Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1893-09-02
'CEIEEK.
The Old Comrades Must whack Up II
they Would Hear Their Depart
ment Officers.
A Characteristic Letter From Adjutant
General Campbell.

encampments of the q. A. II. of thi:
state will remember with what grea
profusion candidates for department
Office promise that they will get ou
among the comrades, visit posts, and
particularly do they promise 10 attend
all the camp fires and reunions. They
do this because they know that the
comrades are anxious for visit from
the department officers, and to curry
favor and secure votes they make these
promises.
AT the last encampnent, held al
Pittsburg last February, the present
department commander, Rev. Bernard
Kelly, was exceedingly profuse in his
promises. He was not only going to
visit as many posts as possible during
the year, and attend all the reunions,
but he was going to hold a county
camp fire, a kind of home reunion, IN
every county in the state. How well
Mr.. Kelly keeps his promises il is only
necessary TO ask: Is he here at Baxter
this week, at the biggest reunion that
has been or will be held In the state
this year?
Again, at the Pittsburg encamp-
ment, near the close, when nearl! all
the comrades had gone home, Il reso.
luton was introduced and hurriedly
passed appropriating $500 for the pay
of a clerk for Colonel A. b. Campbell,
the assistant adjutant general, in Or
der, as the resolution stated, that Col.
Campbell might have slime to attend
camp fires and reunions"
Notwithstanding this resolution,
which practically and in fact increases
Col. Campbells salary from $1,000 to
$1,000 a year, that official, in reply to
the urgent request of the reunion as.
ISOLATION, has the cheek to write tie
following letter in response:
TOPEKA, KANSAS, Aug. %, 1898.
II. p. McGregor, Baxter Springs, Kan.
DEAR SIR AND CoMRADE: l have
your letter of August 23d, telling me
how important ii is for us to go to
Baxter Springs during the reunion.
l telegraphed to You on Saturday
that if you would pay the expenses
of last year incurred by the depart
ment and also this year, and the com.
mittee would guarantee this expense
by telegraph to me, l would come
down, but that Mr.. Kelly could not
come.
Now / want to say to you in all
frankness that l did this because l
want you people to perform your
agreements. When Mr.. Greene and l
were there last year you agreed to pay
all of our expenses and we furnished
you the amount, SIS, which you were
10 send as soon as your reunion closed.
You never did so, and we have not
heard a word from you on the subject.
This is not proper treatment, and the
department cannot afford to spend
money to furnish speakers for you
when your reunion is run upon the
basis it is. You take in good deal of
money, and you ought to be willing to
pay these expenses, and you especially
ought to do so after having agreed to
the agreement / will not come UNI
less this is done.
Yours in f. G. Il L.,
A. B. CAMPBELL.
1t did not cost Mr.. Greene and Col.
Campbell a cent to attend the reunion
last year. other than what other COM
rades have 10 pay, their living expenses
--nor would it this year. These depart
ment officers are under great obliga-
tions to Kansas comrades for past IA
vors, and Col. Campbell in addition
thereto is paid a salary of $1,000 a
year by them to fulfill the duties of an
office that does not require, on an av-
erage, over three hours day of his
time.
II would have been much better If
the above letter had not been written,
hut as it has been the comrades are ell
titled to read it, consequently it is pub
lished i'm full.
Hon. j. NJ. Dunsmore was the
speaker for the afternoon camp fire
Tuesday. Much interest was mani
tested and the amphilheatre was
crowded TO hear this noted populisl
leader The audience was an atten-
tive one and it was happily disap-
pointed in that Mr.. DunsmOre kept
clear of politics and devoted his entire
time TO army experiences and on the
line of a soldier talk. He is pleasant
and fluent talker and the audience
generally was well entertained. Mr..
Dunsmore bears the scars of wounds
received in battle, he was prisoner at
Libby prison and is pensioner. He
said he has no use whatever for Hoke
Smith and his gang of pension haters
and is in favor OF a pension for every
soldier, not as a matter of charity,
but as a right, service pension in
fact.
"A number of the old soldiers have