New-York tribune., 1896-11-27
Sell LECTIONS FROM THE M1IL
THE VETERANS BURIAL LOTS.
~r'RrosrriEs or THE LAW OF 1895 AND IT'S Dis
POSITION o. THEM.

POSITION o" THEM.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: Referring - the inquiry Of your PlattsDurs
correspondent IN your Issue or November lo as "
tho meaning Of Chapter 81 OF the Laws OF 1885. 1t
sees difficult TO believe that that statute was not
drafted with some Interior purpose For II Is IN
nossiblc that any sane person could suppose that
legislative permission necessary TO 40 the u'-
terlr trivial immaterial and unmporiant things
for the doing of which oby somewhat nebulous.
CORPORATION or organization variously described
therein as 1T said corps and THEREOF that
statute purpor's to have been "Tacted. what ''''1
ul,erior purpose u.s. however 1t requires ION account
of this mass Of trivial. immater!a ana unin'por''
details, some patience discover But II 1t Is not
IN anpropriate six burial lots in Cypress HIS Cen-
etcrv by throwing back a corporate date lv 'or 20
be exact io2, years as 20 cover the dedication
Of those lots for burial purposes 10 the veterans Oh
the last war with f.npland-then that purpose mas
been most clcveriy concealed.
Tho matter can hardly bc done justice TO. ex-
cept bv a peri,sa OF the statute Itself in connec-
ton with certain articles OF incorporation on file IN
tho office Of the Clerk OF the C!ty ana County OF
Ncw-York January :. 1892. But It's salient points
can be perhaps briefly stated. viz;
This "Chaptcr 9l Of the Laws OF ls95' Is entitled
AN act to amend the Incorporation OF the society
NJ the War OF 1872" But. matter OF fact. IT
does no, amend anything at all tn" words
"an,cnd. ",mended' or "amcndng' do not occur
,r tho bodv Of the act at all Nor is the incorpo-
ration OF the Society OF the War OF lsi2' alluded
"a in the body Of the except once" and tha' anu
sion Is a gross and deliberate mss'ftcment of
matter OF public record. This solitary aluson Is as
follows:
Section + The Veteran Corps OF Artillery
~ mai war ,sc, Incorporated by surviving v"t"r-
an members thereof ,scl. on January ', ~, a. -
military society under Chapter .5' oi "" la"S oi
iSs and amcndaiory acts. by the title OF Ihe 80
cicfy OF the War OF MI
Hut on reference to the articles OF incorporation
~ this Society OF the War OF lslZ IL appears
that IL was not Incorporated by "Ihe Ne''ra"
Corps OF Artillery" by any other corps or cor
poration whatever but by private parties Tor the
busin.ss and objects stated according TO lawn
its articles Nor il this Veteran corps oi AN'-
lory" (Which your Plat;sburg correspondent cor
rcctly locates as r society OF Revolu'oh"'' SUI
dicrs extant in I7eo but since defuncD once men
.Ioned or referred 10 anywhere In thos" articles
II the purpose OF tn ,se Who drafted 'h'p''' u
OF the Laws OF 1896 WIS to slip through the Legs
laturc sornc;ning which they hoped would nHhc
pro tune enact that THE Society oi the war OF
iNs" incorporated hy private parties IN ~ i A.
,uallv The Veteran corps OF Artillery i'""'e"
by Revolutionary soldiers in i'. then TINS statue
even II It's real object Is not 10 gobbe the otS III
Cypress iinls Gem. 'ery-looks Ike damn"m ""-
sgue lnjurla-l fraud on the legislature Oh l'''
people OF tho state OF NeN-iork and on tho 'u-
prero Court which consented - the Incorporation
Of 1872
But does not some society gobblo these cemetery
lots and II -o what society y 1t? Certainly. hA'-
INK succeed.d iu less than four lines of print, IN
adding ~. years TO the past lie Of corporaloh'
IL ought 20 hc simplicity itself TO capture Few
cemetery lots. And Il H., only two lines are re-
luircd FOR this foli. The decd IS done thus:
Section In addition 10 the burial lOts dedicated
70 IT'S tscl use In 1874 fOf burial OF deceased vet
.rans Oi the War of 1872. the said corps 'SlD may
etc.
There is no doub, that these burial lots are
sobhed by somebody But what concern has done
'fs" said cJrp-.' and the Ike. ana IN" question
OF what those words stand FOR. ana TINS requires "A
construction made Nnd. II seems 10 it. putPoS'g
madeJ difficult by tn, extremely verbose, hlusNc
so far this resume has had a tendency toward the
comic. Hut there Is a serious Side" II seems tn"'
there are actually SIN living amons rs tcn OF
twelve men who fought In the splendid nkht OF
Of course bodriddcn. and in mos; cases. IN eN,
trcmr poverty. cking out their scant remnant OF
.Alsicnc. upon the niggirily Govcrnm"nt pension
Of less than ~ cents day. l. Il possible that
found who viii help itself to the prestige oi th:'e
old men. cover their own breasts win uiutc,.,
make speeches 10 each Other and dine sumptuou"
over the glorious deeds Of 1877 while these od men
starve? Nay. who. not contcntcd with that, VIII
even a,temp, By the complicated and dilatory
process OF legislation to nch from them "a" very
graves which they are 40 soon TO occupy ~ seems
hard TO believe that such a thing II possible ana
yet I ask those who refuse 10 hclieV" IL 10 r'ad
Chapter ~ of the Laws OF ls'3.
fully agree with your riattshurg correspond"nt
that the matter IL one OF public Interest These
aged wards OF the Nation, oi the People,
and certainly OF the State OF New-York
New-York. Nov. ~. 1896. L. r" MAMIE"