The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-05-06

~&gap For several years the idea
has been nurtured among the
pet ambitions of the Hon
~S~ John Whitehead, President
of the New Jersey Society and an honored
resident of Morristown; and on Saturday
last he was happy witness to its final
and glorious fulfilment. Few people ap-
preciate the importance Of such con-
vention, but to those of our local patriots
who have long been devoted to the lofty
aims and objects of tns society such
meeting of these illustrious men from all
parts of the country, with their express
sions of admiration for the many notable
historic points and the undeniable beauty
of Morristown, their discussion of patri-
otic questions and their general influence
mean much more than can be told in
this brief space.
AS early as Thursday of last week the
| delegates to the congress began to arrive,
and on Friday afternoon the great ma
jority reached town. Others came on
Saturday morning, taxing the local ho-
tells to the utmost capacity.
The general exercises and business
session of the day, held at the Lafayette
rooms on the old Headquarters prop.
| erty, was opened with prayer, by Rev.
R. w. Clark, d. d., of Detroit in the alb
sence of Chaplain General Bishop Cheney
of Chicago, after which President White
head, with a few appropriate remarks,
handed 10 President General Barrett a
gavel carved from an oak beam taken
from the old Arnold Tavern, the first
headquarters of General Washington
here. The gavel was presented to the
/ New Jersey Society of the S. A. R. by p.
| H. Hoffman, the present owner of the pro-
perty upon which the old tavern stood.
The call of the roll brought ninety
two responses from about thirty different
States. When the name of Gen. Jos. G.
Breckenridge was called it was explained
that Gen. Breckenridge was in the SER
vice of the U. S. Army, and that only the
day previous he had been promoted by
President Mckinley from the rank of
brigadier general to major general.
When Vice President General Thomas
M. Anderson was called it was stated
that General Anderson was also with his
regiment on the Pacific Coast.
Following the opening, ]. w. Roberts,
President of the Washington Association,
was presented to the Congress and said
SIT gives the Washington Association
great pleasure to extend the use of the
Lafayette rooms to the patriotic society
of the Sons of the American Revolution.
We also extend to you most hearty
welcome to these headquarters, sacred
to the memory of General George Wash
ington and his associate officers in the
American Revolution. I hope you all
will derive very much pleasure and
profit by your visit here at this time and
that you will all soon visit us again"
Following these preliminaries, the re-
port of President General Barrett was
listened to with interest, the burden of
the report being the settlement of
the long considered question of union
with the Sons of the Revolution, finally
decided in the negative. which has been
fully set forth in the two preceding issues
of the CHRONICLE. With the disposition
of this question, which has done much to
retard the work and growth of the
society, good progressive future is
assured among all the thirty six
State organizations. The president also
reported that the National Flag Com
mittee had been active in the endeavor to
get Congress to pass an act forbid
ding the desecration of the flag for
base business and utilitarian pur-
poses but that small progress had been
made. He congratulated the members
upon being able to meet in Morristown.
as did the report of Franklin Muir
ply, Secretary General of the So
ciety. Mr.. Murphy covered also, for the
sake of record, the entire proceedings of
the committees on the question Of union
with the S. r., and said that in this mat
ter the Society of the Sons of the Ameri-
/ can Revolution had done all that could
be done with self-respect, even to the
sacrificing of its name, to effect union.
Treasurer General Charles w. Haskins
4 reported receipts during the year of
So, ,209.8 50, of which balance of $500. 81
remained after paying the expenses of
the society. Registrar General A. How
ard Clark reported SO State organiza-
tions with total membership of 9,141 !;
during the year 1,160 applications for
new membership had been examined, +,
the average annual gain for past nine
years being 1920. Three State Societies
now exceed 900 members, Massachu-
setts 300, New York / ,09S, Connecticut
/, ,009 Others next following are Ili-
nOis 470, Minnesota Ali, New JERSEY 400.
District of Columbia 408. By the eff
forts of Gen. Horace Porter, late Presi-
dent General, society of fifteen mem
bers had been organized in France, with
good outlook for its growth and perma-
nency. It was reported that over II, 900
application papers, containing names and
much data important in the preservation
Of the nations history, are now fled in
the Office of the Registrar General at
Washington.
Continued on FIFTH Paoe.