The National tribune., 1897-04-08
SUCCESSFUL OFFICERS.
Views of Past Junior Vice Commander-in
Chief on Building Up the Order.

Chief on Building Up the Order.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Is our Order
of Sons of Veterans to be an important factor
in the future history of our country, such as IS
the GAR. or are we doomed to gradual decay
and extinction7
This is a vital question of burning interest
to all who have the future welfare of the Sons
of Veterans at heart. Our past history has
been checkered career in National, Division,
and Camp affairs-ups and downs. What one
official, by hard work, self denial, and neglect
of personal business, accomplished in building
up the membership, his successor, by criminal
and shiftless neglect, lost. Perhaps, In some
cases. ignorance and lack of ability was the
cause. in which case the organization was at
fault because these men should never have
been elected to Office. How can We discrimi-
nate in making selections and obtain good
results?
In nearly every case where the one selected
has performed faithfully and well the duties OF
a lower Office, he has, with equal merit, per-
formed those of the Office to which he was ad-
vauced. The moral is obvious: Never elect
brother as Captain of your Camp unless he has
served you well Lieutenant or Sergeant;
never elect Division Commander except he
has been a successful Captain; never elect a
Com mmaTder-in-Chief unless he has been
marked success as a Division Commander.
The following of this rule is justice to all, be-
cause he who receives honors should first be-
stow benefit upon the donor. We would then
have far better officials aud more satisfactory
results from their administrations than the
past has given US.
A good Captain attends regularly the meet
ings of his Camp, arrsnges interesting enter
tainments, calls on old and solicit5 new men,
bers, and sends in on time his quarterly and
other reports. The star Division Commander
transacts the business of his Headquarters as
does the wholesale merchant; his correspondence
is answered promptly, his orders for Camp sup
plies are filled the day they are received. He
sends out ~ Division Orders year, the Captain
of each Camp receives at least four personal
letters year from him, he writes and even
telegraphs slow Captains for their reports, and
sends his own to Headquarters promptly. He
need not be an orator, but he must be worker
and business man.
The successful Commander-in.C Chief does and
is all that the star Division Commander does
and is; his Camps are the Divisions his Cap
tains are the Division Commanders: some he
must praise, some coax, some scold, to secure
the best results; neither he nor the Division
Commander can be success if they leave to
their Adj1tant more than the clerical and
minor details. He must personally work, and
work hard. if he desires to retire from office,
taking with him the love and esteem of his
brothers
Our Order as regards numbers is failure.
The most propitious time to build is past A
new generation has come upon the stage to
whom the civil war is but history; it requires
much solicitation TO interest them in our Order; I;
men who have been members and left the
Order and older men who are eligible are now
seldom mustered.
With all this to face, viii we win? / believe
we will, because we have gained knowledge by
our reverses and good officers will be elected.
as rule. in the future. As time with heavy
hand strikes from our midst the veterans and
we see them no more, the honor of being their
descendants will come to the mind of man
again, and he will turn to the Camps of the
Sons of Veterans that he may publicly acknowl-
edge his reverence and aid in keeping green his
ancestors memory. Let us not be discouraged,
but use our brains and our strength in building
up our noble Order, founded as 1t is upon grand
and patriotic ciples.-LEwIs A. DILLEY,
Past Junior Vice Com mmander-in-C Chief, Daven-
port, Iowa.