Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-08-06

loud applause. Cheers greeted the APP
pearance Of eX-President Hayes. Gov
ernor Hovey, Ex-Governor Alger, ex-
Governor Oglesby, and other prom
inent members Of the order, and the senti-
ment in song given by a quartette that
there would be no fusion between the blue
and the gray was vociferously cheered.
The Color Line in the Order.
AS Commander-in- Chief Neazey's adj
dress as a whole was the thing in which
interest was conferred so what he had to
say on the question brought up from
Louisiana and Mississippi "a to the sep
aration of white and negro posts was the
central feature of the address, and it was
something OF a surprise For ne took the
side of the whites in the controversy
Briefly he said that after patient inves-
tigation he had come TO the conclusion
that it would be for the hest interests of
the order TO establish in such southern
states as desired it a double Jurisdiction
one of whites and one OF negroes-the de-
partments to have concurrent authority
as to chartering new posts, but separate
authority as to posts under each depart
ment. He said that majority of the
posts Of both races We're favorable to this
solution of the problem
other Points of the Address
Referring to other matters Colonel
VeaZey recommended that congress be
asked to provide for the keeping in repair
of the McGreSor cottage; also the enact
ment Of laws amending the statutes Civ
ing preference to soldiers IN the service Of
the government so as to recognize the idea
of service apart from discharge or disabi!-
ity He GaiH fhar -. e ? h..
try was changing as to the disability pen
sion bill-of last congress. and the number
of those who thought ii too liberal grow
ing less; but he was sorry to say that con-
gress was hard TO convince of the justice
of a service pension. y point that the
commauder-in-Chief elaborated was that
the work of the Grand Army was not done
while there We're persons in this country
who still held that the doctrine of seces-
sion was right, and that resistance to at
tempted coercion was not treason or re-
bellion,
Doesn't Agree wi tia Veazey.
The judge advocate general takes issue
with Commander inc hief Neazey in
regard to the color line question. He
holds that the establishment of two de
partments in the same territory would be
unlawful.
The surgeon general reported that Pen
sion Commissioner Raum had provided a
statement to the effect that there was a
total of go, ?g4 invalid soldiers and SOL
diers' widOws-for all wars-on the rolls,
and that TO pay the pensions would cost
for the present year Sll6.0OC 900.
Adjutant General Goulding reported
the total membership of the order at 444,-
BOZ, which was reduced to an actual mem
bership of 3Os Coz by suspensions etc.
There are :, 400 posts Deaths last wear
were $3.50, which was fifty-one more than
for the previous year. He believed that
by careful selections Of adjutaut generals
and longer tenure of Office the number
of members could he increased to zoe, OOJ
Report on other subjects.
Quartermaster General Taylor reported
the total assets of the order at sd no.
and Adjutaut General Goulding's report
contained the information that 1888 GGg
had been paid out during the past year
in charity-Sll6,O00 more than the previ-
Gus year. The judge advocate had de-
cided during the year that any sort of
service in the rebel army acted as a bar %
membership in the order whether the
service was compulsory or not; that hos
pital nurses, chaplains of regiments never
musteredinto service, and lieutenants of
the revenue marine service were ineligible
to membership, and that honorable dis
charge removes the stain of reported de-
sert;on.
In his address the commander in-cheif
paid tribute to the memory of those who
had been mustered out by death during
the year, including Sherman, Porter,
Hamlin DeveuS Tobin and others
The Woman's Relief Corps.
The national convention of the Wom-
ans Relief Corps met at the church of
Our Father, with Mrs. McHenry, of Dem
ison, Ia, in the chair. She urged the mem
bers to continue their effort to have hos
pital nurses put on the pension rolls.
There are 10000 on the list and 200 of
whom nothing can so far be learned The
secretary, Hannah Plimpton, reported a
total membership of q, 10, while owing
TO dslinquencies there had been a loss dur
Ing the year of IL, SAL
POINTS FROM. THE REPORTS.
Tributes to Those Who Have Been sum