The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-02
ST. PAUL ALIVE
WITH VETERANS,
Grand Army Men Thirty
Thousand Strong in
the City.
A HOST OF STRANGERS
Martial Music and Marching Of
Posts Are Suggestive of a
Homecoming.
NIGHT IS TURNED INTO DAY.
Pilgrimage TO Fort Smelling in Honor
of Minnesota'S SurvivorS-ConteSt
for Mandarin. Chief.

ST. PAUL, MINI, Sept. There is a
surplus of American patriotism in St.
Paul tonight. The Grand Army OF the
Republic is in town 10000 strong, accord
ing to the conservative estimates sent by
State departments to National head
quarters, and that number is expected to
march in the grand parade tomorrow. St.
Paul is congested with host of strangers.
Fifty thousand is the average estimate of
the number of visitors from all parts of
the Union.
The bright array of day decorations on
every street in the business district was
enhanced tonight by brilliant electric
illuminations. The flag for which the vet
Grams fought is omnipresent.
Martial music from many bands and the
marching of Grand Army posts would
give the city the appearance of home
coming from the war were it not for the
absence of those weapons with which the
boys in blue once fought.
There are four openly talked of candi-
dates for commander-in.chief. They nre
Com rade Charles A. Ballou of Providence,
R. l.; Rear Admiral Richard w. Meade,
U. S. N, OF Lafayette Post, New York
City; John G. Linehan of Concord. junior
vice-commander of the New Hampshire
Department. and Major T. s. Clarkson OF
Nebraska. The strength of the quartet
has not been sufficiently crystalliZed 10 ad-
NIT OF a prediction as to the successful
candidate. BY general consent, however,
this seems TO be the Easts year for the
coveted honors of commander and next
encampment city.
The dusty road OF six miles from the
city to Fort Smelling was thTonged from
- 5r,t "a oil torDnOn mill late q Z
with the eray-haired men In blue and
other visitors More than 5000 people
went out 20 join in the reunion of the
Minnesota veterans, who were sent to the
front from the historic fort, and to witness
the parade of the regular soldiers sta
toned there. The Minnesota men made
the State Capitol their rendezvous and
went out in streetcars to the army post.
At the western end of the bridge which
spans the Mississippi r yer the survivors
of the war from Minnesota marched under
an arch of welcome.
They passed the frowning bluffs which
fringe the low stone buildings and round
tower erected in 1920. Over the garrison
common they marched and came to a
magnificent arch of hewn logs, which
marks the entrance to the parade grounds
and quarters Of the army post.
"Welcome from Garrison No. 81"
greeted the visiting thousands from one
were the words, "Our Country anu Our
Flag" An immense eagle between flags
ornamented the center on each side, and
on the summit of the arch were stationed
together an anchor and gun with car
rage.
Colonel J. H. Page, commandant of the
post. his staff and the ladies of the gar
rison held reception at the coloneps
quarters for the officers and men of the
Minnesota department and Commander
ln-Chief Walker. General Mason was also
present.
Column bia Post No. FOG of Chicago, Co M
mander H. G. Purinton, seventy-tive
strong, was especially invited by the
colonel There was general happy re-
union of Minnesota veterans on the
spacious grounds. The Third United
States Infantry. which is the only body of
soldiers stationed at the fort now, paraded
at shutdown.
There was brilliant social function in
the evening at Summit Park and in the
Kittson residence on Summit avenue,
when Commander Walker was received
with hundreds of other veterans by a
ladies' committee of st. Paul.
c. f. Sheriff of Pittshurg was elected
president of the Ex-Prisoners of War
Association to-day. He was vice president
of the organization.