The National tribune., 1901-06-06
TO PERPETUATE THE GAR.
Plea From a Texas Commander for Adnlis-
sion Of Veterans of other Wars.

sion Of Veterans of other Wars.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: On page
two of The National Tribune for May
notice that Comrade II. l.. Bancroft, of
Oregon, urges that the Grand Army I'D
nit all Observation-Disclosures soldiers and
sailors of the u. s. Army and Navy. I
heartily concur in the idea of eHlargine
the list of eligibles, and so making per-
petuai the Order of the G.. A. r. would,
however, limit it to those who served in
actual warfare. Again, on page four Of
the issue of May 16, read with much
interest your editorial on admission OF
Sons OF Veterans. Again say amen.
l will, however, go much further and
say admit all to the Grand Army of the
Republic who are now, or may hereafter
become eligible to admission in the Sons
of Veterans.
l favor their admission, because there
are many places where there are not
enough comrades to form or maintain q
G. A. K. Post, neither are there enough
Sons Of Veterans to form or maintain q
Camp. If the two Orders were merged,
many places might with ease maintain u
Post which now have neither Post nor
Camp.
You ailude to "strong desire on the
part of many of the comrades that the
Grand Army of the Republic shall die out
with the last OF its members"
That there is such desire on the part
Of many is. indeed, true; but let me say
right here that l have no sympathy with
any such desire. l cannot understand nor
appreciate the feelings of any who enter
tain such an idea. Such an idea seems
to me to be founded in a morbidly selfish
NF-lnT Trh &c atyr Golf tTgh lgrr
at the same time impracticable. Let US
see: AS matters stand now there are hun
dredS of Posts that are nearly dead for
want of members to keep them up. Five
years from now this difficulty will be
much increased, and in 10 years the G..
A. X. will be practically dead in many
of the Departments. This death of Posts
and Departments win continue until at
length the time will come when the q. A.
Il. as an organization will be dead and
there will still be thousands of soldiers
living and yet too scattered TO maintain
an organization. | think all this talk
of letting the G.. A. X. die with the last
member-or at any other time-ought to
cease, and our watchwOrds should be,
"Perpetuate the q. a. Il.
| think there will be in the future the
same need of patriotic teaching as there
has been in the past, and that there is
as good a reason for the perpetuation OF
the G.. A. Il. as ever existed for its crea-
ton. No new society can possibly be
formed that can do more in this direction
than one which can be and oIght to be
perpetuated by taking into our Order those
who have proven their devotion to the
flag by following it in the battles of our
country.
Why should we refuse membership in
the G. A. Il. to those who sprung to duty
at the country's call'' in the war with
Spain, or followed the flag on the far
distant soil of the Philippines? The pres
ent members of the G. A. R., and all who
remain of the matchless band Of heroes
who followed the flag from 81 to 60
proven patriots though they are-have no
patent on patriotism, nor can they claim
for themselves a greater degree of bravery
than belongs to the men of Dewey's feet,
or that of Schley or Sampson; nor the he
roes of San Juan and Ell Caney, nor any
of the numerous engagements that have
since occurred in the Philippines. What
are we, then, that we should say none but
81 to '65-ers can be made eligible? If
that is to be the sentiment of the G. A.
r., then | think we are indeed fit only
for death, and to that end our Order
seems to me to be rapidly fastening. Why,
even Memorial Day." with its sacred as
sociations, is in many places either passed
over without notice or participated in by
only faithful Few, whose motto seems
to be, "Never say die"
What | am writing will perhaps be but
little appreciated in those sections of the
country where Posts number their mem
bers by the hundred; but how long will it
be until no Post will number a hundred? =?
Here it is only by a great struggle that
n Post is maintained at all. and ''Memor-
ial Day. is observed by three or four old
comrades who still are bound together by
the bond which exists between those who
''haye drank from the same canteen."
l think that great mistake was made
at the National Encampment of 1898
when we refused to admit to membership
the soldiers of the Spanish war.
We ought at least have offered them
membership, instead of setting up our Or
der as one of such superior excellence
that none could ever by any service qualify
themselves for admission TO its ranks.
1t may not be too late to remedy that
mistake. Let the National Encampment
offer membership to all who served in the
war with Spain and in the Philippines
If they see fit to avail themselves of the
offer we can then lay aside the idea of
death of the organization, and the Grand
Army of the Republic can continue to
Live and do a good and patriotic work as
long as the Nation shall last.-E. J. Kill
MER, Commander, Post "a, Corpus Christi,
Tex.