The National tribune., 1893-08-03
NATIONAL
ENCAMPMENT.
Progress of the Preparations for the
Coming Grand Reunion.
INDIANAPOLIS, July 81.


titled to seats in the Encampment are the Pas
Chief, with the Past Senio
and Vice Commanders in Chief, the NatiOna
officers Of the Order and its standing com
mittees In addition to the representative
each Department elects many alternates
who. with the Department Commanders and
Past Department Commanders, constitute i'll
full representation. The age of Department
necessarily gives it more Past Department
Commanders. aud this causes an apparent dis
proportion of representation in the EnCamp
nSnt Thus, Utah having the smallest mem.
be-ship in good standing, will have Is in thS
EnSampment nine of whom will be Past De
psrtment Commanders. The Indian Territory
with a membership of 81, will have a repre-,
sentatiOn of only seven, one alone being Past
Department Commander. Were their officer:
out of the question the representation of Utah
and the Indian Territory would be equal
Each would have no more than Alabama, W hose
Past Department Commanders number three
Arizona also would come in this list, putting
aside her four Past Department Commanders,
each of the Departments named having, with
the exception mentioned, a representation OF
six, including four Department officers in
service the Commander, the Senior and Junior
Vice Commanders and Assistant Adjutant-
General. Each has but one representative
elected and one alternate.
But dispropoTtion is more marked in a COM
parison of the Departments of Delaware and
Louisiana, the jurisdiction of which extends
over Mississippi. Louisiana has 1906 MEM
bers, but being Department of recent years
has representation of IL, and 20 for Delaware.
with membership of ], III. Delaware has -
Past Department Commanders to three for
Louisiana. California has 2 few hundred less
membership than Kentucky, but goes ahead of
the latter by four on the roster of the Encamp-
ment, because Kentucky has 10 Past Depart
ment Commanders to I6 for California, but the
latter elects seven representatives TO Ken
tucky's eight.
OF the 45 Departments Ohio has the largest
membership A., 962; then comes Pennsy lvania
with 43.645; New York, 4l,322, and illinois,
30,962 Pennsylvania, however, has the lead
of Ohio by one on the roster, the latter having
JIG and Pennsylvania III names New York
drops down to 100, and Illinois to 90. Massa-
chusetts has more members ga 261) than Indi-
ana (23,909), but no more representatives
elected. Yet Indiana, having hut Is Past
Commanders TO Massachusetts, %, must be
content with a total representation of SO to the
~ from Massachusetts,. Each of the New Eng
land Departments, Massachusetts excepted, has
less than $4,000 members, the smallest men,
bership being that of Rhode Island, 1868
Maine, 1855; New Hampshire, 5.0i8; Yer
mont 1914 and Connecticut, $685. Rhode
Island, though, with her % Past Department
Commanders 10 19 for Maine has only 10 less
OF total representation than Maine, that of the
latter being As
In the Western States, where there is great
soldier-populatiOn, the g. A f. membership
shows S6G7 in Nebraska, 20,353 in Missouri.
1850 in Kansas, and I9O7S in Iowa. Mich.
gan has 90 400 members; Wisconsin, Is. 335;
Minnesota, ZIG. In these the disproportion
Of Past Department Commanders is not so great
IS in the instances noted. The question is one
that has come up at every Encampment, and
was discussed with great vigor. 1t will be
brought up here, and promises hotter fight
than usual.
FIRST POST.
Decatur Post. 141, Decatur, Ill.,, the history
of which is that OF the Grand Army of the
Republic, is to have at the Encampment very
large delegation. This Post was the starting
point of the Order, having been organized
April 6. 1866. For years its number was 1,
but when the Order was reorganZed after it
went to pieces through evil political influences
Decatur became 141. Since then il has fiourished.
1t has now a membership of more than 300.
Capt. James T. Steele, of the Post, with Capt.
j. n. MartiH and F. G. Betzger, also of Decatur,
were here yesterday TO arrange for a camp
ground, as the Decatur Post veterans propose
TO sleep In tents during their stay at the En-
campment. With them will come the surviving
charter and other members of the original
Post. veterans Of other Posts in the County,
Sons Of Veterans and members of the Woman's
u.
and by their numbers. music and appearance
will make an impression on the great crowd of
visitors.
EXTRA POLICE SERVICE
The police care OF the city during the En-
campment will require extra men, aud this has
been one Of the difficult problems In connection
with the preparations for the event II is the
wish not to have too many or too few It is
thought that % special officers on Saturday.
nH1vy mad rSd q Q
on Monday and 300 on Tuesday and Wednes-
day, and 100 on Thursday, will be sufficient
In addition 10 detectives will be required for
SIX days and 80 horses for one and % for two
days service. There ought TO be in use six
patrol wagons. These figures are what is
necessary. according to the estimate Executive
director Fortune has sent Edward Hawkins
Chairman Of the Committee on Public Order
Informing him Of approval of the plan By
Col. Lilly, Chairman of the Beard. This will
give force as nearly as possible proportionate
TO what the population OF the city will be At
the time of the Encampment; giving, though.
more police 10 fewer people than heretofore on
occasions Of that kind. The force promises
sufficient protection, and better than that which
had.
CALIFORNIA VETERANS.
One Of the many soldiers organizations that
are 10 meet here during the National Encanp-
ment is that Of the California Volunteer Vet
Grams Association. 1t will be the third Re
uniOn Of these old soldiers who served in Cali
fornia regiments during the rebellion. The
members are scattered throughout the country.
with few more than 100 of the 23S now living
IN the State to which they were credited for
their war service The address of 90 Of the 100
IS the Soldiers Home at Los Angeles. The
Reunion here will be on Sept. 6, and on Mon
day the members on their arrival are requested
70 register at the Association Headquarters in
Military Park. Wednesday the business Of the
ASSOCIATION viii be transacted, and it is ex-
pected that every member will be heard from
at that time, either in person or by letter A
circular giving details OF arrangements has
been Issued by +. {. Timmons President of the
association, the Headquarters Of which are at
Providence, L. ].
DECORATIONS
The Committee on Street Decorations. of
which George q. Tanner is Chairman, has
q very good idea Of what ought TO be done TO
produce the most pleasing effects While the
citizens must bear the expense of their own
decorations, il is the purpose of the committee
70 see that 1t is done well, for upon the display
OF flags and bunting and their arrangement
with artistic fitness depends largely the first
impression Of indianapolis the incoming vet
Grams will receive. If they sec colors flying
from every window, house fronts beautifully
decorated, and arches columns and other de-
signs along the principal streets they will feel
that their welcome has q great deal of honest