Los Angeles herald., 1891-08-04
Detroit Swarming With the
Boys in Blue.
Many Distinguished Ex-Soldiers
on the Ground.
The Great Annual Review to Take
Place Today.
Strong Rivalry for the Commander-i in
Chiefship-Colonel smedburg, of
California, One of the Prom
inent Candidates.
AssociA.ed Press Dispatches.

Associated Press Dispatches.
DETROIT, Mich, August 3.-The
twenty-fifth annual encampment OF the
Grand Army of the Republic will FORM
ally open tomorrow forenoon. At that
hour Commander-in-chief Veazey will
head the line OF march and review forty
or fifty thousand veterans as they pass
before the magnificent reviewing stand
ON Woodward avenue. Today has been
reception day OF the encampment. 1t
is estimated that there are $4,000 visit
ors in the city tonight, but the great
crowd is not expected until tomorrow
morning.
There is strong rivalry in the race
for the position of national commander
in-chief, but thus far it has been in the
nature of friendly competition, and is
unmarked by strife. The leading candi-
date of all those mentioned in last
nights dispatches is acknowledged to be
Colonel Weissert, of Milwaukee.
The main fight for the location of the
next encampment is between Washing
ton, D. c., and Lincoln, Neb., with
the chances favoring the former.
HI. M. Bishnell, of the Lincoln
delegation ,ssays Lincoln is the center of
q vast territory in which reside 800, 900
veterans, all of whom would prefer Lin
coin to Washington or any other city,
1--WE have the support of South Dakota,
Kansas, Iowa, Colorado and other
states" said he, .and we shall see the
delegates as fast as possible from other
states
No arrivals at the central depot
created more excitement today than the
Georgia and Florida departments. There
were 150 in the latter delegation, and
nearly all were bedecked in hats of not
only curious construction, but made of
natural sea weed. They were in charge
of Department Commander Welch, of
Welchtown, Fla. One car of their train
was filed with products of Florida, from
live crocodile ten feet in length to a
bunch of seaweed. They had
watermelon in great profusion !;
banana trees in blossom; olive
and orange trees and any quantity
of phosphate, which promises to eclipse
the orange as fortune maker for the
citizens Of Florida.
Colorado and Wyoming are here in
torce, and what they lack in numbers
they make up in noise and show, having
two boy zouave drum crops with Them.
Ex-President Rutherford B. Hayes,
commander-in-chiefo of the Order of the
Loyal Legion, arrived from Ohio today.
He was met by local delegation of the
Loyal Legion and escorted to the home
Of Colonel S. Hecker. Commander
-
Colonel Hecker's residence this evening
and all the members of the Loyal Le-
gion paid him theirrespects.
The Rhode Island contingent of 200
men, mostly members of the well-kno wn
Elocum post, of Providence, marched to
q hotel escorting twenty-five women OF
the party. The department commander
is Adjutent General Prentiss. Slocum
post proudly carries the old battle flag
which at Fort Pulaski and other engage.
ments was riddled with bullets.
Behind the Rhode Island contingent,
marched $50 Iowans, with G. L. David
SON, of Hull, as commander. They
have forty fair comrades. They are the
advance guard, only, and assert conf
IDENTIFY that their state will have 1000
men in line.
A small number Of South Dakota vet
erans marched behind the Iowa men.
The ladies of the q. A. R. are arriving
in the city. They comprise the wives,
mothers, daughters and sisters of vet
erane. Among the officers and national
delegates present are the national presi-
dent, Mrs. G. F. Hurst; Mrs. Mary A.
Ellington, secretary, and nearly all the
state department presidents, and 250
delegates.
Governor Page. of Vermont, and a
number of his staff are in the city, and
Governor Thayer, of Nebraska, Con-
gresham Henderson, of Iowa, ex-Con-
gresham Small, of South Carolina, and
A. P. Davis, of Pittsburg, the founder
of the order of Sons of Veterans, are
also among the recent arrivals.
The New York delegation, 1000 strong,
arrived late this evening, and 5000
diamond badge was presented to Gen
eral Alger tonight by his admirers OF
the GAR.
The department of Louisiana and
Mississippi will revive the .'color" fight
in the encampment. Charles F. Fink,
assistant quartermaster of this depart
ment, said today: "We have come up
to this encampment to make fight on
the color line. We object to colored
members OF the &. A. R., and want
them formed into a separate coloniza-
tion. 1t is all right here in the north
where you have only few colored veter-
ans, but do you know in the south there
is any number of colored members OF
the q. A. r. who are not 80 years old :?
They swarm in our hosts, and white
man has no show. We will not associ-
ate with them, and if the present con-
vention does not do something to relieve
the southern posts of this growing
trouble, the white G.. A. R. veterans
win withdraw.
Commander-in-C Chief Veazey tonight
declined to discuss the ''color" dispute,
and was disposed to minimize the inn
portance of the question in controversy.
ARRIVING BY THOUsANDs.