Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-01-17

ti' anu tIt HOW'D
was made known TO them. They were
as completely surprised over II as the
Commander had been when II first came,
and were unanimously I'm favor OF a pro-
test, but the Commander begged them
TO do no such thing. II was an order
from the commander-in-chef OF the
army. he SAID and as such must be
obeyod. II was decided to keep the mat
ter quiet for a few days. at any rate.
and then let the army at large know
OF Il.
LIKE A THUNDERBOLT.
Yesterday was the day set for the
Commander TO make the statement TO
I the Army, but on Tuesday night the news
leaked out. and on being Informed by
/ the Commander himself. who was seen at
his home In Montclair. n. j.. was pub
] lished In yesterdays papers. 1t came ike
2 thunderbolt on the army. and yesterday
there was a rush OF officers and soldiers,
male and female. TO the headquarters on
/ Fourteenth street to find out whether the
report was true or not. They didn't have
to 20 any further than the ira Goor OF
the building TO learn what th-~ wanted
1 to know, for there on the bulletin-Doard'
headed "A Statement from the COM
mander" was the following.
/ ut Is with great sorrow that COM
mander and Mrs. Booth have TO notify
their staff and field officers that they
have received orders to prepare to REIN
ouish their command In about nine weeks
/ time.
"They have no knowledge whatever OF
/ thcir successors or the G. snerals plans,
nor have they been consulted upon the
question. and any information, therefore,
az TO who succeeds them Is entirely sur
missed. and so far as they are concerned
/ Is mere rumor from the other side or the
ocean.
This change of command is not OF
| their seeking. nor Of their doing In any
way. nor are they responsible COM
mander and Mrs Booth desire to state
emphatcally az, indeed, such statement
is necessary that they are in no wise
responsible whatever for the statements
/ made in the press. They have not seen
a representative Of the press, nor nave
they instigated any matter whatever that
has appeared in the press. nor are they
! inclined to see press representatives,
| They are sorry that any such sentiment
as London's resolution to Angllcize the
field should have app AIRED, and desire
that officers will correct any such repre-
/ sentation.
! Furthermore, Commander and Mrs.
Booth are not I'm a position 10 say what
or how the General may decide in the
matter of his instructions to them, as
| they are awaiting a reply to a letter they
/ have written to London. setting forth this
question in all its bearings. They only
received the news on the 9Th instant.
'In the mean time. It is Commander
| and Mrs. Booths fervent prayer that
no officer Of any rank. or soldier. or t.
cruit Of any corps, shall allow these It'd
/ ings 10 interfere with the progress OF MS
own advance in the organization they
have fought so long and so hard 10 up
build and 10 uphold.
1.-THE Commander and Mrs. Booth will
| at once proceed with arrangements TO
/ farewell as soon as they hear from Lon
| don but viii always regard their precious
American troops with tenderest affection
and undying interest"
Despite the Commanders statement re-
/ garding the alleged attempt To Angicize
the army which amounts to a denial that
such Is General Booths plan. II Is the
general belief OF officers and prvates Of
he army that such is the case The
army as II stands to-day. is distinctly
American. Its officers are Americans. and
the Commander and his wife have BE-
] come American citizens. Everything about
il is American. and that was the one
thing about II that General Booth did not
like when he visited this country. The
/ Salvation Army, being Of English origin,
/ he believes should remain as English as
possible in all its branches. The paid
officers should all be Englishmen, h
thinks, and the rules and general conduct
Of the army az near like those governing
the British body as possible
WORK OF TIE BOOTHS
Nine years ago whsn Commander and
! Mrs. Booth came 10 this country 10 take
charge Of the Salvation Army. il consisted
Of a handful Of fanatics who were doing
the cause more harm than good by their
/ wild performances. IN the hands OF the
Booths, however. this small body inn
/ proved, and gradually became larger and
larger. until to-day It numbers thousands
y Of members. All Of this IS due entirely TO
the work Of the Booths. They appointed
Americans to control the rank and file
AID ran things on the pan they consid-
end the best for the Advancement and
growth OF the army They spread It from
the Atlantic TO the Pacific until to-day
thefe is not "A city In the Union which
hasn't its body OF Salvationists. The
Work u the army In the suns Of this
/ city am Chicago Is well known, and il
has been such work. all the IDEAS of the
Booths Tat has caused the army TO be
Iespcctea ~ every class Of society. The
COMMANDER and his wife have never hes
iiated Ia plunge into exactly the same
class Of work that they have asked Of the
rank anp file, and all this has caused
them 20 b, loved and respected through
out the c0atry.
As things stand now. the Booths con-
troll the army in this country. and could
make IL sehr its connection with the
English body a second If they wanted
10. Inc army Will follow their lead in
anything, ara = almost all OF the army's
great property Is I'm their name they
would have no trouble in making the
American branch an independent body
and remaining al Is head, If they choose
There is no doubt that, in the event of
General Booth decning to withdraw hi
order. an effort WI be made L. bring
about such move vat 1t is equally GER
tain, as thinss now sand, that the Com
mander ana MS VIE Fould refuse TO en-
terrain such a suggestion for a moment
They have expressed heir intention of
Obeying orders, and viii probably do so
but, ii Is said. they have .reat MONIES that
General Booth VIII rescin0his order
The general impression anong the Sal
yatonlsts in this city yesteray was that
il the army lose Commando Rooth and
his wife, and others come with orders
to replace the present largt corps OF
American officers with English mon and
women, the army will 20 back 70 where
il was when the Commander md his
wife first took charge. In any event
there is going 10 be a Tremendous nro-
test in a few days from the arm, all
over the country over the proposeo re-
moval OF the Booths. and a petition, With
thousands OF signatures attached, will v
sent 10 General Booth in London. prayin,