The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-02-19
THE GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC
Twenty-fourth Annual Encampment
Department Of Maine.
The Annual Reports of the Officers
and Other Matters Of Interest.
Officers OF the Relief Corps Pre- sent
Their Reports.

Their Reports.
II am going up stairs to see the boys" so
said man Of fully 60 years yesterday, as he
stood on the steps of City Hall. Early in
the afternoon the "boys" began to gather, in
readiness for the opening Of the encamp-
ment at Bop. m. At about that hour the
gayel In the hands of Department Com
mander Anderson fell, and the forms lities
of opening gone through with. Boys, in
deed! bald heads, gray heads; here leg
missing, there an arm; but to each other
they are the boys yet. and will be as long as
they last. These are the representative men
OF the sixty odd thousand Maine sent out
into the great war of the Rebellion. Thirty
years ago, little later in the spring, the ex-
odus began. RumOTs of war had been In
the air all winter, and with the opening OF
the spring the boys began to go. When we
talked about this, the western part Of the
state, supplying two regiments, 1t looked i'm
possible; we knew more in '65. Let US look
these boys over. Commander Anderson, al
moner of the nations wonderful bounty at
Togus, grey. alert and keen. is the first fig
ure. OF course. to strike our attention. Later
on we shall hear from him a report OF his
administration for the last year, and one Of
the best we have eyer had. Conservative,
thoughtful, accurate in statement. wise In
suggestion; as we listen we forget for time
that 1t is eloquent in our interest In what he
is saying. Assistant Adjutant General MIL
liken, veteran and the son of a veteran, Is
In his place, and this is a complete guaranty
that all is well in his department of work.
de gives the skulker5 some telling blows,
but he never forgets those that are poor and
disabled. He speaks we'll and wisely of
some who claim the privileges of the G. A.
R., but who are not willing to bear their
share of the burdens. As he says, This is
not sentiment, but these are facts" In
spector Chilcott submits his report Of work
for the current year in his department, good
in all respects, with one suggestion alone. II
there was no more in the report, to give 1t
great value, the suggestion that post scrap
book be kept, and all that is printed 10 ref
erence to the post be pasted into it. Quar-
termaster General Beal, of long service and
good repute, shows conclusively by his re-
port that the department is In good financial
condition. The Chief Mastering Officer,
pressed somewhat for time, makes short,
but pointed report, aud the work of the day
| is done. and an adjournment Is made to 10
O'Clock this forenoon.
Among those present when the eucamp-
mept was called to order were Senior Vice
Commander M. G. Wadswortb, Junior Vice
Rev C. A Southland, Medical Director Geo.
E. Prickett, Assistant Adjutant General
e. G. Milliken, Assistant Quariermaster-
General b. F. Beal. Inspector j. G. Chill
| cott, Judge Advocate B. B. Murray, Chief
| Mastering Officer j. Wesley Gilman, Past
| Department Commanders Besl, Mattocks,
Drew. Bangs. Farnham, Shaw, Lane, Cat
| ley, Burbank and others.
These were the annual reports, which
| were read and accepted:
Department Commander Anderson's
| Report.
There were in good standing January l, 1890,
in the Department of Maine. los Posts with a
| membership of 1894.
Six Posts have been mustered since that date
as follows:
Joseph e. Colby, Post No. Al, at Rumford.
| Knox Post, 120, at Lewiston.
| K. ID. c., West Post l5S, Franklin.
Addison Z. Russell Post, l59, HOulton.
| Daniel A. Bean Post l60, Brown1ed
John b. Scott Post, l6l, Winn.
And it gives me great pleasure to say that no
post, of the l55 in existence at the beginning
| of the year, has surrendered its charter or
/ given up its meetings, SO that the number of
posts in good standing January l, 1891, was
l6l.
There have been added to our membership
during the same period by muster in, GAO, by
| transfer, 1S9, by reinstatement 292, total Of
1l2l, record of which, my comrades, you
ought to feel very proud. This membership,
however, has been diminished, by death, l64,
by honorable discharge, 3s, by transfer, 2ll,
by suspensions, 396, total of 500. leaving as
the net gain 3l2, and membership in good
standing of 9676.
The deaths for the year ending January /,
1890, number l27, which up to date was the
largest ever suffered by US in any one year
For the year ending January l, 1891, Il e
number Of deaths was l64, an increase of near
ly 80 in the death rate.
The posts throughout the Department are in
q sound and healthy condition financially The
total real and personal estate held by them is
reported az about $S4,0O0, a gain of nearly
$4,000 as compared with last year.
The amount expended in charity cannot be
accurately estimated from the fact that many
posts have no separate charity fund and make
no report of the work done by them. But il
the aggregate could be known il would be
found to be vastly more than the S4,700 in
dicated as expended by those Posts which make
returns.
| PENSIONS.
There has been no State Pension Legislation
since our last Encampment from the fact that
there has been no session of the Legislature
The appropriations made in 1889 and 1890
have been exhausted; 100000 was appropri-
ated for the year 1890, $65, 900 for the yeai
1890, and in addition to these sums for pensions
there was appropriated for the burial expenses
of destitute aoldiers and sailors the sum Of
1900 for the year 1889, and $4,000 for the
same purpose for the year 1890. All of thess
appropriations are practically exhausted and il
remains for you to make such suggestions anc
give such instructions to your Pension com
mittee as you may deem wise.
| No soldier or sailor be he ever so destitute
and needy, no matter how faithfully and well
he fought the battles of his country, no matter
how worthy he may be- can receive any of the
amount appropriated for pensions under our
State law unless he served on and for the quota
of Maine. This seems unjust and unkind o
total lack Of the charity Of our order. 1t il
suggested that an effort be made to repeal that
clause and ask the State to aid any and all
needy and deserving veterans, and l would
recommend that the same amount be appro-
priated for 1891 and 1892, as was voted fol
1889 and 1890. But where there has been nc
pension legislation by the State wonderful
provision has been made by the general gov
eminent for the care and protection of the SOL
der and sailor of the late war, their widows
and orphans and their dependent parents.
Since the passage of this bill June 27, 1890
up to January 81, 1891, more than $4,000 ap-
piications are now being made at the rate Of
more than 10000 per month. $l35,OoO,OO6
have been appropriated for the payment Of
pensions for the ensuing year and it is doubt
mi whether this sum vast as it is, will answer
the demands made by the pensioners. In ad-
dition, National Home for Disabled Volun-
teer Soldiers, with branches in seven States
supplying more than $4,000 of our comrades
with all the necessities of life and with many o