The Red Cloud chief., 1893-09-08
COMRADES GATHER.
THE GRAND ARMY FESTIVAL At
lNpIANA'S CAPITAL.

Attendance Of Veterans Not 70 Large -
Expected. bat Their Absent Places Riiled
By Observation-Disclosures Of Camp wilder
By Gen. Harrison.
ISDIANAPoLis, Sept. 6-Thanks TO
queens weather and successful carrying
out Of the admirable arrangements per.
fected by the local committees, the TWEEN.
ty-ssventh national encampment OF the
Grand Army opened most auspiciously.
10 far 40 the number Of visitors from out
side points IL concerned the success OF the
sncampmsut il already assured. Not all
Of these, however, are veterans. In fact
che boys In blue are almost lost in the
throngs. The hardy, ~hooppols yeomsnry.
with their wives and children and other
relatives. near and remote, form . large
proportion Of the arrivals. With q real
live national Grand Army encampment
within easy reaching distsnce. to keep
away from II would b worse than treason.
Not Up to Expectations.
A. TO the veterans. the arrivals, outstde
Of the state posts. are not by any e
up 20 expectations. A good many states
send less than half the total that had been
scheduled . month ago As certain to be here,
while . few are likely 20 make even .
poorer showing. In the encampment
proper fully 100 delegates, II not more, will
fail to answer to the roli-caii. Hard times
and the continued strinsency Of the money
market, especially In the far western
states, IL the ascribable cause. But the
crowds arc here and even II there are q
Qusrtette Of civilians to every veteran. In.
d~isuapolis Is just - well contented and
happy.
Hssvisos Dediestss . Camp.
Almost on the very spot In military
park where thirty-o years g the citi.
Iens presented TO Colonel Harrison and bis
newly organized Seventeen regiment Of
volunteers the standards Of Indiana and
the United States to carry before them q
the war, the ex president dedicated Camp
wilder the name bestowed upon som.
three hundred tents IN which ~reuniops 81
regiments aud old soldiers' societies vii
- in full blast for the remainder OF tb.
week. About 100 people participated 10
the exercises, which included addresses By
W. A. ketchnm, General John I. Wilder
flor whom the camp il named. and Gen
eral Harrison: patriotic music by the band
and the raising Of the stars and stripes &c
the top Of a towering pole.
The Ex-President's speech.
When the ex-pres!dens was introduced
he was greeted with 4 vJlley OF cheers tina,
wss thrice repeated. He apologized u
his fellow citizens for having remained Sc
vn~~ A NhA s~. ..1,t. 81. ,....
working hard for the success OF the en-.
campment; admitted tina, he felt In some
degree "a shirk," INDUCED In some inter.
estipg "reminiscences regarding the park
and surrounding nei2hbothood In the days
Of the war, aud e~u!ogized the bravery and
devotion TO country Of the Indiana troops.
"No Indiana soldier, said the ex.president,
"need lie ashamed to open to tie world In
friendly competition with the records Of
the sister states the story OF Indiana's par,
In the great rebellion. but the beauty ol
II oil was tina. these regiments from lndi
o aud these from Illinois and these from
Ohio were all one.
All Belonged to Uncle sam.
They we're not Iudiaaa's soldiers,
Obio's nor Illinois soldiers, but soldiers Of
the United States. The cause was one,
the glory Is one, aud. visiting comrade,
from other states, We are not here to eXal
ourselves, but TO take your hands Us com
gades aud share with you the glory VI TIT
greatest result that was ever achieved b,
wal in human history. II there is an.
man anywhere who docs not honor til,
union veteran he does not live In Indian
spOlis, Nthsre Is any man anywhere VIII
suspects him OF would detract In tn
smallest degree from tho merits Of hi
service. he Ii not here to-day. You vii
not meet him Oh our streets.
The Lesson Os the EncAnpment.
my comrades, those tents about us ar
pitched many days march nearer HON
than those IN which you dwclt here IL
1861. They will stand but for a day an,
vanish. Sou so to your own homes, 4
the shelter Of those root trees and 10 tn
companiooship Of those families iron
which you separated yourself in times @
war and 70 which you returned with a,
increased love and conservation. 70,
will 60 back to pick up the duties o. you
citizenship with . higher sense of thes
duties, Of the glory and sweetness Of tn,
dag. than you had before you came here I
minglc with these comrades, to listen 1
these stirring songs, and to stir each othe
by the remembrance Of those blood
days"