The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-03-02
KANSAS G. A. r.
The State Encampment Meets at Newton
Points In the Department Commanders



Points In the Department Commander's
Address.
NEWTON, Kan, Feb. 21.-This city is
all ablaze with flags and bunting.
Streamers and flags overhang the
streets at every crossing and from all
the prominent buildings The occasion
of all this demonstration is the thir.
teenth annual meeting of the depart.
ment encampment of Kansas, Grand
Army of the Republic.
Last night there were receptions in
all the halls and lodge rooms of the
city, each organization keeping open
house and trying to entertain thels
delegates and friends The Grand
Army has its headquarters at the Ar
cade hotel, where also the W. r. c.
state officers are quartered. The Sons
of Veterans and other organizations
have their headquarters at the Clark.
The sessions of the encampment
were formally opened at o'clock in
the afternoon in the large opera house.
After the formal opening of the en-
campment the reports of the depart
ment officers were presented. Depart.
ment Com. Bernard Kelley read his re-
port, and spoke as follows:
On assuming command. with gavel in hand
promised to give the Grand Army in Kansas
the very best possible service How well an6
faithfullr l have redeemed the pledge l shall
leave with my comrades to decide. My effor
has been to save the Grand Army from appall
ing losses and disin egration. caused by The
opening OF the strip, the worlds fair, failure Of
crops, financial panic and the attitude OF thu
government toward the soldiers: to unite and
thoroughly blend all its kindred organization:
and all soldiers into a close bond OF affection
and sympathy, knowing that II united we are
invincible, but il divided. then certainly de
stroyed.
Had the Grand Army of the Republic and the
soldiers of the entire country remained in unity
our enemies, north as well as south, would MOI
now be triumphing over u.s. Milling the land with
falsehood touching the character of the mel
who saved the nation from Iraitrous hand:
who sought its destruction, and who now hold
high positions in authority; but we can retrieve
the past II we will.
do not deem II necessary to discuss the pen
sion question ut length, as every phase of IL Is
thoroughly undeIs stood by most of the soldiers
and the nation at large There is no class o
men so deeply interested in keeping the pen
sion roll pure and free from any faint of frauC
as the men who compose the Grand Army o
the Republic and it is source of pride that
through the commander-in-chiefa and the de
partment commanders, the Grand Army ha,
been urged TO promptly report any case o
| fraud coming within its knowledge
The broad statement made by the chief exec
utive of the nation that there are hundreds o.
thousands OF well known cases of fraud upor
| the pension rolls has not been justified by the
| facts based upon a thorough investigation o
l ii.
1900 suspended ut one agency not one OF thu
suspensions was based upon fraud
The notices now being sent out by the com
missioners of pensions to MANY pensioners
saying that their names would be dropped
from the pc sion roll in thirty days unless thel
could re-establsh their claims and right to
pension by additional proof, are as cruel anC
| unjust as they are unpatriotic The attitude
of the present administration toward the sol
diers of the late war, and especially the pen
sioner is, to say the least, strange and un
patriotic
A grand campfire was held at the
people gathered to hear the exercises
The campfire was presided over by Di
vision Commander Bernard Kelly, O
Topeka. Speeches were made by Col
Hallowell, Gen. Gray, Maj Morrill,
Adj Gen. Campbell and others. Every
speaker dwelt at length upon the pen
sion question. The veterans declared
that it was their right to receive pen
sions as payment of a debt owed by thu
government to its defenders. Ex-Com
mander-in-Chief Warner will be here
to-day and make the principal address.
at the campfire. The grand parade
will be held in the afternoon and will
be participated in by all the schoo
children of this city.