Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-03
THE MECCA OF THE VETS.
Old Soldiers Arriving by Thousands at De
troit

veterans OF the G.. A. r. are no longer arriving
by the hundreds. but by the Thousands
and every incoming train brings another
throng to mingle with the multitude
| that already parades the streets. As the gals
| week OF Detroit opens business is practically
suspended and the tramp Of the q. A. r. ant
the inspiring music of bands are heard or
every hand. Gen. VIM. q. veazey of Vermont
commandments of the G.. A. r., ar.
rived this morning and his headquarters al
the Cadillac have been the Mecca of SCARED
and grizzled veterans throughout the fore
noon. Gen. NeaHey was accompanied by Miss
Clara Barton, the famous founder OF
| the Red Cross. Secretary of War Proctor: was
also Of the party, with Quartermaster General
John Taylor Of Philadelphia and Assistant Ad-
| department adjutant general, J. II. Golding,
and wife of Rutland, VT, are also at the Cadil-
lac.
The Vermont department headquarters are
| at the Cadillac and the Vermont department
| officers arrived with Gen. Veazey. D. L. Nor
| gan OF Rutland is the state department COM
| mander. The party numbers 100 men and 100
ladies. Maj. d. j. Stafford, W. H. II. Stack of
| the vermont governors staff and Col. Z. W.
Jewett Of Swanton, Vt, are of the party.
Vermont favors Washington for the next en-
| campment.
ToMoRRow's PARADE.
| The grand event of the encampnent will be
tomorrows parade and it has been thought that
that day would witness 200, 900 visitors to the
city. The arrivals thus far indicate that this
| expectation will be realized and the twenty
! fifth national encampment will be the largest in
the history OF the organization. The growth
| OF the e. A. X. within the past few years must
| be rapid indeed when each succeeding encamp-
| ment Is larger than the others. despite the
constantly increasing death rate in the ranks.
The Massachusetts contingent, numbering
fully 500, arrived this forenoon, and their head
quarters are at the Cadillac, where Depar tment
Commander A. A. Smith and Adjt. Gen. H. o.
Moore warmly welcomed all visitors.
In the headquarters car of this party
were the department commander and adj
jutant, and Junior Vice f. W. Hull, A.
E. Perkins and G. S. Anthony, council of ad-
ministration; W. A. Wetherbee, department in
spector. and large number Of past department
commanders. Fifty ladies accompanied this
party and have headquarters in parlors.
Il expect 5000 Massachusetts people here"
said Gen. Moore, land 1000 men in the parade.
i don't know what Massachusetts will do about
the next commander and the place for the next
encampment. but cur delegates will be a unit"
1t is understood that the Massachusetts dele
CATION will be unit for Washington RS the
place :or the next encampment.
LINCOLN MAKING A GOOD FIGHT.
The rivalry is sharp between Washington
and Lincoln, Neb., and the latter city is max
ing much better fight for the next encamp-
ment than was generally anticipated. s. H.
Morrison, department commander of Nebraska
in 1889. has seat in the convention.
and with many others will do what
he can to get the next encampment to go
to Lincoln, Neb. Lincoln. he saws, is
town of only $1,000 people. but it claims it
can give the G. A. X. as enthusiastic a reception
as any city in the country. Washington, how
ever seems to have the strongest following and
most delegates concede that it will get the next
encampment 1t has been working for it sew
eral months and has all details carefully ar
ranged.
Fifty of Lincoln's representative citizens
have arrived over the Wabash in a special Pull
man car. the .''Lincoln.'' They have opened
headquarters at the Russell House. The party
includes President Oakley Of the board of trade.
Paul Vanderwoort. past national commander,
and Governor Richards. They will present an
and their room will be filed with literature
telling of the advantages which Nebraska's
capital city will afford.
FIGHT FOR CoMMANDER-IN-CHIEr.
A special train from California bore Col VIM.
r. Smedburg, candidate for commander-in-
chief, and forty or more of his ardent friends
They were followed by contingents from
Colorado and Wyoming.
Assistant Adjutant General 2. L. McKinne Of
the Illinois department is here il advance Of
his department He thinks that his
state will contribute 10000 people Lin
coin, Neb., is his favorite place for
the next encampment. He says that
$1,000 old soldiers in Kansas and As. 900 in Ne
braska are not members of the G. A. r. and are
too poor to travel far to attend an encamp-
ment II there is not room in Lincoln the men
can spread out upon the prairie.
The most prominent candidates for the posi-
ton of commander-in-chief are A. G.. Weissert
San Francisco, Bvt. Brig. Gen. Samuel H.
Hurst of ChillicOthe, Ohio, and Col. c. P Lin
coin of Michigan.
Weissert was prominent candidate for the
position year ago and Withdrew in favor of
Gen. Veasey. He will probably get the support
of Gen. Veasey friends and is a strong candi-
date.
Col. Smedburg is probably the most enthus;-
astic q. A. r. members on the Pacific coast He
has done much toward organizing and booming
the g. A. r. in California and other Pacific
states, and is very popular throughout the
west. He is also very energetic and enthusi-
astic Loyal Legion man.
Gen. Hurst is popularity known as Fighting
Sam" and comes with the unanimous backing
OF the Ohio delegation. He is an active
department commander. He was colonel
of the seventy third Ohio infantry,
and well deserves his title OF Fighting
Sam" One hundred and seventy men in his
regiment were killed in action-the second
heaviest proportion in Ohio regiments
Col Lincoln is a well-known Michigan man.
who now holds the position of deputy commits
sioner Of pensions. He will get the unanimous
support of Michigan and may get support from
eastern states.
In addition to the above candidates have
been mentioned the names Of Gen. H. A. Bar
mum of New York city, Gen. John Palmer of
Albany and Gen. John NJ. Hedges of Hayer-
straw, NY. They are all from the same state
and will possibly divide between them on the
first ballot the fifty votes Of New York
WILL MAKE FIGHT ON THE COLOR LINE.
CHICAGO, August 3.-Among the delegations
to the Grand Army encampment at Detroit ar
rived in the city yesterday was that of the De-
partment Of the Louisiana aud Mississippi
Comrade A. S. Graham and others
of the delegates say in published inter-
views that they are going to Detroit to
from the Grand Army ranks. and they declare
that unless their demand is acceded to they
will withdraw from the organization. They
say they expect to have an animated opposi-
ton from northern posts. Mr.. Graham gives
the origin of the trouble as follows:
ORIGIN OF THE TROUBLE.
The Grand Army posts of Louisiana and
Mississippi have always refused to grant char
tiers for negro posts on the ground that the G..
A. T. is q social organization and has power to
restrict its membership to those who
are agreeable in q social sense to its members.
This policy was pursued until about the time Of
the death Of JEFF. Davis. At that time Jacob
cap,manAspU tha Ia