Sistersville oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1896-1901, 1898-09-14
THU GRAND Army
The Address of Commander in
Chief Gorbin.
Wants the Pension Law Literally En
forced-The Real Work of En-
eampment Was To-day.

work of the o.. A. X. enCampment
and the Woman's relief Corps was
begun today. The parades and
outside festivities are all over and
all the outgoing trains today were
crowded with persons returning
home. The only spectacular event
of today was civic parade and
trades display at two o'clock this
afternoon. The encampment was
called to order at 10 a. m.
In the course of his annual adj
dress, Commander in Chief Gen. ].
P. S. Goblin said:
1.-THE pension question has en-
crossed the entire attention of the
grand army during the year as new
er before. Prior to the assembling
of the last Congress there seemed
to be concerted attack upon the
pensioners and among many OF the
old soldiers the impression prevails
that it did not originate in the
camp of the enemy. At all events,
the newspaper attacks contained
statements, many of them distorted
and misleading, but apparently un-
thoritatively, which lett the pen
sioners as class in an unenvlable
light. That these attacks were un'
fair and made for specific purpose
seemed to be evident and their OBJ
ject was presumably to prevent any
increase in the appropriation tor
pensions during the ensuing year
This thought also seemed to be toll
lowed in The granting of pensions,
or at least was looked upon as one
of the reasons for the delay in adj
justing claims. although there has
been a steady increase in the num-
Der granted. The proposition to
publish a list of the pensioners
places the G. A. R. in a peculiar
position. No one believes there
was any necessity for it and that it
would produce any possible good,
or that there were any fraudulent
pensioners on the roll. On the other
hand. the opposition of the G.
A. R. to the publication would at
once have been seized upon and
taken advantage of by the pension
opponents as evidence of our
knowledge of fraud and DISPOSE
ton to conceal it. Our only re-
source was to suffer in silence, offer
a simple indignant denial and look
to the future for vindication. 1t Is
evident that much of the pension
agitation and in fact the complaints
of unfairness arises from the special
acts granting pensions to individ-
uals outside OF the general laws for
which the grand army is in no way
responsible. All the old soldiers
demand is that the existing pension
laws be administered with justice
and liberality in accordance with
the intention Of the laws which
were to provide for the soldier and
relieve his necessities to the full
extent of which be is entitled. This
is due him and this there should
be no cavil or question about his
receiving"
The commander in chief submit.
ted letter from commissioner of
pensions Evans which showed that
there were on the rolls June 80,
1897, pensioners to the number OF
e76,oI4; added during the year &c.
737; dropped from the rolls 46,651;
on the rolls at the end OF the fiscal
year. ee5,444: net increase for the
year 1900. Pensions paid in the
year $24o,255,74I.
In his report Alfred Lyle, SEN
,io- vice commander referred to the
visit of New York post to Ham
ilton, Ontario, saying that the
cheers which greeted the comrades
and their reception on the part of
the citizens of Hamilton were il
Illustrations of the recent drawing
together in sympathy and feeling
of the great English speaking ma
fions. =
Frank G. Bruner. the chaplain
in chief, in hisreport said the grand
army could never be anything but
distinct order, but one thing must
be carefully guarded, and that was
contention. The army of 1898
brought climax in American an
nails which meant more than any
past. Said the chaplain, I'VE may