The Opelousas courier., 1893-12-16
u. C.. ".

DR.. Joseph Jones, Of New Orleans,
Surgeon General of the United Con
federate Veterans, has prepared his
report, which is to be read at Birming-
han reunion. 1t is q very interesting
document. At the 3rd annual reunion,
held in New Orleans last year, were
lS9 organized camps. The number
has already increased to 25l. He ad-
vises thorough organization and the
medical officers should be known by all
members of their respective camps and
be accessible to them. Medical officers
should also be known to each other.
He states the chief objects of the or
g%anization to be !:
l. The preservation of the story
of our heroic struggle, with its vic
tories, defeats, disasters, privations
arhl sufferings.
). The relief of the suftrings, dis
eases and wounds of the vete rams of
the Confederate army and navy.
After referring to the illustrious
dead and to the care that the United
States government extends to the
Union veterans he adds "The pri-
vilege of supporting the sick and des-
titute veterans, and immOrtalizing
their heroic deeds by the historic mar
BILE and bronze is enjoyed alone by
their surviving comrades and Confed-
ted" He gives forms of blanks re-
CURED for the proper carrying out of
the purposes of the camps and general
organization. 100 camps, up to June
10 had reported a membership of 1922,
being an average of SO per camp.
This would bring up the total member
ship in the PSI camps to about $4,000
United Confederate Veterans. The
report of these 100 camps showed only
27O disabled Confederate soldiers or
less than 3 per cent of their mem
bership.
1.-THE disabled and INDECENT soldiers
as we'll as the INDECENT widows of the
Confederate soldiers supported by the
individual camps, amount to an in
significant number. These statistics
are interesting as indicating the indie
pendence and substantial thrift and
prosperity of the Confederate Vet
Grams throughout the South. They
are able to maintain themselves, wives
and children and pay the enormous
taxes imposed by the pensions of their
conQuerors and at the same time to do
fitting reverence to their distinguished
dead and to erect noble monuments to
their honored chieftains."
Note is made of the absence of a
proper number of medical officers in
some of the camps. In his recon-
mendations Dr.. Jones says:
We would suggest the election by
each camp Of one surgeon, with the
rank of major, and two assistant sur
geons, with the rank respectively of
captain.
The officers thus elected by the in
dividual camps should hold Office
throughout life; or "a long AS they
may be willing to yield their gracious
and gratuitous services to the sick and
disabled and destitute Confederate
veterans-snbiect to removal fer due
cause.
The surgeons and assistant surgeons
elected, chosen or appointed by the
individual camps should be duly com
missioned by the commanding General.
and should constitute the permanent
standing medical corps of the United
Confederate Veterans.
Each Camp should preserve a hos
pital register of all the sick and
wounded treated, giving full particu-
lars of all wounds or injuries, how
ever or wherever received, with the
detailed statement of the Confederate
veterans of the circumstance of the
battlas or skirmishes in which said
wounds were received.
Each surgeon in charge of a camp OF
soldiers home should prepare and for
ward annual report, relating to the
sick and disabled veterans, to the sur
geon general,
The consolidated report of the la
bors of the medical corps thus consti-
tuted should be submitted by the sur
geon general in his annual report to
the United Confederate Veterans.
We also urge upon the United Con
federate Veterans assembled at this,
the fourth annual reunion, the neces-
city sor comforting upon the Surgeon
geteral the power to effect a thorough
and permanent organization of the
medical department by approving and
confirming his efforts in behalf of the
It. c. ", and by comforting upon him
the power of appointing n or more
medical officers, medical directors and
medical inspectors, with the rank of
Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel in each
Southern State namely, Alabama, Ar
kansas, Florida, Georgia, Indian Ter
ritory, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mary
land, Mississippi, Missouri, North Caro-
lima, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas
and Virginia.
The discharge of difficult, RESPONSE
BILE and benevolent duties appertain-
ing to honorary positions, without pay,
must rest upon the patriotic interest of
the officer, whose highest reward must
be sought in the approval OF his com
rades and the satisfaction in being
used as an instrument for the relief of
hnman suffering.
The New Orleans Picayune is n of thu
newsiest and most reliable papers pub
lished. It's Editorials are judicious and
timely; it gives all the news without fear
OF favor; its Associated Press and Special
Southern kilograms cover all important
Foreign and Domestic News; it's Com
mercial and Market Reports are complete
and are accepted standards; its Letters
from New York and Paris, and the
Special Contributions of Pearl Rivers,
Catharine Cole, Mollie Moore Davis.
Jennie June, Marie Points and others are