The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-06
GRAND ARMY ENCAMPMENT.
THIRTH-TIIIRD ANNUAL ASSEM-
BLING IN PHILADELPHIA.


Small Attendance of the Veterans
From the Grand Army Depart
mentS in the SOuth-NO Hope for "A
National Soldiers Home in Flor
ida-There Was Time when
Grand Army Trains Ran From the
south.
Jacksonville Fla Sept. 5.-To-day, in
the city of Philadelphia. the Grand Army
Veterans from every part of the country
are enjoying their annual street parade
and tomorrow they will meet in the thir-
ty-third annual encampment of the order
Aside from the states nearest to Pennsyl-
vania, there will be few large representa-
tons present. Every year of late the
attendance has diminished, and the real
interest in the future of the order suffered
a decrease This has been caused. in part,
by the contests for official positions in the
encampment, and the past two years to
failure of the commander-ih-chief to give
proper attention to his duties. Gen. Co
bin went into the volunteer service, and
his successor of this year, Col. Sexton,
became a member of the war investigat-
ing committee and died in Washington
during the year
Col Sexton was nominated by Gen John
c. Black Doth of Chicago, who claimed
that he was just the man to take hold
of affairs and put them in good shape,
but Comrade Woods of New York made
very bitter attack upon Chicago and Il
linois, and nominated Department Com
mander Albert D. Shaw of New York
Col Sexton, however, was elected, and
Shaw is again a candidate for election or
defeat tomorrow II is very unfortunate
that of late the business meetings of the
encampment have been marred by bitter
personalities. Speaker Reed of the House
of Representatives has been roundly abus-
ed for his supposed Indifference to meas
ures introduced in Congress in the in
terest of Union Veterans. This is true
especially, in regard to bills giving pref
erence to Union soldiers without regard
TO qualificatons) in appointments to Of
flee, etc. and pension legislation generally.
This year the debates on these questions
will be unusually bitter, and Commits
sioner Evans will be denounced in round
terms.
A few years ago Florida used to start
out Grand Army train from Jacksonville
to the national encampment Now the
comrades go in single or double file, scarce
~ numbering a bakers dozen All over
the state there has been a decrease in
membership and interest in the order, some
of it due to the fact that Grand Army vet
Grams have secured very few offices under
Comrade Mckinley. The postofices at
Tampa, Orlando, Ocala, Sanford, PaIatka
and many other places, We're refused to
Grand Army applicants. This, with the
freeze of last winter, has had a bad effect
upon the veterans. Then the hope of get
/ ~. -
Florida. has grown beautifully less 9th
er and more enterprislng states have step
ped in while we were wrangling about
a location and secured the endorsements of
the national encampment for their pro-
iects all looking to the comfort of old SOL
diers needing mild climate.
The national encampment has already
endorsed Castle Pinckney, in Charleston.
S. C., harhor a similar project in Okla
homa, and another in South Dakota, which
has led the department of Florida to aban-
don for the present any attempt to secure
a National Soldiers Home within its own
borders. a man named Phares Bell. OF
Sumter county, is getting a little cheap
| notoriety by his personal efforts to secure
such a home on his lands, but he has no
official authority from the Grand Army.
| and his plan is utterly beyond all hope of
! success. Congress will take no notice of
! his donation without the endorsement of
the department of Florida. approved by
| the national encampment. Commander-iu-
| chief, Goblin, i'm his address at Buffalo.
1 said. the multitude OF these projects would
! interfere seriously with the success of
| any one of them" Therefore, even with
/ the endorsement of the. national encamp-
ment the Castle Pnckney project may
/ fail. The bill before Congress was not
| reported back by the committee 10 which
| it was assigned.
| Unfortunately, the Grand Army of the
| Republic, unlike most other military or
| CARNATIONS, except the Union Veterans
! Union, has become very aggressive in po-
liCical affairs so far as Office holding rem
/ sions and employment are concerned. It's
| committees seek 10 dictate to the Presi-
! dent and all subordinate officials, what
/ they shall do in these ma tiers. The Loyal
| Legion, the Society of the Army of the
| Potomac, and other similar organizations
! have never dabbled in politics. or sought
/ TO control the public offices. But everv-
/ thing indicates that the meeting of the
! Grand Army tomorrow and Thursday in
Philadelphia will be marked by discus
| sonS more bitter and personal than any
| that have marred previous encampments.
! The President and Pension Commissioner
| Evans will lie the central targets but they
/ will have pienty of company. The Grand
| Army has reached crisis in its history
and only cool heads can avert disaster.
G. =. r.