Evening star., 1898-09-08
vlously addressed to him were turned into
cheers.
1T H

| 18th.
| CINCINNATI Ohio, September Sat the
conclusion of the preliminaries of the OPEN
| ing session this morning the great hall was
| cleared of all but the members entitled to a
J voice in the proceedings, and in executive
| session the annual reports were submitted.
ommander-in-Chiers Address.
| In his annual address Commander-in-
| Chief Goblin said in part:
| "As comrades of the Grand Army of the
! Republic we can look over the events of the
| year just passed with feelings of congrat-
| ulation and just pride. No equal period
| of time in the worlds history has been
| fraught with more momentous events, AMI
| the result to US as a natieT cannot but
place us upon much higher plane among
the governments o. the world. The fea ture
, however. that affects is that which re-
| lates to our participation in the occurrences
| as old soldiers and citizens who for over a
| third of a century have taught love of
| country and alteration of the flag and de-
| clared patriotism to be the foundation stone
| of the republic. Today we behold the flag
We brought back to the nation, unsulied
and undimmed, floating over a reunited
| country. We today rejoice as we behold the
| citiZel. soldiers of every state responding to
| the call of our comrade President to en-
| force the DEGREES of humanity and civiliza-
| ton among III Sc who dis egard their leach
| ings upon the islands OF our adjacent seas.
| From every standpoint the mission of the
| Grand Army of the Republic has been a
| pronounced success.
| ITO our esteemed comrade, President Will
| liam Mckinley, and his Secretary of War
| cur past commander-in-chief, r. A. Alger,
| we have given our individual and organized
| support in the arduous duties imposed upon
| them. Never in the worlds history has
| there ben an occasion when the experience
| of leaders in national strife rendered them
| SO thoroughly competent to meet the diff
| cultleS encountered.
Admission of Ncw
''Latterly propositions have come from
! various sources in the shape of individual
| letters and resolutions. One is to admit
! into membership with the Grand Army of
| the Republic the soldiers of the war with
Spain regardless of other qualifications,
| the principal reason being that in this way
the Grand Army of the Republic could be
| continued and preserved as an organiza-
| ticn, even after every member who had
Joined it under its present system had been
| mustered out. 1t occurs to me that there
| is no reason for altering the rules and reg
utationS of our organization changing its
| distinctive character for any such purpose
| The object of the Grand Army of the Re-
| public is fully set forth in its rules and
| regulations, our rituals and our charges
| and will all have been accomplished when
! the comrades who now authorized to
compose it are no longer factors within it.
|
| in the army al this time and have contrib
uted magnificently to the success of the
operations which resulted in so glorious
| peace. They are entitled to all the honor
we can give them, and will, no doubt, re-
ceive the thanks of a grateful people. They
will Doubtless, if they have not already done
| SO, organize a society of their own, but
there can be no merit in their becoming
| members of our organization, founded un-
| Ger different auspices and based entirely
| Upon different principles. When the Grand
Army of the Republic has fulfilled its mis-
sion 1t should cease to exist. The only or
! sanization of its kind in the worlds his
| tory, with its records complete, it's mem
| bership ali united in the unknown beyond
| there is no reason why it should not be
finally closed and the taps sound its last
requiem
| Captured Battle Flags.
| 1T has been urged by well-meaning com
| rades to propose the return of the flags
| captured during the war, presumably to the
| states recently in rebellion. l cannot but
| deprecate any agitation of this question
! We have never recognized the proposition
| that the war Of the rebellion was a war
| between the states 1t war for the
| Union, and the Union today is of all the
states. Those lately in rebellion are as
| thoroughly a portion of it are those who
| battled for its life and supremacy. All
! captured property belongs to the govern
| ment of the Union and is as much the
| property of one state, If such can be- as of
| the other and of the individual members OF
all of them. No state has right to claim
| or hold specific articles belonging to the
national government Whatever may have
! been past conditions, the present beholds
| sectional lines absolutely destroyed and the
| men of all the states following one flag in
| battle line, shoulder to shoulder. Let the
| Hags remain where they are as the best
| possible place of repose for them and what
! they represented at that time, now so near
! ly forgotten Any agitation of this charac-
| ter seems to to be unwise
| The action of the Confederate Veterans
camp OF New York seemed to suggest a
| method which win end all discussion and
| satisfy those gentlemen who continually
| recur to this subject. Their resolution pre-
sents for the consideration of the various
Grand Army posts and others the PROPOSE
| ton that a building be erected at Wash
| ington, under appropriate legislation of
| CONGRESS, to be a national depository in
which not only the captured flags, but all
such embems and trophies of each side as
| may be offered from any quarter should
properly be collected and lodged for their
| careful preservation and identitication If
/ 1t is desirable to take any steps relative to
| TINS matter, this is the most satisfactory
solution OF the entire question. 1t would
at all events, prevent the continual pre-
sentati9n of this matter to the public and
Keep the flags where they belong under the
control of the government of the United
States.
The Pension Question.
Inc pension question mas enSrOS8ed the
attention of the entire Grand Army during
| the year as never before. Prior to the
assembling of the last Congress there
seemed to be concerted attack upon the
pensioner, and among many of the old SOL
| diers the impression prevailed that it did
not originate in the camp Of our enemies
AT all events the newspaper attacks con-
tanned statements, many of them distorted
and misleading, but apparently unauthori-
tative, which left the pensioners as a class
| in an unenviable light. That these attacks
We're unfair and made for a specific pur-
pose, seemed to be evident, and their object
was presumably to prevent any increase in
the appropriations for pensions during the
incoming Congress over that of the preced-
| ing year. This thought also seemed to be
followed in the granting of pensions, or at
least was looked upon one of the rea-
sons for the delay in adjudicating claims,
although there has been a steady increase
in the number granted. The proposition to
publish list of pensioners placed the
Grand Army In peculiar position No
| man believed there was any necessity for
it, and that it would produce any possible
good, or that there were any considerable
| number of fraudulent pensioners on the
roll