Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-08-13
COMMANDERS ADDRESS.

the Veterans -Separate Departments For
the Colored Veterans I'm Louisiana and
Mississippi Recommended-Uashi
Selected For the Next Meeting.
DETROIT, Mich, Aug. 5.-The TWEEN
ty-ffth annual encampment of the @.
A. r began yesterday in the mann
moth Bucher's hall At the head of the
hall, over the platform. was q large G.
A. r badge, banked on either side by
American flags, and in the rear the
grand seal of the United States. also
set between flags From the ceiling
hung clusters of the flags OF all the re-
publics in the world
A few minutes before the hour OF
opening Gen Veazey and his staff en-
tered the hall and were escorted to the
grand stand
Rapping the assemblage to order, the
commander-in-chiefa announced the for
NAL opening Of the encampment and
directed the Acknowledgement to call the
roll of departments Every state and
territory in the union, not even except
ing far-of Alaska. was represented,
and the roll call showed the fullest at
tendance of delegates in the history of
the organization The opening address
of the commander-in-chiefw was listened
to with rapt attention by the assemb led
veterans.
Comrades" said Gen Veazey, this
is the silver anniversary of a birth, not
a wedding. The wedding occurred
when the bridegrooms, the youth of
the land, enlisted in its defense. Abra-
ham Lincoln celebrated the marriage
nuptials Columbia was the bride.
Her vesture was the nations flag. The
pledge to re-establish that flag over
81 of $ho
of her hand When the pledge was
grandly redeemed, through bloody
strife, through suffering and death, and
after the victors had placed on the brow
of the bride a new diadem whose gems
were honor, valor, fame, liberty, untaint-
ed with slavery. country reunited and
free, the fruit of that marriage was the
Grand Army of the Republic, an off
spring worthy Of its royal patronage
The date of the birth was April 6, 1866.
The observance of this silver anniver-
sary began on the 9th day of April of
this year. In every town and city in
all this broad country where posts ex-
listed the comrades assembled in open
meetings, which the public attended in
throngs beyond the capacity of
the largest halls, and all at the same
hour united in praise and Thanksgiving
to Almighty God for the great blessings
which He had vouchsafed to our coun-
try and to the men who had fought its
battles and had since labored faithfully
on the lines of good citizenship and had
cultivated the Christian and patriotic
principles of fraternity, charity and
loyalty"
After abiding to the recent deaths of
Gen Sherman, ex-Vice-President Ham
lin and others prominent in the Grand
Army, Gen Veazey continued:
1.-THE present administration encoun-
tered the same disturbances in the de-
partment of Louisiana and Mississippi
that had troubled my predecessors The
difficulties there had existed ever since
posts to IL inclusive of that depart
ment were chartered and organized
This was in 1889 The charge has al
ways been, from different sources, that
the organization of those posts was SO
tainted with irregularities as to be
utterly destructive of their legal exist
ence. Our rules and regulations provide
a plain procedure for department to
pursue in order to test the validity of
such charges. AS the department of
Louisiana and Mississippi has never, so
| far as 1 am informed, resorted to that
procedure, have held, in connection
with those posts, that they must be re-
| garded as having a legal existence un-
til otherwise regularly adjudicated-
81 have reason to believe that Com
rades Burst and Austin made a most
careful investigation of all matters in
that department. Their recommends
ton is, in brief, that this encampment
authorize the creation of separate de-
| partment in the south. This is sup
ported by memorials addressed to the
commander-in-chief by posts 9, ID. Is,
| IA, 16 and Ii, being six of the posts in
| the department whose membership is
| composed of colored comrades. Pro-
tests against such action have come
| from comrades of several posts, and
| these are on file"
Gen Veazey recommends that such
! separate department be created
During the year now closing" con-
| tinued Gen Veazey, 1.-The G. A r paid
out from its relief fund 1888, 699 SIS.
! During the same period the Women's
Relief corps paid to distressed comrades
| 1852, 10. so. These figures show large
! increase over the amount of any pre-
| vious year. The total amount of relief
paid out by the G. A. R, not including
auxiliary bodies, since 1870, is s., $780,
| OO0"
Referring to the Mount McGregor
| cottage, where Gen. Grant died, Gen.
Veazey recommended that this encamp-
| ment take action to secure from the
! government an appropriation for the
! mainten ance of the property.
The mem bers of the G. A R pension
committee were also reviewed The
commander-in-chief urged the encamp-
ment to renew the effort to procure an
amendment to the revised statutes
which give preference, in appointments
| to the civil Office, ito persons dis
charged from the military or naval SER
vice by reason of disability resulting
l from wounds or sickness incurred in
the line of duty" to the effect that
honorable service shall count for some
thing in appointments, when all other
| things are equal
Washington City was selected as the
place of the next encampmeut
| Work of Miscreants.
| KALAMAZOO. Mich, Aug. 6-The
Grand Rapids and Indiana express
bound south was wrecked three miles
north of this place yesterday noon by
train wreckers. spikes, bolts and nuts