Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-05-03

Z
, campment of the Grand Army depart
, this morning. There is a great crowd o,
veterans present.
The annual reports Of department of
tcerS were read this morning. The ad
jutant general reports three new posts
organized during the past year; one al
Veterans home, and one at Mather
Juneau county.
-Four application for charters were
rejected. The posts at Beetown, at
| Peshugo and at GlenWood have sur
rendered their charters. There are now
14,51O members of the Wisconsin de-
partment, against 1885 one year ago.
The following posts were delinquent
in their adjutant and Quartermaster
reports for last term: No. 81, ShaWano:
164, Osceola Mills; ISL, Phillips; 225.
Cumberland, and 259, Hurley. Three
of above named posts have been to all
lntents and purposes dead for two
years past. Since that report was
written he received reports with per
capita tax from posts 30, Cumberland;
/ 229, Hurley, and they are now in good
standing.
! The gains in membership during the
year are as follows: By transfer, 1879:
! by muster, 5S1; by reinstatement, 800;
bringing the total membership up to
14,51O, a gain of LILO.
/ The losses in membership for the
year were as follows: By death, 80;
| by honorable discharge, 90; by trans
/ fer, 264; by suspension, 1,001; dropped,
ITO; delinquentS, $50, total of 1888.
There were in good standing on Dec.
81, 1898, 12,012 members. The number
remaining suspending at that date was
oO9, while the members by delinquents
reports were 100, making the total
membership Of the order 1886.
While there has been a healthy gain
in membership, the large number of
suspensions, inclusive Of the delin-
quent reports, has more than offset
these, leaving the apparent loss 1853
Gen. Sampson referred to the ques-
ton Of suspensions and delinquents,
which he says is becoming one of
] vital interest to the department and
/ IS one that should be settled in one
+ way or another very soon. 1T is to be
hoped he said, that the officers of
the posts will increase their efforts not
only to reduce the number of suspen-
slQns, but to restore to active member
ship as many as possible of those al
ready suspended Many posts are car
rying from year to year a large list
OF suspended comrades. These should
be restored, if possible. If worthy, but
unable to pay, their dues should be re-
mitted,'
He also recommended that his sue
ceSsOr in office be instructed to procure
as complete a roster OF the various
posts as possible with dates of organi-
cation.
Commander Shores in his address
took up the pension policy of Secretary
Hoke Smith and the work done in re-
gard to it by the national q. A. r. en-
campment. He said:
Within the year just past We have
probably seen the last charge upon the
ranks of the Grand Army that will
ever be made by any respectable mem
Der Of the American people. Moved by
spirit Of hostility to those who con-
stitute our membership, many of the
public journals Of the country raised
the cry that the pension rolls are large
ly made up Of "bummerS,'' bounty
jumpers and those who never saw ser
vice. Those charges were reiterated
until many respectable people pro-
fessed to believe them. Not long after,
an order was issued from the pension
bureau suspending the payment Of
pensions in many instances without
permitting the pensioner to know the
reason for such action. In September
last, when the national encampment
met at Indianapolis, these suspensions
amounted to many thousands. At that
encampment a ringing report protest
ing against such action as illegal and
unjust was made by the pension COM
mittee and scattered broadcast
throughout the land. At once the hue
and cry ceased. The work of restoring
those who had been suspended began,
and the prospect now is that all those
who have been so unjuStly treated will
soon be restored. This action is due
largely to the fact that half a million
Of men of ripe age, who have risked
their lives for the republic, stood
| shoulder to shoulder, all facing one
/ way, in opposition to such slanderous
and illegal action. Had the comrades
at this critical period shown the slight
! est indication of wavering, our order
| would have been overthrown and
scattered and our comrades left to
battle individually against this and
| other monstrous wrongs"
! He also stated that the disability bill
by which 300 900 men have been placed
on the pension rolls was a G. A. r.
measure, and he believed that the good
work done by the army was beginning
| to be appreciated. as demonstrated by
the large increase in membership. He
said that no man should be elected to
represent Wisconsin in the national en-
campment who would not go there
and remain during its deliberative ses-
SionS.
In closing he thanked the w. r. G..
of the state for the good work it is do
ing and extended the right hand of
fellowship to the Sons of Veterans,
but expressed no opinion as TO whether
he believed the order should become
| af 10 hiIab