Evening journal., 1900-08-28
Fears His Presence Would
Give EnCampment Color
Of PartiSanShip
FOLLOWS M'EINLEY'S EXAMPLE
New York lelegation Numbers 1000,
the Largest Ever Sent to a Ma
tiORaI Encampment

Chicago. Aug. 2S.-Wnliam ]. Bryan
has followed the example OF President
Mckinley and declined to be visitor
at the thirty-fourth national encamp-
ment Of the Grand Army Of the Re
public. Yesterday afternoon he sent a
message TO Executive Director William
H. Harper. the head of the local COM
mittee in charge of the local end of the
encampment saying that because of the
absence Of President Mckinley from
the encampment he considered It ad-
visable TO remain away and thus re-
lieve the reunion Of any appearance OF
partisanship. Mr.. Harper, in a mes
sage expressing regrets at the inabil-
ity of Mr. Bryan to be present, said:
The executive committee appreciates
your delicacy of sentiment under the
circumstances"
The annual encampment, which was
formally opened Sunday night by the
monster meeting in the Coliseum,
promises to be the greatest and most
successful encampment the army has
ever held. II was estimated by rail-
road officials last evening that fully
$4,000 old soldiers had arrived and
that 100000 other excursionists had
come with them. It is expected that
there will be $4,000 additional ar
rivals by noon. The veterans have
come from all parts of the republic,
and every northern state has sent a
strong contingent
The New York delegation is one Of
the largest the Empire state has ever
sent to an annual encampment Fully
1000 of them had come in by yester-
day morning. and every train from the
east brings more of them New Jer-
sey, Pennsylvania and the New Eng
land states are all represented by large
numbers OF old soldiers. Iowa, Ohio.
Indiana and Wisconsin have sent lar
ger numbers than 10 any encampment
OF recent years. Gen. j. Warren Keifer,
Of Ohio, and Gen. Edward S. Bragg,
Of Wisconsin, both said they looked to
see the greatest number of old soldiers
that had marched at one time beneath
the Stars and Stripes since the mem
orable review in Washington at the
close of the war.
The first day Of the encampment was
one of ideal beauty, in marked con-
trast to the hot and humid weeks that
have preceded it since the first of Au-
gust The right of the line on the
opening day was given to the men who
sailed the seas in the civil war, the
cheering was all for them and all the
honors were theirs. The heroes Of
river and sea of the civil war are a
small band now. OF the 1921 900 men
enlisted in the navy in the early DAYS
Of the war, less than 1000 marched
yesterday, and it is agreed by the old
sailors that their number was greater
than will ever be in any parade to
come. Besides the men who fought
afloat from 81 to 65 came the younger
generation which helped to smash
Montejo's fleet.
But one battle flag was carried by
the naval veterans. It was one that
nuttered from the monitor Winnebago
when Farrigut sailed into Mobile bay
to gain his crowning victory. 1t was
borne by Seaman z. d. Woodruff. of
Rockford, Ills. and beside him march
ed ex-Boatswain's Mate j. r. Lynn. OF
Chicago, who made the flag While serv-
ing on board the Winnebago.
The late afternoon feature of the
days celebration, the naval parade on
Lake Michigan, proved somewhat Of a
disappointment, weather conditions in
terfering sadly with the arrangements.
Besides the revenue cutters Morrill,
and Fessenden and a fleet of excursion
steamers, it had been planned to have
the large feet of the Chicago Yacht
club included in the parade from the
Lake Front Park, OFF Jackson boule-
ward, to Lake Michigan where the
naval battle took place, but the breeze
Of the morning died away and hardly
a breath Of air was stirring during the
afternoon, so this part Of the program
was necessarily abandoned.
The end of the naval fight Off Lin
coin Park closed the official program
of the encampmcnt for the day. but all
over the city, in various halls and in
hotels, there were reunions of regi-
ments almost without number, frater-
nal gatherings of all sorts and de-
scriptions One of the leading affairs
Of the night was the banquet of the
Iron brigade. which was held at the
club house of the Athletic club. The
speakers were Speaker ID. b. Hender-
son, Senator Burrows Of Michigan,
Governor Scofeld Of Wisconsin, Gen.
Albert d. Shaw, commander-in-chief
of the G. a. r., Governor Mount of
Indiana, James G. Flanders Of Mil
waukee, Comptroller Charles G. Dawes
and Gen. Bragg OF Wisconsin. An
original poem was recited by James
Whitcomb Riley.
The contest for the honor Of enter
tanning the next annual encampment Of
the G. A. r. promises to be a rather
lively one. The preponderance Of SEN
timent apparently favors a western
city, ard both Salt Lake and Denver
haze delegations on the ground work
ing hard 70 secure the encampment Of
1901.