River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-09-20
GRAND ARMY AT PITTSBURGH.
Twenty-Eighth National Encampment of
the Heroes of '61-65.


PITTSBURGH, Pa, Sept 14-There
were no vacant seats in the Grand
opera house Wednesday morning when,
the twenty-eighth national encamp-
ment of the Grand Army of the Re
public was opened formally. Precisely
at that hour Commander in Chief John
G.. Ii. Adams tapped the table with his
gavel of cedar and gold and declared
the encampment opened. Gov. Patti
son gave welcome to the delegates IN
behalf of the state.
These exercises oye-, the encamp-
ment went into executive session and
the delegates settled down TO listen to
the reports of the national officers.
The closest attention was paid TO the
annual address of the commander in
chief, upon large number of topics.
The report of James +. Mech, adju-
tant general, shows a decrease of 400
posts during the last year, or at least
The lack of reports from that number
of posts. According TO the figures
given, there was expended in charity
this way for the six months ending
December 81, 1898, the sum of $780,
4s6. 03 and for the six months ending
June 80, 1894, S1O3, 29s.p7, total for the
year of s203. 7s0.i0
The twenty-seven departments re-
porting give the following statistics:
Number of soldiers and sailors graves
decorated by posts, 32,35s; number of
soldiers and sailors buried during the
year ending last Memorial day, 1922;
cemetery lots owned by posts, 532;
number of soldiers and sailors buried in
potter's fields, 752; unmarked by proper
headstones, 10232; number of posts
holding Sunday memorial services,
pos; number of posts holding Memo
rial day exercises, 2,232; number of
comrades who took part in the exer-
cises. Isl. i06.
Henry Watterson delivered an adj
dress urging the claims of Louisville,
Ky, to the next encampment. The
ovation rendered Mr.. Watterson at the
conclusion of his effort for his own city
was magnificent tribute to the elo-
queuee and feeling of the representa-
tive selected by Louisville. It was
properly voiced later by the unani-
mons decision of the heads of the
grand army to break over precedent
and take the next national encamp-
meut into the erstwhile enemy's coun-
/ try south of Mason aud Dixon's line,
/ 20 Louisville. st. Paul the only other
contestant, gracefully retired, under
assurance, il is believed, of the en-
campment for the following year.
PITTSBURGH, Pa, Sept. l4.-After one
of the most heated contests in the his
tory of the order Col Thomas q.
Lawler, of Rockford, H.. has been
elected commander in chief of the
Grand Army OF the Republic, defeat
ing his only opponent, Col Ivan \.
Walker, of indianapolis, by the mar
row majority of IL in total vote OF
649
The other elections for national
board positions were soon settled, as
there were but few contests and XII
were withdrawn before taking the
ballot The successful candidates
were: Maj A. T. Burehfeld. senior
vice commander in chief. Of Pittsburgh;
Charles II. Shute, Junior vice com
mander in chief. of New Orleans; O.
w. Weeks. surgeon general in chief,
of Marion, O.; Rev. T. II. Haggerty,
chaplain in chief. of Missouri.
The Daughters OF Veterans met dur
ing the morning and elected officers