, 1891-08-04
GRAND ARMY BOYS.
Twenty-Fifth Annual Encamp-
ment to Open Today.
The Florida Delegations Dis
play of Home Products.
Another Fight to Be Made On
the Color" Line.

DETROIT, Mich, Aug. 3,-The twenty
fifth annual encampment OF the Grand
Army of the Republic will formally open
tomorrow forenoon. At that hour Com
mander-in- Chief Veazey will head the line
of march and review 10000 or $4,000
veterans as they pass before the m~agnifi-
cent reviewing stand on Woodward ave-
nue.. Today has beer the reception day
OF the encampment. 1t is estimated that
there are $4,000 visitors in the city to-
night, 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 candidate of all those
mentioned in previous dispatches is ac-
knowledged to be Col. Weissert of Mil
waukee.
The main fight for the location OF
the next encampment is be-
tween Washington. ID. Q. and Lincoln.
Neb, with the chances favoring the
former. II. NJ. Bishnell of the Lincoln
delegation, says Lincoln is the center of a
vast territory in which reside 100000
veterans, all Of which would prefer Lin
coin to Washington or any other city.
I'VE have the support OF South Dakota,
Kansas, Iowa, Colorado and other states
said he, and we shall see delegates as
fast as possible from other states
No arrivals at the Central depot ere
ated more excitement today than the
Georgia and Florida departments. There
we're $50 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 WEIGH of
Welchtown, Fla. One car OF their tram
was filled with the products of Florida
from a live crocodile, ten feet IN length, to
a bunch of seaweed. They had water
melons in great profusion, banana trees
in blossom, olive and orange trees, and
any quantity OF phosphate, which prom
ises to eclipse the orange as a fortune
maker for the citizens of Florida. Col
orado and Wyoming are here in force and
what they lack in numbers they make up
in noise and show, having two boy zouaye
drum corps with them
Ex-Presi0ent Rutherford b. Hayes.
commander-in chief of the order of LOYAL
Legion, arrived from Ohio TODAY. He
was met by a local delegation of the Loyal
Legion and escorted to the home of Col.
Decker. Commander Hayes was rendered
a reception at Col. Deckcr's residence this
evening and all the members OF the Loyal
Legion paid hun their respects.
The Rhode Island contingent of 200
men, mostly members of the well known
Slocum post of Providence, marched to
their hotel escorting twenty-five women Of
IL. -.- TI. H.. -l-u
Is Adj. Gen. Prentiss. Slocum post
proudly carries the old battle flag which at
Fit. Hulaski and other engagements wa
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 sd-
vance guard only and assert confidently
that their state will have 1000 men in
line,
A small number of South Dakota vet
Grams marched behind the Iowa men.
Ladies of the G.. A. R." are arriving in
the city. They comprise the wives,
mothers, daughters and sisters of the
veterans. Among the officers and national
delegates present are the national presi-
dent, Mrs. G. f. Hurdt; Mrs. Mary a.
Ellington, secretary, and nearly all the
state department presidents and $50 dele
gates.
Governor Page of Vermont and a
number of his staff are in the city and
Governor Thayer OF Nebraska, Congress
man Henderson of Iowa, x-Congressman
Smalls of South Carolina and A. p.
Davis of Pittsburg, founder of the order
of Sons of Veterans, are also among the
recent arrivals.
The New York delegation, 700
strong. arrived late this evening.
A 500 diamond badge was presented
to Gen. Alger tonight by his admirers of
the G. A. r.
The department OF Louisiana and Missis-
sippi will revive the color fight in the
encampment. Chas. F. Fink, assistant
auartermaster general of this department,
said today: I'VE have come up to this
encampment to make a fight on the color
line. We object to colored members Of
the G.. A. R.. and want them formed
into a separate colonization. 1t is all
right up here in the North where you
have only a few colored veterans, but do
you know that in the South there is any
number OF the G. A. r. who are not 30
years old. They swarm in our posts and
a white man has no show"