The Portland daily press., 1899-09-23


81 have taken the position ffom the te
ginning that the day was emphatiealB
navy day, that Admiral Dewey and the
sailors Of the Olympia should be In the
lead with nothing whatever to detract.
81 was and am still In favor Of not
having marshal, but that H. iInpraotl-
BILE, as it is absolutely essential to have
some enc In command to control coll
umn,
81 havsEtaken THIS stand relative to the
Grand Army as l am thoroughly con-
WINGED that l am right. / assume all re-
sponsibility. l do not ask the committee
to approve my action, but abide by what
have done.
II have the honor to be a memter Of
the q. A. r., George Washington post"
The committee decided unanimously
on the motlon.of Mr.. Guggenheimer to
approve tho action taken by General Roe.
Reference was made TO the despatch re-
ceiyed from Gov. Ruossvelt. General Rec
declined TO give the text of the despatch
TO the reporters.
General Roe reported to the plan and
scope committee that he had learned that
Ohio purpossd to increase Its representa-.
tion from 700 TO 5000 men. He suggested
that In view. of the lack of funds the
committee also be authorized to announce
that no m ore org anizations would be ac-
0 epted. A motion TO that effect was
adopted.
FROM COL. SHAW.
A n
in-ehief of the Grand Army Of the Repub-
lie has issued an address to the public.
in which hs says;
II desire to submit the following state
ment of facts In justification of requests
made to Major General Roe that the vet
Grams be allowed to have the right Of line
In the Dewey parade. The reasons given
in the letter from Department Command
er Kay and presented in person to Gen.
eral Roe, embodied the views personally
ana strongly impressed on him and which
should command the place for the COM
rades in lins in question.
~ made this request following the
presidents Of two Ftstss. First, in Chica-
go. at the jubilee parade, the veterans
| WoAS ANo@AtC0 tao AAkhb "a anu
marched ahead of all armed troops; Sec
ond, ON the return of the tsnth regiment,
Pennsylvania volunteers from the Philip
pines, the Grand Army OF the Republic
had the right of line in Pittsburg. fol.
lowed by tho PIesident and governor
and their stats, then the national guard
and the tsnth regiment. After passing
over half the routs the Grand Army
halted, formed line, dressed back to the
curb and the whole line marched by.
"In the light of these comparatively
recent parades, the latter in honor of our
gallant soldiers who served in the Philip
pines, anG who possibly heard some of
Admiral Dewey's guns, could not bnt
feel that the Grand Army comrades of
New York, representative Of the greatest
state of the Union, which sent more men
than any other tsts to preserve the ma
ton from ruin, Were as richly entitled to
head thu line of the Dewey parade as were
the comrades of Pennsylvania to lead a
similar civic pageant in honor of our
| Spanish American war heroas; and felt
when made the plea that the precedent
set by the stats Of Pennsylvania in hay-
ing the veterans lead ths line, President
Mckinley and the governor of the state
following, was one that might be fol-
lowed without any loss of dignity to
those controlling the Dswey parade in
New York.
"The criticism made by my beloved
oomrade,. Col. II. Il. Adams, in reference
TO what he did and what he advised is not
germane to this controversy in view of
the fact that he holds no office in our
g. "A. R.. and had no delegated authority
| to speak in its behalf.
"The irresponsible chatter Of comrades
holding no official position in our order
and who cannot even rsmem Der the SOL
emn obligations they have taken to obey
their superior officers is not to be taken
as an expression worthy OF consideration.
81 wish to add that my only desire has
been to stand for the honor and dignity
of the Grand Army and l know l shall
not be blamed by fair-minded and patri-
otto citizens for doing my duty in this
respect as / understand it.. 1t gives me
the greatest pleasure to extend to Gov.
Roosevelt. as the Communicated OF
$50, eco veterans OF the q. A. R., my
warm congratulations on the just and
patriotic stand lie has taken in behalf of
the aging veterans of the nation in usin q
his influence to have their just request
granted that they lead the parade in the
city of New York In honor OF the great
Admiral, thus assuring to our newest
veterans that when they grow old in their
turn they shall not he the tail of any
public pro cession.
81 would have been proud to lead the
head of the line as was done by a comrade
in the Pitisburg parade and In the
onssat Chicago for believe the New
York. volunteers of 1861 to 1865 were the
peers ssof any volunteers that ever stood
forth for the nation.
"As commander Kay says in his letter
to General Roe in their own time and In
their own way the Grand Army of the
| ReDublIO As renresen tatiyeg of the VET