Evening journal., 1893-06-24
WEISERT ON FARNHAM.
He Tells Just Why the
Charter Was Revoked.
TWO DISTINGUISHED GAR, GUESTS
The COMMANDMENT Chief Says That It
Was the Manner and Not So Much the
Matter which Led to the wiping out
of the New York Post-ReceptIon Held
In DUPONT Post Rooms.

of the New York Post-Reception Held
In DUPONT Post Rooms.
Commander.in. Chief A. G. Weisert,
and Adjutant General r. p Gray, Of
Milwaukee. Wis reached this city at
s 80 o'clock this morning. They came
to meet the officers Of the Delaware De
partment Of the Grand Army iof the Re.
public and talk over with them the con-
dltion and needs Of this jurisdiction
The visitors were met at Delaware
avenue b. & o. station by Junior Vice.
Commander In Chief Peter b Ayars,
State Department Commander Benjamin
d. Bogia, Assistant Adiutant General
Edgar A. Finley, Aides de Camp j. s.
Booth and Joseph s. Wheeler, Of Ad-
miral S. DUPONT Post No .
The party took an electric car and pro.
ceeded 20 the Clayton House with their
two distinguished visitors. When an
EVENING JOURNAL reporter called there
shortly after 10 o'clock he found them In
the'reading room talking over matters
relating TO the order,
Vice Commander Ayars introduced the
reporter TO the com mander.in chief, who
said he was always glad 10 meet
a newspaper man, having been one him.
self before he was admitted 20 the prac-
tice of law. He was pronounced In ex
pressions Of mis- appreciation of the kind
references made to him by the press Of
the country regardless Of political atlili.
alton.
Knowing that he was the man who
endorsed the action Of the state com
mander Of New York in wiping out
Farnham Post for insubordnation in
adopting and promulgating the anti
pension fraud resolutions the EVENING
JOURNAL reporter asked him for an in.
tervlew on the circumstances leading up
TO the revocation of the charter Of the
post which sprang into notorety in a
single night. He said:
you are the third man 10 whom
have given an interview since | became
commanderln chief With regard to
Farnham Post, IL was simply a matter Of
disobedience and violation of the rules
of the Grand Army of the Republic.
While the resolutions referred TO pen
siOns, they were no stronger in favorng
the uncovering of frauds on the pension
roll than the orders issued by me as
commander in.chief, long before any
discussion of this kind arose. You eau
see how absurd this whole thing Is by
reading general order No. o. which Is
as follows:
In Favor of Pension Reform.
"YIu Every member Of the order
Is solemnly obligated "To encourag,
honor and purity In public affairs 10 is
therefore, enioined upon comrades L
report promptly to the commissioner o
. pensions Washington. d. c any known
case in which pension is being received
fraudulently
Observance Of the Pension Laws.
"The Grand Army Of the Republic Il
based on principals. the strongest o
, which is obedience to and enforcement
Of the laws Of the land, and the pension
laws are no exception. One of the prin
oipal statements made by those un
friendly to pensions is that the pension
roll is made up of bounty
Jumpers, deserters and those VIII
did not serve long In tn,
D army, and that consequently
greater portion of the pensions allowed
I are fraudulent Their statement is mad
l without citing a single instance when
D the pension law is violated The
Grand Army of the Republic believel
that all statements made should be base,
on facts and If there is any violation o
. the law the party knowing of It, whethe
he be an ex soldier or otherwise, shoul,
q make the fact known TO the proper
4 officer so that the violation may be cor
/ rected.
He Endorsed the Revocation.
As far as Farnham Post Is concerned
r its charter was revoked by the depart
ment commander Of New York and hi
action vas endorsed by me. A numbe
y of its members have made application
b. 4 fnnr aH To ha Grand a
the Republic, and I am informed that
had there been full attendance of th
membership at the time action wa
d taken on the resolutions, they woul
d have met with strong opposition. Super
3 iniendent Byrne, Of police fame, was
h member OF that post and is a member
? of my staf. He Is a strong Grand Arm
n man, and one that we all have the great
e est respect for. Farnham Post Is wipe
}, out Of existence. The members canno
J. come into the order again under tina
e, same number. A post may be organize
10 having the same name, as the name
r the honOred one Of a deceased soldier
but the old post, as il has heretofore ez
Z, listed, is no more. We, as Grand Arm
a men, have no unkind feelings toward
4 its members and are only sorry that the
a persisted in disobeying the laws Of th
n order
y Farnham Would Not Re Purged.
"The action of the department CON
mander and myself was based solely o
the methods adopted in the passage an
10 promulgation of the resolutions by FarT
& ham Post They should have been az
n proved by the department commando
h aud then by the commander in
,e chief and permission given for thei
'e publication The post did not .compl
l. with this, and when attention was calle
, to the infraetion> of the law it becam
a insubordinate, even when their con
y mander aud his council of administration
e which is composed of some Of the mos
~ intelligent and capable men in the stat
u of New York, took the matter in hanC
! the insubordination continued, the pos
would not purge itself of contempt, an
its charter was revoked as above stated.
a What is your idea of the method net
y essary to purge the pension rollsy'
,r 1T is expressed in the order as issue
10 by me in January and which you have
l. the first part Of this interview i am
81 radical reformer, myself