Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-09-22
FAST NEARING AN END
Reunions Mark the Closing of
 the Big Encampment.
THE CONTEST FOR COMMANDER.

Strange to Say, But Little Interest Taken
 fin it by the Veterans Indianapolis
 Chosen as the Place for the Next Meet
 inR-BusIness Session Yesterday.
 WASHINGTON, Sept. 22.-The great re- union of the Grand Army is rapidly draw ing to close, and but little remains to do except selecting officers for next year.
 For the commandership Col. O. F. Lin coln of Washington is making strong fight. Thes trength of the West is di- vided between Captain Weissert of Mil waukee, Colonel Sexton of Chicago and Colonel Warfield of San Francisco. Gen. Hurst of Ohio is spoken of as a strong compromise candidate.
 The management of the organization, however, and it's place of meeting are things that the mass of veterans do not care white army bean for.
 For every comrade of the Grand Arm of the Republic yesterday was, save for the day of his return to his home after the war and perhaps his wedding day, if he has had one, the most joyful day in the 27 years since the great muster out. It was so because it was the greatest reunion day that the Gre Id Army has ever known. As Ge-.. Palmer said in his speech at the dedication of Grand Army Place, the veterans have in the encamp- ment the first real opportunity for re-
 union that they have ever had.
 So all day long, the Second, the Third, the Sixth, the Seventh, the Eighth, the
 Fourteenth and Eighteenth corps-under
 the leadership of Miles and Sickles and
 Wright and Franklin, and Howard and
 Stanley and Rosecrans, and last, but not least, Col. Dick Hinton, the only surviv- ing member of the Cabinet which John Brown had appointed preparatory to his expected conquest of the slave States fought over again every battle of the war from Manassas on the East to Pear Ridge on the West.
 On the deck of the Kearsarge the re- union went SO far as to join Gunner Ar thur Quinby of Salem, Mass, who fired not only the first three shots at the Ala bama but the last with Seaman Arthur l Sinclair of Baltimore, who was one of the crew set af1oat in the channel waters by the last shot.
 The business feature of the day was the official meeting of the national encamp-
 ment which took place at Albaugh's Opera House.
 Commander in-C Chief Palmer was escort
 ed to the place of meeting in the drizzling | rain by the Union Veteran corps, and the "old guard" of Washington. The Committee on Halls, at the sug- l gestion of Gen. Palmer, had provided for | him, as presiding officer, desk in the l shape of an immense drum, the head of | which was 8 perfect sounding board, and | which, when struck by the gavel, would drown out any other noise.
 | At 10:30 Adjutant- General Phisterer | called the encampment to order, when | there were less than 800 delegates in the | house, and presented MT. B. 1. Warner of the Citizens Executive Committee, who l introduced Hon. J. w. Douglass, Presi- l dent of the District Board of Commission l CTS, who welcomed the encampment to | Washington.
 Gen. Palmer, rising to respond, gave a
 lesson in military punctuality. He said: | "One year ago this encampment was
 called to meet at 10 o'clock. It is now 1O:3O, and do not propose to have those
 comrades in the hall disturbed by late ar l rivals Close the doors until after the
 response to Commissioner Douglass 8
 welcome has been made, and I will not
 talk until every comrade has taken his
 seat" When this was done Gen. Palmer
 delivered his address.
 He said in part:
 'It is peculiarly appropriate that the
 survivors of the Union armies should
 gather again in the capital of the nation,
 which, through four long years of bloody
 strife, they defended at the peril of their
 lives, and bring to our minds wildly the | name of that rreat man who, under the
 providence of S1od, successfully guided the affairs of the nation through the crisis of it's fate.
 "Almost within sound of my voice there
 reposes in that beautiful spot on Arling-
 ton Heights, where the green sod lies gently upon the breasts of the silent sleepers, 16,000 patriotic dead; it recalls to our minds the enormous price paid by the American people for the preservation of the nation. Four thousand graves are
 marked with the saddest of all inscrip tions-unknown. We meet to-day witt the consolation that the nation was saved
 and preserved by the valor of these men and we feel exalted by their achievement! = and regenerated by their life's blood. A statement was made by Commando
 Palmer, in regard to the differences ex : isting in the departments of Louisiana : and Mississippi between the white ant f colored posts, and his action in the mat , ter, which was taken, he said, withou . either feeling, fear or prejudice. Th' department has been reorganized, ant was represented to-day in the Nationa Encampment by full delegation. 3 In speaking of pensions, he declared 9 that the Disability bill of June 27, 1890 a was so munifcent in its scope that no ad g ditional legislation was sought by the las d encampment
 The Pension Committee has endeavoreC = to have corrected certain inequalities il
 the ratings, which were not commeasuI ,, ate with existing disabilities from whicl many comrades are suffering. Commander Palmer stated that durini
 his official term he had visited twenty tt five departments, attended numerous re IT unions and public gatherings, requirin n months of time and labor, and had travele - nearly 40 900 miles in attending to tn
 duties of his office. Everywhere he ha 'o found the greatest interest and enthus 'e asm for the order.
 y It was urged that the committee eI protect the rights of war veterans Id Government employment in preference le others be continued, and that the G. er R. cordially support the project to hay Ia the national school demonstration unde 5 the direct patronage of the order at th =, Worlds Fair.
 Gov. Chase of Indiana, ex-DepartmeI n Commander, asked the encampment the D. to determine the location of the encaml y ment of 1893, as he was compelled rN l.. Al. IA T.. Al 90.