St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-08-03

lca Dased upon PARAMOUNT iespecI LUZ
and fidelity to the national constitution
and laws, manifested by discountenanc-
ing whatever may tend to weaken loyal
ty, incite to insurrection, treason or re-
bellion, or in any manner impairs the
efficiency and permanency of our free
institutions, together with defense of
universal liberty. equal rights and JUS
tice to all men,"
Three years after the adoption of this
constitution the last clause Of article 5
was strengthened by the addition of an
article to the rules and regulations by
which the order has since been gov
erned, reading as follows:
"No officer or comrade Of the Grand
Army of the Republic shall in any man
ner use this organization for partisan
purposea and no discussion of partisan
questions shall be permitted at any Of
its meetings, nor shall any nominations
for political Office be made"
In the rules and regulations adopted
in 1869, and still in force, the objects of
the order are stated in three paragraphs
to the same purport as the six given
above. The article bearing upon eligi-
bility to membership has never been
modified in the slightest. 1t is as fol-
lows
"Soldiers and sailors of the United
States army and marine corps, who
served between April IL, 1861, and
April 8, 1865, in the war for the sup
preston of the rebellion, and those hay
ing been honorably discharged therefrom
after such service, and of such state regi-
ments as were called into active service
and were subject to the orders of United
States general officers between the dates
mentioned, shall be eligible to member
ship in the Grand Army of the Republic
No person shall be eligible who has at
any times borne arms against the Unit
ed States.
Many attempts have been made to
break the force of this law, especially
i'll SO far as it shuts out Union soldiers
who were impressed into the Confeder-
ate army for time. All have failed,
and so have all efforts to create an hon
orary membership.
In living up to the spirit Of para
graphs 2, 3 and 4 of the declaration of
principles the G. A. r. has carried on
q benefcent work as marvellous in its
way as the battlefield record made in
1860. BY union of effort the order
has secured state laws providing for the
maintenance of INDECENT veterans either
in state homes Or by outdoor assistance,
the burial of INDECENT veterans, and
many laws favoring their employment
in public service.
Aside from this every post is COM
PEELED to maintain a relief fund and
hold sacred certain moneys for the re-
lief of needy soldiers and sailors, their
widows and orphans and dependents.
The beneficent work of the order is not
restricted to members, but is extended
to all veterans. Millions of dollars have
passed from the pockets of Grand Army
men to the relief of their less fortunate
comrades.
On the average the veterans are now
passing the threescore mark How long
will they remain upon the stage in suffi
Gent numbers to give spirit to ceremo
MES concentrating the civil war? Ii
decade and half from now we shall
be celebrating the centennial of victories
at Lundy's Lane, Lake Champlain ant
Baltimore, also that of Jackson ovel
Pakenham at New Orleans, and abou
that time the semicentennial of thu
closing battles of the civil war. Is it 9
daring assumption to presume thai
there will then be living twice as many
veterans as there were boys in blue OIL
any of the battlefelds of 1865?
There are still living about 1000, O0(
survivors of the Union armies, and tn,
mortality of the whole period since tn,
civil war has been excessive, yet tina
does not argue against marshaling al
army of them in 1915. An excessiv,
mortality for the decade following tn
end OF the war was natural, but for tn,
past 20 years the death rate among vet
Grams has been less than that of civil
ians of the same age. Soldiers were dis
charged on account of wounds and dis
ease by the hundreds Of thousands, ant
no doubt death claimed victims iron
their ranks within few years at a rat
three or four times greater than tn
average for civilians of the same age.
AS has been stated, the death rat
among veterans has fallen off, and tn
veteran of 60 has one chance in fou
of reaching 76 and of taking part in tn
double celebration of 1915, and each O
the 200, 600 or 300, 900 alive at that dat
will have about one chance in five O
reaching the age of SO as one of the 40,
600 or so, 900 then surviving.
Records of longevity among veteran
of previous American wars sustain
these calculations. In 1869, Sc year
after the end of the Revolutionary wal
veteran who had served four year
died at the age of 100. The last Revolu
tionary pensioner on the regular rol
died in 1867 at the age of 10l Som
time about 1915 to 1850 the G. A. R
survivor bearing the distinction of be
ing the last viii pass to the eterna
camping grounds
GEORGE l.. KIIMER.