Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1894-09-19
LAWLER CHOSEN CHIEF.
Illinois Man Elected Commander OF
the Grand Army OF the
RanuhIic

Pittsburg, Pa, Sept. 13.-Col. Thomas
| G. LawIer of Rockford, H., was today
| elected commander-in-chief of the Grand
Army of the Republic by a majority of
! eleven votes over Col. |. \. Walker of
| Indianapolis. It was the closest contest
for the office in the history of the G. A. r.
Business and activity characterized the
lobby of the Grand Opera house at an
| early hour, and long before the second
! days session of the Grand Army conven-
| ton opened there was a crowd of lobby
| lists at work in favor Of their several cam
| didates for office AS nominations were
| only made yesterday for the office of COM
| mandeT-in-chief, those departments that
| had candidates for the other national
officers were busy buttonholing delegates
| as they made their way into the CONVEX
| ton hall. New York came out with Phil
ip S. Biglin for junior vice-commander,
and Louisiana had an opposition candi-
| date in the person of Charles II. Shute.
| Both sides, of course, were confident.
| The two candidates for the highest office
! in the giving of the Grand Army of the
| Republic came to the convention early
| Col. Thomas q. Lawler arrived at 9:10
| 6. ~. with all his department delegates
| They were confident that things looked
bright for them. Col Walker and his
! followers were also on hand at a season
|
| The feature OF the encampment and the
| hottest and closest contest ever known in
| the Grand Army was the fight for the po-
! sitiOn Of commander-in-chief. The con-
testan-s were Col. Thomas G. Lawler of
| Rockford, H.. and /. n. Walker of In
! dianapolis. Electoneering of a most Wig
orous character has been going on all the
| week, and last night and this morning the
| friends of both candidates claimed vic
tory by good margin. The closeness of
| the result was Il surprise to both victor
| and defeated. 1t took fOrty-five minutes
to cast and count the ballots of $40 dele
| gates. Then Commander Adams an
| nounced that the vote stood: Lawler,
$50; Walker, 319-the Illinois man win
ming by the narrow majority of eleven
votes. AS soon as the election was an
nounced peals of applause rang through
of quiet was restored, Col. Walker with
drew his name and the election of Co.
| Lawler was made unanimous. In a brief
| speech the new chief
| thanked his supporters and said he would
| work to the utmost for the advancement
of that grand organiZation-the G. A. r.
| Nevins post of Rockford, ILL.,. III honor Of
the election of Col. Lawler, fred a salute
on the river bank.
Col Lawler was born in England on
| April Z, 1914. When a child he was
taken to Illinois and educated in the pub
IL he enlisted as private in Co. h,
Eighteenth Illinois Volunteer infantry.
He saw much hard fighting. He COM
manded his company for two months
during the Atlanta campaign, and was
| elected captain by the company and
placed upon the roll of honor by Maj.
| Gen Rosecrans of the Army of the Cum
| berland Col. LaWler organized the Rock
! ford rifles in 1876 and was elected colo
mel and commanded the Third regiment,
/. n c., for seven years, when he re-
signed He was postmaster at Rockford
under the Hayes and Garfield admins
trations and is in the lumber and coal
business Col. LAWYER has been COM
mander of @. L. NevinS post Of Rock
ford for twenty-siX consecutive years.
He has also served as Il member of the
council Of administration and junior and
senior vice-cOmmander. After the cleo
| ton of Col. Lawler the convention adj
The tinted States Veteran Signal Serv-
! ice Corps association held it's eighteenth
annual reunion in Columbia hall and
| elected the following officers: President,
| w. II. Holmes. Independence, Ia; vice
! presidents, DR.. w. H. Fulton, Pittsburg;
! a. O. Ravenaugh, Louisville and j. {.
urer, Charles D. W. Marcy, Boston; his
| torian. ]. Willard, Boston; quartermas
ter, Evan Russell, Willamsport, Pa;
chaplain, John S. Speer, Canonsburg,
| Pa. More than 100 members represent
ing nearly every state in the Union were
| present.
The Daughters of Veterans this fore
noon elected the following national of
ficers: President. Mrs. Ellen N. Walker,
| Worcester, Mass. senior vice-rresident,
Miss Anna Schmid. st. Louis; junior vice
president. Miss Gladys Foster Kansas;
chaplain. Miss Lena Stevens. Massillon,
| O.: treasurer, Mrs Ida J. Alien. Newton
| VILE Mass; inspector. Miss Addie Yorke,
| SomerviHe, Mass; installing officer, Miss
Anna Roberts: Connellsville, Ind; trus-
Trescott, Ohio; Nellie King, Ohio; Cora
| Pike, Massachusetts, and r. Evelyn,
! Monroe O.
The ladies of the G. A. r. met this
| morning and received greetings from the
other women's organizations in session
| here. The report of the national in
spector, Mrs. Mary E. Gordon of Kansas,
| showed that the organization has over
| 10000 members, and expended $4,000
| during the year. The report of the ma
| tionai council was received amending
some of the minor features of the consti-
| tuition.
| The Woman's Relief corps. at its ses-
| sion this morning, received an invitation
| from Mrs. Mahon, deputy president of
! Kentucky, to meet with the @. A. Z. in
| Louisville in 1895. Kate Brownley Sher
wood submitted the report of the COM
| Inittee on national council of women. The
| committee met with the worlds congress
| of representative women to arrange for
the triennial council to be held at Wash
| ington next year. The Women's Relief
corps ranked second numerically at this
| ,,!apting. who're seventeen wnmen's 1850
| Citations were represented with an 2ggre-
gate membership of over 100000 The
movement to teach patriotism in the pub
lie schools and placing flag on every
| schOOlhOuse and in every schoolroOm in
! land
Chaplain I. H. Haggerty of st. Louis
was elected unanimously chaplain-in-
| chief, his only opponent withdrawing be-
| fore the vote was taken.