Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-08-30
GRAND ARMY VETERANS
Report Of Pension Committee Con-
tains No Recommendations.
no CHANGE IN MEMORIAL DAT.

The Convention Declines to Agree
With Commander shav's PROPOSE
tion-oDposation to school Histories
Used in Southern schools.
Chicago. Aug. sO.-Yesterday was.
for the Grand Army of the Republic as
an organization, strictly day Of bust
ness. For those members who were
not burdened with the responsibilities
attending the position Of a delegate to
the convention of the Grand Army It
was G day of anything and everything
but business. From morning until
night the convention labored at its
work in Studebaker Hall listening TO
numerous reports from officers and
committees, while the vast majority
Of the old soldiers went to the parks,
took boat rides on the lake and those
who had not seen blood enough In their
younger days accepted an Invitation
from the packers TO visit the stock
yards, where they beheld more slaugh-
ter than had taken place at the
bloody angle at Spottsylvania and in
the bloody lane" at Antietan COM
bfned
The convention was opened with
prayer by Chaplatn-in-Chief Grimm,
after which addresses were delivered
by Mayor Harrison, COMMANDMENT
Chief Shaw. Commander Longenecker.
Of the department Of Illinois. and Gen.
Louis Wagner. Gen. Wagner's address
closed the morning session.
In the afternoon the first thing taken
up was the report of the pension COM
mittee This would contain. It is gen
orally thought, some warm statements,
but there was none. There was not in
the report a specific declaration or rec
ommendation upon any subject The
report argued at some length against
the statements that have been made
by the pension Office In reply to the
original criticisms made by members
Of the Grand Army, but offered no
suggestions as to direct line Of policy
to be pursued
The committee which had taken
the annual message Of Commander
Shaw under consideration reported APP
prevail of all his suggestions with the
exception of that relating to the change
of the date OF Memorial day from May
80 to the last Sunday In May On this
the committee reported adversely, and
their report was adopted by the con-
vention.
School histories used in the public
schools OF the southern states were
denounced by the Grand Army The
official declaration was made that the
histories have been written with the
purpose Of perpetuating in the minds
of southern children the sectional preiu-
dice Of the days of 81 Resolutions
We're adopted calling on the public, in
the name of the Grand Army, to Danish
the books from the schools Of the
country
There IS no opposition to Judge
Rassieur. of st, Louis, who aspires to
the officer of commander-in-chief.
Probably 10000 members of the army
Of veterans took part In Tuesdays pa
rade, which Commander Shaw says
was the greatest since the famous pa
rade in Washington at the close of the
civil war. For four hours and twenty
minutes, most of the time with ranks
almost perfectly aligned, but occasion
ally faltering under the burden of their
years, they fled past the reviewing
stand on Michigan avenue, saIuting as
tAey AndIcHeu by tel fSelsOu a. Miles,
Commander-in-Ch Chief Shaw. Gen. Dam
lei e. Siekels. Gen. Joseph Wheeler,
Acting Governor Wardner, Mayor Har-
rison, Speaker Henderson, Senator Gull
lon and the Spanish minister. Duke
D'Arcos.
One especially sad incident occurred
to mar In degree the glory of the
parade, Charles Beckwith, of Algonsea,
Mich, dropping dead as the line was
fling past the corner of Michigan ave-
nue. and Madison street. The parade
was halted for a moment, the body of
the veteran who had responded to his
last call was tenderly removed and his
comrades passed on.