Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-24

The twenty-ffth annual encampment Of the
Department Of the Potomac will convene to-
morrow.
Department Commander Dinsmore has is
sued the following general order respecting the
encampment:
l. The twenty-ffth annual encampment of
this department will convene at Grand Army
Hall, 1912 Pennsylvania avenue on Wednesday,
January IS, 1s93 at $50 pm.
II. ComraGe ]. NJ. Edgar, commanding "Old
Guard, is appointed officer of the day and will
make the usual detail for guard duty.
| Ill Members OF the encampment will be fur
nished with badge upon application to the as
sistant quartermaster general. and the officer OF
the day will permit comrades wearing such
| badges only to pass into the seats reserved for
| them Alternstes will be provided with dis
tinctive badge, and will take their seats imme-
diately in rear of the members Of the encamp-
1 ment.
| All comrades admitted into the encampment
should wear the Grand Army uniform and the
badge of the order.
| ". Comrade ID. d. Brennan is hereby ap-
pointed special aid on the staff of the depart
ment commander and is assigned to duty with
the assistant adjutant general during the ses-
sions of the encampment.
| V. 1t will expedite the business Of the en-
campment If resolu tons and communications are
1
/ placed in the hands of the assistant sdjutant
| general on or before the 2Sd instant, thus en-
| Aiding the committee on resolutions to give
| more time to their consideration and make q
| prompt report.
! VI The following committees have been ap-
pointed. viz:
| On address Of the department commander
A. H. G.. Richardson, Israel W. Stone, Geo. C.
Ross. Vim. A Moore. J. b Randolph.
| On report of employment commttee-A- J.
| Cunning, F. II. Ripley, ]. F. Raub, Michael
| Mahsny, James Wood.
On report OF relief committee-A. s. Taber
| Abram Hart Edward Webster. c. r. Douglass,
/ Geo. H Armstrong.
| On report OF assistant adjutant general-H.
NJ Gilman, E. j. Sweet, d. d. Brennan, G. L.
/ Patten. J. p. Quander.
On report Of assistant quartermastsr general
Vim Gibson. VI. T. Anderson. c. Farnsworth,
W. II. Liverpool. J. II. Hewlett.
On report Of medical director and chaplain
/ Levi III. York, A. B. Jameson, L. p. Williams
/ F. C. Revels, J. Thomas Turner.
On report Of judge advocate and chief mns-
tering officer-E. W. Whitaker. W. ". Fierce,
II. G. Potter, Frank A. Clark. H. s. Stevens.
| Council of administration and inspector-L.
K Brown. Thos. Calver. E. ]. Russell, G. D.
/ Graham. J. III. Dony.
| On resolutions-B. T. Janney, A. n. Thomp-
son. Geo. A. Darling, H. n. Howard, S. c.
Robb.
On credentials Hendricks, ]. P.
! Church, A. +. MCMILLAN.
! VII The committee on resolutions will meet
/ at department headquarters on Monday, 23d
instant. at $50 pm. and the committee on
credentials on the oath instant at same time and
place.
| THE SILVER ANNIvERsARY.
| 1t is the purpose to have some public demon
stration in connection with the twenty-fif,h an
niversary Of this department in the early part
of February. The commander-in-chiefG Gen.
A. G.. Weisert, will be in town February 6, and
ii is proposed to combine the event Of his visit
with the silver anniversary. Comrade o. H. G.
Richardson. past del artment commander. is
chairman Of the committee appointed by De-
par;ment Commander Dinsmore to arrange the
| demonstration and he has associated with him
Past Commander-in-Chief Burdett. Past De-
! partment Commander Lincoln. Comrade B. 7.
Janrey OF Post 10 and others.
THE CONTEST FOR oFrrcEs
The sessions of the encampment will be con-
! tinued through several evening, until all the
business is completed. This year. as in former
years. the central point of interest is the cleo
ton Of officers and especially Of commander-in-
chief. The best-posted men in the department
are in doubt which one Of the many candidates
for this honor will receive a majority OF the
votes Of the 300 members of the encsmpment.
The friends Of one or two candidates. however.
are not in doubt on this subject. 1t Is claimed
for Mr.. John NcElroy that he has now some
l25 votes and it only requires a few more than
| $50 10 elect. Those who advocate the election
of ". II. Mohler make equally confident
claims. Then Green Clay Smith is loom
thought that his chances Of polling a large
vote are very bright. Then there are candi-
dates who are going to forge to the front when
| two or three ballots have been taken and the
voters begin to look around for some one that
| they can elect. In this class stands aIr. s. E.
I Eaupce nd NJ NJ Dot
ter will come into the field backed by the dele
gates of Post and Mr.. Frisbie is tine candidate
/ of the delegates of Pos; H. The business to-
morrow evening will be mainly preliminary. al
though it IL probable that parliamentary
contest will break out, which promises to be
lengthy one
PROPOSED ELECTION REFORM.
There are a good many members Of the en-
campment who are dissatisfied with the present
mode of electing officers. The law, as it now
stands, provides for three ballot boxes. In one
box are to be placed the tickets for the elective
officers. in another those for the members Of
the council Of administration and in the third
those for Representatives and al.ernates to the
national encampment 1t is felt that this
method is cumbert ONE, and the plan is favored
by some Of doing away with this system en-
tirely and having the votes cast separately and
counted BY separate tellers. In order to bring
about this change the bylaws will have to be
amended. and the chance Tor a parliamentary
scrap will come in when the attempt is made to
have this change 60 into effect at once, so as to
apply to the present election. 1t is expected
that tomorrow night the nominations will be
made and the way cleared for the balloting,
which will take place under the rules at the
/ second session.
PROSPEROUS YEAR.
The reports OF the officers will show that the
department is in point Of numbers as well as in
other particulars in fourishing condition.
/ Under Capt Dinsmore's administration the
membership has increased from about $500 to
nearly 1000. -Four new posts have been estab-
lished during the year, making a total Of twenty
posts connected with the department..
ENTITLED TO VOTES.
The roll Of those entitled TO seats and to votes
| in the encampment is as follows:
! 4 +. Dinsmore. commander; John McElroy
senior vice commander; Nathan Bedford, Junior
/ vice commander; j. r. Hayes, medical director;
/ W. II. Gotwald, chaplain; Arthur Hendricks,
assistant adiutant general; J. Z. McCabe. as
sistant quartermsster general: John johnson
/ inspector; Patrick O'Farrell, Judge advocate;
| J. ". Butcher, chief muster officer
| Council Of administration-R E. smith W. G.
Hall, L. p. Williams, W. W. Eldridge and /. &.
W. Thompson.
| Past department ommanders-F H. Spracue.
| b. 7. Hawkes., A. II. G.. Richardson, g. T. Cor
\ son, Harrison Dingman, c. c. Royce William
| Gibson, \. y Burdett, y. NJ Brooks J. r.