The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-09-14

Pittsburg, Sept 13-Major A. P
Burchfield. Of this city, was elected Sc
Nor vice-commander of the G.. A. r.
Charles II. Shupe, Of New Orleans, ju
nior commander
Colonel Thomas c. Lawler, of Rock
ford, ILL.,, was elected commandment
chief of the G. A. R. with majority Of
IL over Colonel I. N. Walker, of Indian
apolis.
Comrade S. o. Weeks, Of Marion, O..
was unanimously elected surgeon-gen'
eraI Chaplain, T. H. Haggerty, OF st
Louis, was elected unanimously chap
lain-in-chief, his only opponent Com
rade Southhart, of Maine, withdrawing
before ballot was taken.
The feature of the encampment and
the hottest and closest contest ever
known in the Grand Army was the fight
for the position of commander-in-chief
The contestants were Colonel Thomas
c. Lawler, Of Rockford, Ill, and /. N.
Walker, of indianapolis. Electioneer-
ing of a most vigorous character has
been going on all the week, and this
morning the friends of both candidates
claimed victory by good margin
The closeness of the contest was a sur
prise to both victor and defeated. 1t
took forty-five minutes to cast and
count the ballot of g." delegates. Com
mander Adams ar i. unced that the
vote stood: Lawler, $50; Walker, 319,
the Illinois man winning by the narrow
margin of IL votes. AS soon as the cleo
tion was announced, peals of applause
rang through the opera house. when
some semblance of quiet was restored,
Colonel Walker withdrew his name and
the election of Colonel LAWYER was made
unanimous.
In a brief speech the new commander
in-chief thanked his supporters and said
he would work to the utmost for the
advancement OF that grand organiZa-
ticn-the G. A. r.
Nevins post, of Rockford, ILL.,. in hon
or of the election of Colonel Iawler,
fired g salute Of twenty-one guns on
the river bank.
Colonel LAWYER was born in England,
April z, 1874. When a child he was
taken to Illinois, and educated in the
public schools Of Rockford. AT the age
of IL, he enlisted as a private in Com
pany Z, Nineteefath Illinois volunteers.
Ee saw much hard fighting. He COM
manded his company for two months
during the Atlanta campaign, and was
elected captain of the company and
placed upon the roll of honor by Major
General Rosecrans, of the army of the
Cumberland. Colonel Lawler organized
the Rockford Rifles in 1876, and was
elected colonel, and commanded the
Third regiment, l. n. G., for seven
years. when he resigned. He was post
master at Rockford under the Hayes
and Garfield administrations, and in the
lumber and coal business. Colonel Law
Ter has been commander of G. L. New
ms post of Rockford for twenty-six
years. He has also served as MEM
Der Of the department council of ad-
ministration and senior vice-command-
er. After the election of Colonel Law
los 14, 49,, ! &c..
ner.
At the afternoon session of the en-
campment the resolutions eondemning
Colonel Ainsworth for discharging vet
Grams because of their testimony at the
Inquiry into the Ford theatre disaster
at Washington, were taken up and dis
cussed.
Among the resolutions adopted were
the following:
Whereas, The twenty-eighth en-
campment of the G. A r. has been in
formed Of the distress which has fallen
upon many comrades and wards of the
order through the withdrawal from
them of that preference in the public
service to which they are justly en-
titled. and which should always be the
grateful duty Of the authorities of the
national government to accord
Resolved, That the Grand Army of
the Republic protest to the people of
the United States against the conduct
of those Of their public servants, more
particularly at the national capital.
who, without necessity, justification or
valid excuse, and contrary to the re-
peated declarations and assurances of
the legislative and executive authori-
Ties of the government, have deprived
many hundreds of honorably dis
charged soldiers and sailors of the
Union army and navy, and the widows
sons and dQnphfarG IF
OF their employment in the public Of
nces and este adjustments for the pur-
pose of appointing other persons, desti-
tute OF these loyal and patriotic claims. |
or Of superior qualifications for the
places thus taken from those to whom
they rightfuly belong.
Resolved, That we view with great
concern this attack upon those who
In the hour of the countly's great need. |
laid aside, their political preference and |
became defenders. OF the Union. offer
ing their lives to the nation to main /
tain its institutions and preserve the !
honor Of its flag.
Resolved. That our comrades and
wards. who are holding employment /
under the government, should have |
and they have, the right to demand |
from the executive authorities that |
protection awarded them by the ma
Tlonal legislature. and any failure on |
tN~ pei VI bdCSc ddlIfoT1CleS TO so pro- 4
fect them is 3 violation of the law and |
of patriotic principle, which excites |
our strongest reproba ton
Resolved. That inasmuch as the eff |
forts Of the national and department |
officers of this organization against the
virtual prescription of members and |
wards of the G. A. r. have proved i
practically unavailing, an appeal is |
hereby made to the people of the Uni
ted States for an expression through
the columns of the public press, the |
speeches ana writings of public men.
and the proceedings Of public assem-
biles upon fit occasions, of the national
sense of the gratitude and desire for /
Justice toward the meritorious surysy-
ors of the Union forces and those |
whom the deaths of husbands and /
fathers have left TO the generous re-
gard Of the nation"
General Adams returned thanks for
all the honors bestowed upon him and I
Past Commander-in-chief r. B. Heath /
installed. with all the ceremony of the i
ritual the elected officers. and all the 1,
G. Al. r. flags, records and effects were
turned over TO the new officials. Com
nander-in-chief LAWYER here grasped
the gavel. but soon Chaplain-in-chief
Ha gerty came to the footlights to pro-
nounce the benediction and the twenty
eighth encampmenL was finished.
The resolutions censuring Colonel l.
Aims wortl1's conduct of the pension bu-
reau and supporting Judge Long in
his contest with the pension commits
-ioner. were not adopted.
This is the first time an encampment
has concluded it's business and elected
and installed its officers in a sitting of
-wo days.