Evening star., 1899-03-28
WAR IN THEIR CAMP
Union Veterans Union and the Presi- :
dents Atlanta Speech.
D. D. PORTER COMMAND INDORSED IT
Expelled From Union Therefor by
Commander-in- n-Chief Oyenforth.
REVIEW OF THE RUMPUS

] There is war in the local ranks of the
| Union Veterans Unicn. referred to pre-
viously in The Star. and the probabilities
are that before a flag of truce waves
peacefully the entire order throughout the
| country may be involved in the question
at issue. The trouble finds its real origin
| in the speech made by President Mckinley
several months ago, when he made refer
! ence to caring for the graves of the con-
| federate dead. February q, d. d. Porter
! Command, No. f6, Union Veterans Union,
passed resolution offered by Past Colonel
A. II. Feather, heartily indorsng the prom
! ise of the President.
General and Commander-n-Ch Chief r. G.
| Dyrenforth, when he heard of the action
| sent a notification to Porter Command to
rescind the resolution. The command de-
cliEed to do so.
Red Hot General Order.
This direct disobedience evidently dis
pleased the commander-in-chief and his SEN
/ timent found expression in a general order
| issued March IS last, stated in The
Star, which was voluminous and set forth
in specific detail the alleged reprehensible
| character of the conduct Of Porter Com
mand in approving the Presidents words
| Ordinarily, the commander -in-chief
would revoke the charter of a command
thus expressing itself, but he has Just as
/ certained that the said organization, known
| as d. ID. Porter Command, has actually no
| charter. The course is therefore clear: The
| organization known as d. d. Porter Com
| mand, No. 16, Department of the Potomac
| Union Veterans Union, will no longer be
| recognized by the commander-in-ciIfef or
| by any department of the order and the
| mem DerS thereof. members of that
| ganzauon, will cease to be recognized as
| members of the Union Veterans Union. All
| officers and comrades of the order are here
| by strictly enjoined and prohibited from
| recognizing the said organization as a COM
! mand of the Union Veterans Union and
| from recognizing and affilating with any
| OF the offScers or members thereof Off
| GERS or members of the Union Veterans
| Union
| THE commander of the Department of the
! Potomac is hereby directed to enforce the
above order, and to see that any-and all
property, in possession of said orga niZation,
| and to which the department has right, is
| turned over to him.
Gen. Dyrenforth Denounced.
Last night the thirty-six veterans who
compose the command under the ban met
| ana discussed the question. The absence of
| the charter, as alleged in the general order
| OF expulsion, was explained by the state
| 1nent that Gen. Dyrenforth had attended
one of the regular meetings of the COM
| mand month ago and took the charter
| away with him by request to make a cor
| rection in it, and still had it in his pos
session.
A resolution was then offered by J. n.
| Ehle and unanimously adopted. 1t rected
| that the national commander of the Union
Veterans Union had, by an arbitrary eX-
ercise of his powers, sought to annihiate
u. ID. Porter Command. No. 16, without
just cause or provocation, by discrediting
and withdrawing his recognition thereof as
| a legally constituted organization within
| and part of the Union Veterans Union
| and denounced the action of the national
| commander as unjust illegal and subver-
sive of the spirit of true comradeship with
| in the organization, only regretting their
| inability to characterize the same in lam
guage more befitting the object of their
ignominy and contempt.
"Arrogating to himself the power of Judge
| and jury, and in violation of the sacred
| trust committed to his care national
commander" continued the resolutions, "he
| seeks to punish and degrade the members
! of a subordinate command within the or
! ganization for daring to indorse the propo-
| sition of the President of the United States
| to extend the aid of the national govern
ment in the and protection of the
graves Of the confederate dead-a PROPOSE
| ton concurred in. as We believe, by nearly
every brave man who fought for the integ-
| rity of the Union.
This action of the national commander
in our judgment, belittleS the honorable
position he holds in our organization ana is
as distinct and inimical to the objects, aims
and purposes of the Union Veterans Unicn
as is the employment of the devil to the
great work of the church in saving mems
souls
In conclusion it was decided to appeal for
redress to the next national encampment
of the order.
According to the constitution of the Union
Veterans Union its objects are to preserve
and perpetuate, with firrnness, but without
animosity, the principles of the war for the
preservation of the Union, contended for
on many battlefieids; to exact from the
government proper appreciation of the
services of the Union soldier in the preser-
walton of the integrity of this nation. and
just recognition of his claims. and prac-
tically, as well as theoretically, tc secure
recognition of the rights of the Union SOL
dier to preference for positions of public
trust and fer employment by the govern
ment
Porter Command has disbanded for the
present and will turn over its paraphernalia
to headquarters. The, members intend
sending their resolutions of February ~
and a history of subsequent events as out
lined above to President Mckinley. The
other local commands affiliated with the
Union Veterans Union are Hancock, No.
l; John A. Logan, No. 2 and Sedgwick, No.
B. The two latter commands have unani-
mously indorsed Gen. Dyrenfcrths action
in the matter.