Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-09-06
TWELVE PAGES.
THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 6, 1900.
For President.
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
OF NEBRASKA.
For vice-President.
ADLAI E. STEVENSON
OF ILLINOIS.
GRAND ARMY INCIDENTS.

The Grand Army of the Republic at
its recent reunion at Chicago this year.
managed to do more things that should
have been left undone. than on any
similar occasion for years. There
seems to have been more of politics,
more of pensions. more OF sectionalism
in the meeting. From the account of
the proceedings. as given. one might
very well infer that the veterans avail
ed themselves OF n privilege extended
in the address OF wecome-the privi-
lege of painting the town red"-and
then held their sessions.
The first unfortunate twist was
given the occasion in the address of
welcome, delivered by an orator an
swering to the euphonious and decided
ly up-to-date name of LongeneclSer.
Joel NJ. Longenecker TO be exact. He
vision of the G.. a.. r.. and not the
india rubber man. Here is the way
Longenecker set the ball to rolling:
I'm twenty-four out of thirty-two
years since 1868 we have had a Grand
Army man in the presidential chair,
and we shall have one in the same
AS the c.. A. r. is (ostensibly) a
non-partisan organization, this was
going about as far as good taste would
permit. but we are assured that this
allusion to Mckinley provoked storm
of applause" Later on. however. sit
was murmured that this was a bold
attempt to inject politics"
This hOWayar pofh;po oo,,,
pared with the banquet of the Hamil-
ton Club. Huge portraits OF Mckinley,
Roosevelt. and Yates. Republican can
didate for Governor of Illinois. were
hung; machine guns of confection-
cry" Chocolate Krag- Jorgensen RI
fies." pointed at the very chair in
which President Mckinley was expect
ed to Sit" Mckinley. however, was
absent. but Speaker Henderson was
present as his personal representa-
tive" According to the Record, every
man OF the half dozen speakers waved
the flag and dared anybody TO pull ii
down." The performance of Mr.. Nc
Kinley's personal representative was
naturally the feature or the evening.
Here It is:
AFTER President Bangs salutatory,
Speaker Henderson was introduced as
the representative OF President Nc
Kinley.' He walloped the table with
his stout fist and yelled into the top
most gallery In tones that admitted of
no denial. He TRANSPORTED the deeds
OF the American army in Cuba, the
Philippines and China, and borrowing
a pet phrase of his political chief. ask
ed If there was any one present who
would like the contract of hauling
contract, Speaker Henderson sat down
amid the most thunderous applause -
This from the independent Record
which says the galleries declined to
Join in the enthusiasm. The effect of
this remarkable performance on ono
guest-Judge Leo Rassieur. of St
Louis, who was elected commander
was noteworthy; he had attended
thinking the banquet was non politi-
cal. and promptly left when he discov-
cred his mistake:
There was fun over pensions, too.
There always is. Commander Shaw
In his address. lamented that the
pension department is widely criticized
by number Of worthy applicants for
PENSIONS" because they feel that their
applications are not treated in a lib
eral and just wayl" Then the camp
proceeded to go after Hon. II. Clay
pensions by any means; the committee
ON legislation renewed its allegiance