The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1894-09-20
LnwIer ia Chosen.

Pittsburg, Sept. 1.-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-clief The contestants
were Col. Thomas G. Lawler of Rock
ford, ILL.,, and I. N Walker of In
dianapolis. Electioneering of a most
vigorous character has been going ON
all week, and last night and this morn
ing the friends of both candidates
claimed a victory by good margin.
The cloSeness of the result was q sur
prise to both victor and defeated. 1t
took forty-five minutes to cast and
count the ballot of $40 delegates. Then
Commander Adams announced that the
vote stood: Lawler, $50; Walker, 319;
the Illinois man winning by the narrow
margin of eleven votes. AS soon as the
election was announced, peals of APP
plause rang through the opera house.
When some semblance of quiet was
restored Col Walker withdrew his
name and the election OF Col. Lawler
was made unanimous.
In brief speech the new commander
in-chief thanked his supporters, and
said he would work to the utmost for
the advancement of that grand organic
ation-the G. A. r. Nevins post, OF
Rockford, ILL.,, in honor of the election
Of Col. Lawler, fired salute OF twenty
one guns on the river bank.
Col Lawler was born in England on
April z, 1874. When child he was
taken to Illinois and educated in the
public schools of Rockford At the
age of seventeen he enlisted as private
in Company L, Nineteenth Illinois Vol
unteer infantry. He saw much hard
lighting. He commanded his company
for two months during the Atlanta cam
paign, and was elected captain by the
company and placed upon the ron OF
honor by Maj. Gen. Rosecrans, Of the
Army of the Cumbureland. Col. Law
Ter organized the Rockford Rifles in
1876, and was elected colonel and COM
manded the Seventh regiment, /. N. g.,
for some years, when he resigned. He
was postmaster at Rockford under the
Hayes and Garfield administrations,
and is in the lumber and coal business
Col. Lawler post, of Rockford, for
twenty-six consecutive years. He has
also served as member Of the council
of administration, and junior and senior
vice commander.
The first business when the conven-
ton met was the nominations for ma
tional officers. Maj. A. p. Burchfield,
of this city, was nominated for senior
vice commander-in-chief, and as there
was no opposition, was elected unani-
mously. For junior vice commander.
Corporal Tanner proposed Philip s.
Biglin. When Charles III. Shute was
put forward i'll nomination for the same
position by the present department
commander Of Louisiana. Mr.. Biglin
withdrew and Charles Shute was elect
ed junior vice without a ballot
The next election was that for sur
geon general Comrade o. o. Weeks,
of Marion, Ohio, was without opposi-
ton and was III animously elected.
Chaplin T. III. Haggerty of ST Louis,
| was elected, unanimously, chaplain-in-
chief, his only. opponent, Comrade
| Southard Of Maine, withdrawing before
| a ballot was taken.
The Daughters of Veterans elected
the following national officers: Pres.
ident, Mrs. Ellen N. Walker, Worces.
! ter, Mass; senior vice president, Miss
Anna Schmidt, st. Louis; junior vice
president, Miss Gladys Foster, Kansas
chaplain, Miss Lena Stevens, Massil
Ion, Ohio; treasurer, Miss Ida J. Allen
/ Newtonville, Mass; inspector, Miss
Addie York, Summerville, Mass; in.
| stalling officer, Miss Anna Roberts
| Connellsville, Ind; trustees, Anna
Moore, New York; Minnie Trescott
/ Ohio; Nellie King, Ohio; Cora Pike
| Massachusetts, and II. Evelyn, Mon
| roe, Ohio.