Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-09-05
BOYS IN BLUE
Opening OF the En-
campment
Camp Wilder Duly
Dedicated
80, 200 Persons I'm In-
dianapolis.
Ex-Presidcnt Harri
sons Speech
To His Old Comrades
I'm Arms.

lnDIkNkroLis sept 4--Ihnnks 20
queens weather and the successful ear
rying out of the admirable arrange.
ments perfected by the local commit
tees. tho twenty seventh nafional en-.
campment a. the Grand Army % fhs
Republic opened most auspiciously 10
day. So far ~ the nnmber II sisitors
from outside points l. concerned the
success Of the encampmcnt Is siroady
assured. All DAY long the railroads
poured q strram of people into the Hoos.
Ter capitol. No les than twenty trains
with an average 81 ten cans each are ~
ported by The officials an having arrived
al the Union depot for the twelve hours
ending at o'clock tonight and as each
car had its full quota Of passengers. 10
say nothing of thosc ia which
even standing room was az
premium. some where in the neighbor.
hood u 5000 people must have
been turned loose into the highways and
by-ways OF Indianapolis during the day.
Not all of these. however. were yete.sne.
In fact the boys in blue are almost lot
in the throngs The hardy. hoop pole
yeomanry, with their wives and Children
form q large proportion ~ the arrivals.
II is real live national grand army en-
campment within easy reaching distance
and 10 keep away from n would be worse
than treason. And 90 they are here Ia
their tens Of thousands with the proc
poets that their numbers would be
doubled before another sunset
Not Up 20 Expectations
AS 20 the veterans the arrivals cut
side Of the state posts are not by any
means up to expectations A good
many states esnd less than half the
total that had been scheduled a month
ago a. certain 20 be here. while few
are likely 90 make even a poorer show
ing. In the encampment proper fully
hundred delegates. II not more. will fail
10 answer 70 tho roll call Hard times
and the continued stringcncy of the
money market. especially Ia the Far
western states. is the ascribabie cause.
But the crowds are here and even n
thcre Is q quartet of cisilisns 20 every
veteran. indianapolis IL Just AZ well
contcnted and happy.
Almost on the very spot In Military
park where thirty -onc years ago the
citizens presented 90 Colonel Harrison
and his newly orranized SeyenfIeth
regiment of volunteers the standards 81
Indiana and the United States 90 carry
before them 20 the var the ex president
this afternoon dedicated Camp Wilder.
the name bestowed upon some .Do tents
in which reunions of regiments and old
soldier societies xiil be 10 fail blast Tor
the remainder q the week.
Ex-Prcsisicnt Harrison spcakN
About 400 people participated ia the
exercises which included aoorcree ~
w. A. ketcham. Gen. John I. Nildrf.
for whom the camp.is named. and Gen.
Harrison. patriotic music by the band
and the raising of the stars snd stripes
90 the top of towering pole. Nhen
the ex president VAS lntroduced he uas
greeted with polley q cheers that Vas
thrice repeated. he spoiovized b. his
fellow citizens for having reinained -
long AZ the sea shore while thrg ucre
working for the euccnss q the cnramp-
mcnt. admitted that be felt la some
degree "a sbirk indulged IN some 80
teresting "reminiscences regarding the
park and surrounding Ieighbos.
hood in tie DAYS 90 tie war
and eulogized the bravery and
devotion % country of the Indiana
troops mo Indiana soldier sad The
ex ex-president. ''need he ashamed te or>n
10 the world. ia friendly competifion.
with the records u the sistef states, the
story of Indisns's part IN the great -
bellion. But the beauty of n al was
that thee regiments from Indiana nnd
these from IiliDois and fheee from ohio
were al one They we're soldiers a The
United States The cause vas one the
glory 10 one. and rieifiur comrades from
l-n. - -. a.
ourselves. bat e. take your hands a.
comrades and share rith you the glory
81 the greatest result flat uns eve
achieved by war In human hisioft.e
Honor the Unson ycfsan
II there is any man snyehsrr she
does rot honor the uniob Veteran. he
does not live in Indianapolis n thers
h any man anywhere who ssiEpectn him
81 Nouid detfsct the smallest 8eErre
from the merits q his service. be is not
here totiay. You Viil Bot meet iim On
eur sfreefs II tbe-e h sng uns who
can ever find Il in his heart a. sg'eas a
the sounded of Disabled veterans - tfs
var. o. the setcrnn4Eho has Gov fallen
~ he wAy after lrere struggle Tor
nesriy thirty years n the rnFssii et
s,nreuita a cltjl life. he dos not
live here NJ consrndes, fbess tsots
sl,oof us are pitched mary dafef
march nrsreF home thaB iboss IN
which yon dupif bere IN ISL Tbef
piil stand bot for . dss ard vanish.
You 70 20 your own bolDes - fie
ehefteT a fboet ro1f iress ard - The
cosnparionship a tisn<s fanIiiiex fruu
xhich ycu separated yJurpsf in tine -
uar snd q which you ffturoef viii 90
incrnaaei lrFe nnd cDnsecfstta. You
uisi r. bsck - pea Mp The du1iee ~
reur c.fixensbiY wifh higher eebs a
lhess auties ff the Rlofy nri ssa<tu--<
Il tbs aaa
Noe that = fcedif pfofs9rfi1n ~ 10
snen slso nsske nbd snnake tie ruiens
cf flsf orrEnizsficn efe on t5e Erou81
the woods ere fnH - efssislis sad