Evening star., 1902-02-21
AGREEMENT REACHED
G. A. R. Encampment to Meet
Here in October.
NO FREE QUARTERS
CITIZENS COMMITTEE FREE OF
ALL RESPONSIBILITY.
Quartermaster General of the Order to
Give Aid to Needy MEMBERSHIPS.
Warmers Statement.

A compromise practically agreed to this
morning by the executive committee OF the
Grand Army Of the Republic and Messrs.
B. H. Warner and Barry Bulkley, repre-
senting the citizens Of Washington, in
sures the encampment Of the Grand Army
in the national capital next fall. The e1-
feet Of the agreement is that the general
staff Of the G. A. r. shall undertake
through it's quartermaster general the care
Of such veterans as are deemed worthy OF
assistance and that the donation OF about
$4,000 shall be made by the citizens to the
quartermaster generals fund. 1t is dis
tinctly understood however, that no part
Of the $4,000 donation is to be expended
for open air quarters, such as tents OF
barracks. and that the responsibility for
the entertainment Of the veterans as well
as the administration of the entertainment
fund rests entirely with the G. A. X. The
date Of the encampment was also agreed
upon-the first week in October.
On this basis the two bodies-the national
executive committee Of the veterans and
the local committee Of citizens-have now
gone to work to prepare for the encamp-
ment. The veterans closeted themselves in
the red parlor Of the Ebbitt and began to
discuss the details of the encampment
without delay. Mr.. Warner and Mr.. Bulk
ley on the part Of their executive committee
arranged for a meeting to be held either
morning.
bodies come together for their final con-
ference tomorrow morning, the meeting
having been set to occur at the Ebbitt at
II o'clock.
No Free Quarters.
After yesterdays full discussion Of the
matter. the citizens executive committee
reached last night a definite conclusion
that 1t could not undertake to provide free
sleeping quarters for any number Of vet
Grams under any circumstances. 1t was
agreed by the committeeman that many
undesirable features attended the proyi-
sion of free quarters for 10000 men ten
years ago; that the expense had been most
dlSprOpOrtiOnate to the result, and that it
would be extremely unwise to repeat the
experiment this year, even half way. The
committee was also unanimously opposed
to having any number of visitors to the
city sleep out Of doors, however the quar-
ters were obtained, arguing that the rates
asked by Washington boarding house keep
ers and hotel men were sufficiently low to
meet every reasonable demand and that
under such circumstances they deserved
all the patronage Of the encampment. 1t
was also agreed, however, that the cit-
zens' committee could properly take cogn-
Zance of the fact that many veterans could
attend their annual campffres if given aid
who would be entirely unable to do so
without that aid and that the citizens
committee could undertake to assist such
veterans moderately If the interests of
local boarding houses and hotels did not
suffer. On that showing 1t was voted to
rest the whole question of entertaining
needy veterans with the Grand Army and
let that body dispose of it. the responsible
tiles and interest of the citizens being sub
served by contribution to the entertain
ment fund The amount Of the contribu-
ton has not yet been determined. Mr..
Warner and Mr.. Bulkley have conferred
with their confreres Of the committee. how
ever, and have practically decided that it
shall be between $4,000 and $4,000.
With that fund a nucleus and other
contributions to be reasonably expected
from Grand Army sources it is thought the
quartermaster general can provide berths
for as many Grand Army men as 1t Is ex-
pedient to assist. Applications will prob
ably be made for the use of the new gov
ernment printing office three days or more
and for such other public buildings as are
available at the time. The school houses
are excluded by law. Convention Hall will
be hired and used as barracks unless 1t is
decided to hold several of the camp fires
there. The other general quarters needed
will be found in the smaller halls scat
tered about the city.