Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-08-26

Touching on politics. Commander
In. Chief Thaddeus s. Clarkson, Of Ito
G.. A. r., spoke as follows at the ma
tional encampment In Buffalo, to-day
The grand army OF the republic 10 not O
political Organization. IL has within is
ranks men OF all political faiths who were
equally good soldiers. it, rplss and regu.
lations forbid the discussion In Its posts OF
political subjects or the use OF the order
for political purposes. The desire for pub
lie Office Ia q laudable one, especially TO
men who have braved their lives for their
country, are capable, and unable to prop
srly maintain themselves In other channels
The veteran believes himself entitled TO
consideration, and he 10. but be should not
use the grand army fer that purpose. IL
he asks Endorsement Of his post, there are
G ,mrades there of other political faiths
who cannot indorse him, or II successiui
be may displace another comrade. fer-
sonaily, 1 will indorse a comrade, II capa-
BILE, every time. rather than one who Is
not a comrade, bat officially ! Will indorse
no one. In the case o. one department l
have been compelled to require the With
drawal OF a circular issued for political
purposes and doing evident injury to So
plring and worthy comrades. Again par
ties are using the emblems OF the grand
army for advertising purposes. They are
too sacred for such use. and we should ask
our legislatures for the enactment OF laws
~
making such use illegal.
Touching upon pensions, the COM
mander-in. chief said:
The committee on pensions have given
null attention to this branch OF the work,
until quite lately with but little eject.
Within the last few months, the latch
strings have been loosened, and many
justly-entitled pensioners have had their
cases acted upon; others, stopped without
cause, have been restored to the rolls, and
the machinery Of that great department OF
the government seems to lave been oiled
with the oil of human kindness and honest
obligation, aud to be running much more
smoothly and with much less friction han
before. l believe ID will not be long until
6VtIy CuSo PhoPoAJ
reached and receive attention.
In relation to the story Of the war,
as taught to children 10 the books OF
the public schools, and which has re-
Gently come in for a large share OF
public attention, the commander-in-
chief said:
No subject In which the grand army Is
interested is more important than that the
truth Of history should BIO taught to our
children. The committee or eminent com
rades appointed by me to consider and re-
port upon this subject, have given much
time and thoughtful consideration to 1t,
and, do not hesitate to say, you viii be
surprised at their findings, ard feel sure
you will approve their report and recon-
mendatiops. II is certainly not the object
Of the grand army of the republic to
keep open the wounds OF the war, but OF
this we are determined, that one side OF
that great struggle was right, and the
other side was wrong-and we were not
the wrong side, and we don't intend that
our children shall be taught that We were.
hope the rel ort of this committee will
receive the careful consideration of this
encampment. and this, or a similar COM
mittee, be kept at work until school his
tories. in use in our public SCHOOLS, tell the
truth"
The commandments placed him.
self on record as opposed to the prop
osition to change Memorial day to the
last Sunday in May. Ga this point, be
said:
z / am not one of those who believe that a
day established thirty years g by our
beloved Commander.in-C Chic Logan, and
since made a holiday, and a holiday by
legal enactment in a majority of the
states, should be changed simply because
a lot Of hoodlums, or thoughtless men and
women, desecrate it by games and races.
A large majority of our people are OBJ.
servers of the Sabbath day, and they do
not consider parades and demonstrations
seemly upon that day, and their wishes
should be respected, for we look to them,
rather than to the t~houghtless, for the
moral support we need. If the games and
races cannot be suppressed en- such a
sacred day by moral s~uasion, aud the eff.
feet of its participation In its sacred work
by vast numbers of our best citizens, then
no change of day could effect such result.
Formula for Telling a Persons Age.