Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-20

OF THE CAPITAL CITy-yIEwEp FROM BOTH A
BUSINESS AND PATRIOTIC STANDPOINT.
The finance committee is probably Just at
present the most busy of the citizens COM
mittees engaged in tine work of preparing for
the Grand Army encampment in this city next
year. and Capt. George +. Lemon, the chair
man of the committee which looks after the
sinews of war. is over head and ears in the de-
tails OF getting the necessary funds
THE APPEAL or THE COMMITTEE.
The finance committee has sent ont circulars
both to those who subscribed TO the guarantee
fund and to many whose names do not appear
on that list. Blanks arc inclosed for subscrip-
uons. Upon the original subscribers is inn
pressed the necessity of paving subscrictions
as soon as possible. ar contracts have to be
made and il must be known to a certainty how
much money is available. The committee saws
that II should have at least SlOo. 600. and the
subscribers are invited to increase their origi-
nal subscriptions.
The general circular sent out saws: AS you
are undoubtedly aware the delegates TO the late
national encampment of the Grand Army of the
hepuOlc al Detroit accepted the invitation OF
our citizens to hold their next national en-
campment here. This meeting will continue
Tor week, commencing September 20. 1892,
and the capacity of our city. well as the hos
pltaity OF Its citizens. will be taxed to the ut
most, as II has already been demonstrated that
there viii be more visitors here than have ever
been gathered together in any city at any time
since the grand review at the close of the
war.
AT all previous encampments the citizens of
the city which was SO fortunate to secure the
great gathering have expended large sums of
money IN providing for the entertainment and
comfort of their guests, and we shall be called
upon TO do more than any of them have done,
hat We haN
dreds OF thousands more TO care for.
tor this purpose We shall require at least
SloO.O S50.000 of which has been heretofore
subscribed. You should remember that in sub
scriblng TO this fund you are not only aiding as
hosts IN entertaining the hundreds of thou
sands OF strangers who will visit Washington.
but you are also contributing greatly to
the prosperity of our city. The visitors
at the last encampment in Detroit spent
over y. 10000 there according TO the estimate
OF the Detroit Ecestag Journal nearly every
dollar of which remained in the city of Detroit.
1t rs safely within bounds to saw that the next
encampment will bring here and leave with us
a sum very greatly IN excess of that amount.
not one dollar of which would We otherwise OBJ
tain. SO that there Is not business interest
here which will not be very greatly benefited by
the encampment.
'.If We are able and Silling..to entertain these
visitors, as they have the right TO expect from
our invitation to them, we shall have demon
which may elect to come here. and thus will
ultimately reap the benefit of many other large
conventions, the national character and
surroundings of Washington make it pre-
eminently convention city. We confidently
appeal to you to subscribe to this end such sum
as you feel that you can afford TO give and also to
help us with your friends. The inclosed sub
scriptlon blanks are sent to you for this pur-
pose. and We trust that you will devote few
hours to this object and let us hear from you
promptly.
while the schedule Of payments has been
arranged with a view to making them as easy
as possible, the committee prefers. where con-
Venlent, that you will forward your entire sub
scription at once"
Capt. Lemon talked freely today to a STAR
reporter respecting the progress of the work on
the encampment In regard to the prospects
he said: IF you refer to the crowd that will
come here not only think but know that il
VIII be beyond all precedent The people Of
Washington are not half awake to the magni-
tude OF the occasion: they do not realize the in
nuences that viii operate to bring hither vastly
greater numbers than have ever before been
seen on the streets of Washington.
This will be brought about by the fact that
of the 100000 young men who served in the
Union army more than half had more or less
service In the immediate neighborhAod of
Washington-which includes the Shenandoah
valley and all the country between here and
Richmond III We accept the census report
that there are /, 10000 of these men still
alive that will make in round numbers
fully 6OO, 900 men who camped. marched, built
forts. and fought sanguinary battles in this
vicinity. very large proportion of these went
west at the close OF the war. to go into business
or take up farms or mines. AL, whether they
went west or staid al home. married and have
families They all want to come back 10
Washington before they die with their families
and see the places associated in their minds
with the heroic period of their lives and show
these TO their wives, sons and daughters with
whom they have talked SO much concerning
these places. The national encampment will
afford them the opportunity they have so long
desired. and to most of them it will be the
only opportunity. To the men who served
around here most, he added, those who
were IN the other armies and who have a
natural desire to visit the capital of their
country, of which they lave heard so much. all
who are able to come will make the greatest ef-
fort to come, anu confidently expect them to
pour In here by the hundred thousand.
"Ihe problem that gives me the greatest
anxiety is as to how We can properly take care
of this deluge of visitors.
Washington can and will care for them il
our people realize the magnitude of the occa-
sion and rouse themselves to meet it. will
say with reference tc other cities that none of
them has ever been called upon to take care Of
anything like as many visitors viii come to
Washington.
Then our ideas as to the money required
have SO far fallen far short of the provision
made by other cities. Boston, San Francisco,
St. Louis, Milwaukee and Detroit all raised
sums of 100000 more. / do not possibly
see how We can get along on less than
S1O0, 900 and feel that there should not be the
least difficulty in raising this sum among our
business men and others interested in the pros
perity of Washington. lt is simpossible to over
estimate the direct and substantial benefits
which will result from such an enormous gath
ering. The national encampment left in the
little city of Notwithstanding to the state
ments in the daily papers of that city-more
than -, 500, 900. The sum that will be brought
here cannot help being several times that
amount
I've would never have gotten dollar of this
If the encampment had not come to US 1t
will be, as the boys say, Just like finding
money. Everybody will get a share of it. II
may at first go to those who come directly into
contact with the visitors-the merchants,
hotels, restaurants, street cars, railroads,
boarding houses, debut these will not
rest OF the community. The real estate
owners will not be among those least benefited
by it This is apart from the qualification
that the people of Washington must feel in en-
tertaining the greatest reunion that will ever
be held of the soldiers and Sailors of the
great war Of the rebellion and which will
be of peculiar historic significance as taking
place in the capital of the nation they fought
to save, and in the immediate vicinity of the
fields on which they fought
wAsHrNaroN's DEBT TO TIE SOLDIER.