The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-08-25
9maersoa yMtklligeueet.
Purge the Pension Rolls.

At a meeting of Catawba Camp, u.
G.. v, held at council chamber on
Friday evening last, it was resolved,
"That to comply with Section 5, Arti-
Gle III, Of the constitution and by
laws of the United Confederate Vet
Grams, which reads, Every camp will
be required to exact of each applicant
for membership in its ranks satisfac-
tory proofs of honorable service in
the army or navy of the Confederate
States, or honorable discharge or re-
lease thercfrom,' a committee of five
members, consisting Of Comrades
Shcrfesee, Davis, White, Marshall aud
Jones be appointed to carry it into
effect by each member handing in a
written record of their services said
record to be passed on by the other
four members, and as 500 as the COM
mittce's records are accepted that they
call a meeting of the camp and invite
applications for membership. No ap-
plication to be considered unless ac-
companicd by the applicants military
or naval record on blank applications
furnished by the camp fer that pur-
pose, and if accepted application to
be written in triplicate-onc copy in
record book, n copy to be placed by
the adjutant in some bank vault for
safe-keeping, and the thirG copy to be
retained by applicant for the use Of
his family.
The reasons for this action are ex.
planned in the remarks of Comrade
Louis Sherfesec, who in Offering the
resolution said Our membership is
too large and scattering. The best
interests of the division and associa-
tion will be served by having small
camps in each community or settle
ment. Large camps are too expensive
to the few who attend meetings and
have to bear all the expenses. Mem
bership Of camps should not be scat
tered, but should be composed of
veterans living in the community in
which the camp is located, so that
meetings be more frequent and better
attended, and as a natural result there
will be more interest in the associa-
ton. Large camps prevent the for
nation of settlement or community
camps, which with our present regi-
mental organization should be encour-
aged.
1t is very important that each and
every veteran should be a member Of
some camp in the County in which he
resides, and it is equally as important
for him to have his record on file with
his camp for'the following reasons
There is no doubt in my mind but
that there is now on the State pension
roll names of men, or objects who call
themselves men, who deserted our
ranks in 1861 and 1865, and who are
now drawing money that the State in
tended for her true sons, and | think
it is only a matter of time with our
present camp and regimental organi-
cation when the State will turn over
the pension fund to be distributed by
a committee of veterans from each
County, and to prepare for that if for
nothing else it is absolutely necessary
for each and every veteran to fill out
and turn over to some camp his mill
tary or naval record. So that the pen
sion committee with that record and
his company-roll now on file at Office
of Confederate historian at Columbia,
or the Capital of the State in which he
enlisted from, can get his true status.
To show the necessity for this. there
are to-day, I am sorry to say, not hun
dreds but thousands of sons and
daughters of veterans in our State who