The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-09-20
rhe Grand Army Encampment.

The National Encampment OF the
Grand Army closed at Louisville, n.y.,
Friday in blaze of glory, with Il
barbecue of mammoth proportions,
fairly representative of the lavish ana
unstinted hospitality with which this
southern city welcomed the veterans OF
the blue. Elk confederates were fore.
most in the welcome of hearty good
comradeship, redeeming the pledge "a
year ago from Col. Watterson-some OF
whose eloquent words are quoted else
where and impressing the lesson anew
that the union is restored. And the
spirit in which the veterans OF the
Union received these attentions was
one worthy of their record and thelr
service, spirit that frankly recognlz-
ed the honesty as we'll as the valor OF
the men that fought in the gray, a
spirit that INDUCED in no reproaches
or determinations for the past but wa
content with loyalty and deovtlon TO
the union in the present The rebel
WAS wrong, of course: secession was
wrong, and slavery back of 1t was Il
still greater wrong. The southerner
knows this, but with his knightly
devotion to dead love, doesn't like to
be asked to admit it, and it is enough
and all that the heroes who fought and
L 4, JT,,,n nply n return for
their sutferings and sacrifices, that the
future be one of patriotism and devo-
ton to the stars and stripes. The en-
campment did we'll in going so far
south to evoke an expression OF TINS
sentiment, and as to the temper oil
Louisville it was well expressed by the
Courier-,Journal when it said as an
illustration of the general jolliticatlon
that "if there be dog in town who is
not wagging his tail for JOY, he has
not been found after an energetic
search. "Col. |. n. Walker of Indiana,
who enlisted at the age of p, was a
prisoner in Libby. escaping by the
famous tunnel and serving till the end
of the war, was elected commander in
chief and it was decided to hold the
next encampment at st. Paul. The
reports showed the membership to
have fallen in the past year from 3Il,
800 to 357, 956, in part attributable tc
the fact that the hard times have rend-
cred many veterans unable to keep W
their dues but more to the fact that
the death percentage is growing rapidly
AS fine wears pass. 1t has steadily in
creased from 0. % in 1856 ). 06 last year,
| The report Of the pension committee
was in better tone than in previous
wears and confined itself chiefly tc
reneralities, protesting against poi
! lev which would deprive, diminish OF
/ impair the liberal provisions made
during the past 80 years for the men
who had borne the battle, and for hlS
widow and orphans Commander
| Lawler pitched into Lochren and the
pension bureau along this line. but adj
vocacy of "a service pension was dis
claimed. The question of admitting
Sons of Veterans to membership was
favoraby reported by the committee
but after discussion decision was put
over to the next encampment. y
memorial day resolution directed Il
the dedication of the confederate
monument at Chicago, was finally
withdrawn, after delegate pointed tf
what Mr.. Watterson said, that both
the confederate and federal dead wert
comrades on the otherlside of the darI
river now. and insisted that it was mo-
appropriate for the encampment t'
notice such an incident. But reso
luton was passed calling for the STRIFE
enforcement of the law relative to tht
employment of ex-soldiers in the civil
service. \ good many of the veterans
from the northern states were prostrat
ed by the heat, and number were in
iured bv the collapse of the CRANE
stand at the fireworks display Thurs
day night, but none dangerously Fri
day evening the most brilliant ball eve
given in the south and attended b.
5000 people closed the encampmen
week. E. W. Jewett of ST. Adams i
the Vermont member of the new coun
ell of administration.