
has done so much for the country, especial
ly in laying deep the foundations of future
security, as the G. A. r. 1t appeals to every
loyal hand that drew Il blade carried 4
| muskct. Therefor, no Union soldier has
done his full duty as citizen unless he has
given the order the benefit of his comradc
ship in it.
'In closing desire to renew the expires
sion of gratitude which made year ago, ,fo
the great honor you conferred upon me.
Having intended to wrong no one, and hav
ing received no affront from anyone, say
to one and all, from the deepest recesses ol
my heart thank you, and God bless you. >
As prelude to the address OF the com
mander- in chief. n quartette rendered sew
efal war songs. In one of them was inter
| polated the line: There will be no fus:ol
of the blue and the grey, as we go marching
on" At this suggestion the delegates arOs'
Ell masse and cheered vocferously. an
fusion i'll ours." shouted man in the gal
lery, and the ground floor cheered again
Ex- President Hayes, GOV. HOvey of Indiana
| ex Gov. Alger of Michigan and ex-Gov
Oglesby of Illinois came upon the platform
| at this iuncture and were warmly received
In behalf of the comrades from Nc
braska Col. Clarkson presented Il
| the commander in chief a silver gavel ant
| a magnificent stand of flowers, while Col
Duffield, of Detroit. presented "busnes
| gavel" made out of remains of the old for
which was brought to the surface Will
cxcavating a site for tue new post office
| The address of the commanders in chic
was listened to with close attention. Ap
pIause greeted his declaration that th
colored organizations should be recognize
until the question he'd been finally adjud
Gated, but there was much more of it whel
| he recommended that power be given hi
| successor to create another department..
| Reports.
| QUARTERMASTER- GENERAL
| In his annual report Quartermaster-G Gen
,ral Taylor gave the receipts for the fiscn
| year a S39 101 expenditures, t37,296; bal
ance 81 ,SOi. The assets of the organization
he gave as s24,111. The posts, he said,
l In in, int thpi
| obligations. and the financial future of til
order was apparently bright one.
| THE INSPECTOR GENERAL
| Inspector General j. w. Burst, in his re