Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-06-25
THE VERMONT NEWS.
Grand Army Encampment.

SWehtOn Elected Department Come
mander---Mrs. Florence Gates OF Nor
risVllle President OF the Relief Corps,
The 3Oth annual encampment of the de-
partment of Vermont, Grand Army of the
Republic, opened at Bennington Wednes-
Gay forenoon, with large attendance, in
Guiding over 100 delegates and several
FORMER department commanders. After
tne committees had been announced Gen.
John Z. Linnehan of New Hampshire made
an address. Capt. Jack Adams of Lynn,
Mass, past commander-in-chief, was also
present. The election of officers in the
afternoon resulted as follows:
Commander, Col, S. w. Jewett, Post 70
OF Swanton; senior vice commander, G. |.
5. Davis of Post Ethan Allen of Yer
gennes; junior vice commander, A. A,
Niles, j. M. Warner post of Morrisville;
medical director, j. D. Hanrahan, Roberts
post of Rutland; chaplain, D. D. Owens,
o. o. Howard post of Ludlow.
A recess was taken during the election,
and Captain Jack Crawford, the poet
scout, was introduced, and gave three Sc
lectlons to the qualification of the audience.
There was no election contest except for
the office of junior vice commander, for
which there were two candidates. The
newly-elected commander announced the
following appointments:
Assistant adjutant general, Rev. E. j.
Ranslow; assistant quartermaster general,
E. d. Barnes, both of Jesse A. Jewett
post, 10, of Swanton.
The newly-elected officers were installed
by Past Department Commander G. G.
Kinsman of Roberts post, Rutland. Joel
G. Baker of Rutland was appointed Judge
advocate general. The delegate at large
to the national encampment at Buffalo is
Frank Kenfeld of Morrisville, and among
the delegates are T. B. Kelley of Rutland
and Albert Downs of Bennington.
n. NJ. Puffer of Bennington, the retiring
department commander, said in his report
ut is now II years since the department
held its annual encampment in Benning-
ton, and the change that marks this period
of time is of great Importance in its his
tory. In the year 1882 the department
numbered about 800. From that time to
1890 there continued steady increase, I'M
til we had reached a membership Of 5473.
From then to the present date the battle of
life has ragged with disaster to our ranks,
and the missile of time has stricken many
of our brave boys, whose work seemed al
most indispensable to the welfare of our
department; many others are afflicted
with intirmities contracted in service, and
the comrades whom it has been a pleasure
to meet will greet us no more.
mo new posts have been organized dur
ng this term. The charter of post 20,
Bakersfield, surrendered in 1895, was re-
stored early in this administration, and the
post is now in fourishing condition.
"The subject of suspension has been
considered by every administration for the
| M Il. Aal; To-
pended list Hundreds of comrades in our
department would be upon the rolls today
had they been less unfortunate. The men
who wore the blue are too proud TO come
before any organization and admit their
inability to pay their dues on account of
poverty"
Commander Puffer reported that the
Woman's relief corps has been prospecting,
until it is now one of the strongest benevo-
| lent organizations in the state. Benning-
ton is the birthplace of the organization in
the department of Vermont, an auxiliary
to Custer post having been organized at
this place in 1882. The commander stated
that he had received no communication
from the Sons of Veterans organization
during the year, and knows little of its
work.
In the course of his report Commander
Puffer expressed the opinion that it would
be economy to merge the offices of assis-
tant quartermaster general and assistant
adjutant general in one.
d. NJ. Blackmer, assistant adjutant gen.
eral, reported that "the strength of the
department, as shown by the report of my
predecessor, was 112 posts and 4S9l men,
bers. There has been no new post organ
lied during my official term of nearly one
and a-half years. The recapitulation
shows total gain of PIC and total loss
of Asa members, giving net loss to the
department of 26S.
There were in good standing on Dec.
81, 1895, 112 posts, with 1891 members
on Dec. 81, 1896, 112 posts, with 1928
members. Sxty-four persons were mus
tered in and IS were reinstated. There
were 121 deaths, Is were discharged and
267 suspended. The total number in sus-
pension was 4S3, and 13S were dropped
during the year, having been previously
suspended. The amount expended in
charity was $66S. 49,"
c. D. Gibson, assistant quarter master
general, reported cash balance from
1895 of S474.90; amount received during
term $1777.42; total S2252.51. Amount
paid out S1503.92; balance on hand $74S.-
SO; supplies on hand S150.56.
The report of c. c. Johnson, depart.
ment inspector, gives the whole number
of posts as l12, members in good standing
1891, 40 posts have relief funds amount.
ing to $3S75.51, the total amount expend
ed for charity was $780, the total amount
of money and securities in the hands Of
quartermasters is $S714.61, and the tota
amount of other property owned by posts
$23, 017.S2; the prospects of 6S posts art
good, of SO fair and of eight poor; in 81
posts officers and members are in regular
attendance; 76 posts have Woman's Re
lief corps attached, and 81 have camps o.
Sons of Veterans.
John d. Hanrahan, medical Inspector
reported that there were "A deaths in the
20 posts that made reports to him.
The 18th annual encampment of the
Woman's Relief corps opened Tuesday
forenoon, when Mrs. A. Louise Putnam
of Brattleboro, president, and the Other
department officers presented their reports
There have been two corps added since
the last convention, one at Wallingford
with 80 charter members, and one at Cas-
Teton with 10. On April 27 there were II
corps in the state with 2475 members. Dur
ing the year there were expended in re
lief $l13320; turned over to Grand Army
of the Republic posts, SS93.6S; estimated
value other than money, $l491.5S; fol
memorial day in the South, S57 50; ma
tional Woman's Relief corps home, So
Other statistics: Number of veterans as
| l,,r;nc, ha uaar pOu1bar In