The San Francisco call., 1896-05-05
BOOTHS TOLUNTEERS.
Grotvth of the Movement on The Pacif
Coast.

GrotUth of the Movement on the Pacific
Coast.
SAN JOSE, CAL, May 4.-The Post OF
American Volunteers, recently organized
in this city, is industriously and earnestly
pushing its work and meeting with much
success. The local post was the first to be
organized on the Pacific Coast, and is re-
garded as a sort of headquarters by the
other posts IN course of organization. Street
meetings are held each evening, followed
by largely attended services in the large
armory that has been fitted up in the Co.
lumbus building on Ell Dorado street. A
number of notable conversions have been
made, with large number of accessions
to the roll of mem bership.
The post is in command OF its local off,
GERS, under the leadership of A. F. Ref,
assisted by A. w. Kennedy and B. f.
Bailey, and is now fully organized with
a complete complement of local officers.
Arrangements have been made with Cap-
tain James Smith, formerly an esteemed
officer IN the Salvation Army, now living
In Sutter County, to take charge of the
post until officers are sent from the East
by Commander Booth, which will be in
about month. at which time number of
other posts will be opened on the coast.
Captain Smith will take charge in few
days, and as he was formerly stationed in
San Jose and made many friends here, it
is expected he will prove valuable worker
In the volunteer movement
In addition to San Jose and Los Anpe-
les, the latter just being organized, there
are nine other posts preparing to organize
shortly, all at points OF vantage in the
State. These are in correspondence with
the local leaders and will shortly follow
the San Jose post into active organization.
An important conference will be held
next Sunday by the leading local workers
with visiting. representatives of other
points that will be followed very shortly
by marked results.
In an enthusiastic communication lust
received by the local post from Colonel
Fielding of Chicago he states that the
growth of the work East is phenomenal
and that he orga. lied twelve posts in less
than week after taking control of the
district, four of which were in Chicago.
He also stated that calls were coming for
officers from all the Western country and
that the movement was an assured sue
cess.
Letters were also received from Com.
mander Booth, Major Blackhurst and
Major Merrill of New York. all stating the
same thing and speaking in enthusiastic
terms of the work throughout the East
and saying that plans were now being
formulated whereby the present sum m eI
would find the volunteers established all
over the State.
In addition to the local staffs already
named the following officers attend to the
| business details of the post: J. s. White
treasurer; G. A. Tupper, secretary; Emms
Bolund. Gazette sergeant; Daisy NJ. Bush
junior sergeant.
The post has received its new standard
and it nightly heads the parade, accom-.
panied by the stars and stripes 1t con.
sists of large white flag with a blue stal
in the middle, in the center of which is 8
cross, while field of blue stars appears in
the upper left-hand corner. The white
typifies the purity OF the motives of the
volunteers, the blue the charity of it:
objects and the cross stands for its Chris.
being borrowed from the National emblem
as token of the allegiance of the yolun
teers to their country.