Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-10-11
Annual Address of Commander In
Chief Ell Torrance.
PLEA FOR EX- CONFEDERATES
Urges Manifestation OF Good Will
and BrOtherIy Kindness Toward
Former AdVersaries of Menu
beers of the Grand Army.

rance.
General Torrance began his address
with touching allusion to the assHssi,
nation of President Mckinley. euloglz-
ing in strong terms the dead presi-
dents character and condemning in
bitter language the crime that struck
him down.
the question of pensions.
Taking Wy --- ~ .-~
General Yuliili.,'t relnted the piItttttl'
stances chllNec with the nvesti ia,
ton VI the charges made against
former Pension Commissioner Evans.
Speaking of the report made by The
Grand Arny's committee on pensions
General Torrance said tlint the accept
ance of the resignation of Commas
sioner Evans 10y the president immf1l.
ately followed the presentation s"t lhis
committees report to him. Ref'n I'M
further to the effect produced Ii. alis
inquiry, he said:
one most gratifying result of ~.r in
vestigation was TO find that no ground
existed for the wholesale charges of fraud
81 often Iiidue against lllt h'eilSloHti. "A
large part of the last report of Commits
sioner Evans was taken up with a re-
cital Of cases of fraud committed or at
tempted to be committed against the gov
ernment during the preceding thirty
years, but when analyzed it appeared that
very few who had any military service
were parties to such frauds. The Vio'
lators of the law were simply imposters
not soldiers. The said report furthet
showed that the number of Union soldiers
convicted Of crime during the year was
but one-thousandth part of ! per cent of
the total number on the pension roll. We
challenge any other department of the
government to make as favorable show
ing.
The Names on the Roll.
The commander in chief also took
cOgrizance of the charge that the pen
sion roll contains the names of more
Union soldiers than there are survivors
of the civil war and pointed out that
there are more than 200.0M survivors
of that war whose DameS do not APP
pear on the roll at all. lie advocated
legislation in their behalf. saying:
Few of these old veterans have hos
pital record and to a large extent they
sCOIupIlSc tIlS iHcu tIiut IIloINIlcu WIN
Sherman TO the sea and fought with
Grant to Appomattox. They took part in
the grand review in 1865 and formed a
part of those splendid armies of bronZed
and well seasoned veterans that thrived
on the very hardships of war. They
were the last to leave the field and among
the last to apply for relief at the hands
of the government For more than a
third of century they have borne an
hnporable N advancing 10
ests Of the country. and at this late day
when in their old age they apply for help
they should not he regarded with diSfa-
vor because they did not apply earlier.
General Torrance declared that no
pecuniary compensation ever could he
made 20 those who preserved the In
ion. for that was debt of gratitude
which could not he paid with dollars
and cents. He paid high tribute to the
work OF the women's auxiliary organi-
cations. including the Relief Corps and
the Ladies of the Grand Army of the
Republic. and also made an appeal for
the proper recognition of the Sons of
Veterans
status of the Ex-COnfederate.
He devoted considerable space to
consideration of the status of the eN,
Confederate soldier. repeating in spirit
his plea of a month ago for the mani
Hesitation OF good will and brotherly
kindness toward the late anniversaries
of the members of the Grand Army.
He SAID he had been prompted in max,
ing that appeal by the belief that sucll
actions would tend to bring still closer
together all parts of the country in
the bonds of Il common citizenship,
and there were already, he added. evi
denccS in the responses received from
the southern states that he had not mis-
calculated. Indeed. he said. with hut
two exceptions the entire press of the
country had commended the spirit of
the letter. Continuing on this point he
said:
1t is not expected that the Grand Army
of the Republic as an organization will
embark in the building of homes for SOL
dicrs north or south, but in no possible
way can the gNatest fraternal organiZa-
ton in the world more becomingly crown
its laboTs of love in behalf of it's own
membership than by extending the hand
OF helpfulneSS to TIER fellow COuntrNmer,
against whom they We're once arrayed in
deadly strife. The most disastrous re-
suits Of a civil war are the animosities
and bitter feelings engendered thereby
and | am convinced that one of the most
patriotic services we can render our coun-
try is to earnestly aid in removing every
barrier that separates or eStranges the
people. The victory at Appomattox will
yield imperfect fruit if we do not win
the hearts rs well as the flags of the men
who wore the gray. A union of hearts as
well as of hands is indispensable to ali
indissoluble union of indestructibe states
Con,icts Changed Their Minds.
Santa Fee. \. NJ. Oct. ~. Fifteen con.
victs at the penitentiary working in a
stone quarry two miles northeast of
Santa Fe overpowered their two
guards and took their guns away from
them. Two of the gang made theil
escape. while the others remained and
liberated the guards again. A posse
with bloodhounds is in pursuit of the
two fugitives.