Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-05-10

The Depar tment of Delaware, G. A.
r., began its Goth annual encampment
Thursday morning at headquarters of |
Admiral s. +. du Pont Post, No. 504 |
Maj ket street. Department Commander |
Moystin presided and there was a good |
attendance. The work of the year just |
ended was gratifying. The actual |
results cam be judged from the admir- |
able report of Commander Moystin, and |
it was largely through his efforts and
the hearty cooperation he received that
he was enabled to give such good
account of his custodianship. In his
annual address he said
"Another year has gone by; another
page of history has been written; and
we again Assem- hle in annual session to
deliberate and legislate, let us hope, for
the best interests of our beloved order.
We meet to review the past and to pro-
vide for the future, which stands out
before US. Let our earnest prayer be
that We may be so guided in our de-
1 liberations that all our actions may be
fully in accord with the teachings of
our beloved order and the solemn
obligations we have assumed around
her affairs, keeping before us the fact
that we are comrades united in a holy
thubus vi bhbOilbE uPbb tLO dhhlCo VI
department commander 10 months ago |
felt the weight of responsibility as
sumed. / have endeavored, during the
year, to discharge the duties of the
Office to the best of my ability. l may
have made some errors and invited
criticism. | have tried to be honest in
the administration of all the different
posts, studying their interest and guild
ing them to the best interest of the
order, and | can assure you that / had
no other object in view than to advance
the best interests of the order. To what
extent / have succeeded leave to your
Judgment and shall abide by your
decisions, and will only add that To
err is human, to forgive is divine. %
He stated that during the year he had
visited all of the posts in the State,
the Wilmington posts on an average of
once month, and brought back into
the ranks the posts at Middletown and
Seaford. The condition of the posts in
New Castle county is prosperous and
healthy. Their meetings are kept up
with regularity, are literally attended
and made profitable to the members by
addresses, recitations, music. camrhres,
&C., but the majority of the posts in
Kent and Sussex counties are in sickly
and poorly attended. They are urged
by the department. commander to have
campfires held in the winter months
and devise exercises that would instruct
and amuse. The chief reasons given by
the officers of the posts for the decrease
of membership are that so many com.
rades are dying; so many have beer
suspended and dropped; there are sc
many old soldiers who are not members
of the order, and so. many live from two
to eight miles in the country and such
long distances from the posts that wher
they arrive at the post rooms and fine
few others there they become dis
couraged and do not attend afterward
Such the commander said, was the stat,
of affairs he found in Kent and Suisse,
counties. He had suggested to all o
the posts In the lower counties to TAX,
back all comrades who had been dropped
and suspended, by paying in % cents
the same as was done in New Castl
county. The plan worked fairly we'll
The increase Of death rate In this Stat
the past year, he said, excites melan
choly but not an uninteresting thought
1t is one of our duties to die, and &
die heroically in peace as we'll as ii
war. During his term of Office he ha,
soldiers, but the majority of them wer
not members of the Grand Army, blu
there will be no more money raid out II
this manner until February, 1901, a
the appropriation for the current year j
exhausted.
Concerning the finances, he said
When was elected department com
mander found the department wa
nearly bankrupt, there being only So. Z
in the hands of the quartermaster. I
do the work promised when elected
became necessary for me to ask aid {
my personal friends. They have "a
sponded most liberally and now leay
the department in splendid conditio
both financially and numerically. Will
outsuch aid could not have performe
the work that was required to erin
the department up to its present health
condition.
Mr.. Moystir reported attending tf
national encampment, stating that abol
400 Delaware men were in the parac
and were congratulated all along IL
line for their fine soldierly bearing an
marching. Delaware was honored
the national encampment, Conrad
Daniel Ross being made senior vi,
commander chief. A most interes
ing report was made of all that tral
epired at the Philadelphia convention
The commander extended his thanks
all OF the post, especially in the low
counties, for the courteous treatment
received while visiting them. 1.-THE r
lations that l have had with all IL
comrades of this State, - he said, "w
long be remembered, and whenever
look back at the pleasant times | b;
with you all it will be to me one of d
brightest pages of my life
He extended thanks to all of the OF
GELS Of the department. Special menti
was made of Assistant Adjutant-G eneI
William A. Reilly, Judge Advocate Pet
B. Ayars and Chief of Staff William
Baugh.
( Concerning the Sons of Veteran
Commander Moystin said there ale 70
camps in>Delaware, one white and thu
colored, two in Wilmington, one
Bridgeville and one IN Frankfort. I
members are much interested in kee
ing up the memory of the old soldi
and they should be encouraged.
suggested that members have their SC
Join the organization. The Sons
Veterans take great interest in [
Memorial Day exercises, by going {
and firing over the graves Of soldiers
will soon devolye upon them, he sa
TO further perpetuate Memorial u
and see that the memory of tho ,
soldier is still kept before the people
"a Memorial Day is well observed
all Of the posts in Wilmington,
said, land the public 10 general. III
show to the old soldler that tbev h.