The National tribune., 1903-07-30
NATIONAL ENCAMPMENT.
An Appropriation of $4,000 to Entertain
the Grand Army Visitors.
Special CORRESPONDENCE to THE NATIONAL rnrnuxE

Special correspondence to THE NATIONAL TRIBuSE.
San Francisco, Cal.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In open
ing this correspondence for comrades of 81
TO 60 my thoughts seem not so much in
clined to come br.skly forward and dress
up" into proper alignment as they in
cline to retreat way back for retirement
and meditation anent the memorable days
and years when "we-uns all used to hurry
in pursuit from one strange town and city
to another. meeting as n rule the cold
shoulder of women and children and de-
crept old men, at times. however, detect
ing exceptions in genuine signs of cordial
welcome parlonabiy manifos s.el on the sly
through fear of detection on the part of
their cold-Shouldcr neghbors. who. in to-
days verHacular. would be reckoned not
only as not ''unioniZed." but not even SYM
pathetic. and who might live to have the
boycott applied to their unfair fellow
townSpCOple who extended welcome on the
sly. But. as you know. comrades. not any
where Is it that way now, but the very re-
verse. with emphasis on the word very
Just what | mean by ''the very reverse
| shall not here undertake to define but
leave for your Judgment n practical dem
piIStIdlloU VI NHdJ
onstration will take place in San Fran
cisco next month, from aud including Aug.
Is and u. and ''yoI-uns all are very
cordially invited to be present.
The expression "yOu-uns all, learned
when we were boys together in Dixie
land, reminds me to retOuch with a
thought or two relating to the picture
Then and Now'-our Southern greeting
40 years ago and what it would be at our
fst,...
down South in the land of cotton
The desk at which | am writing is at
headquarters of the P;ess Club of San
Francisco. in whose membership there are
Il number of Scared comrades of the G..
\. Il. Within the last few weeks this
association Of newspaper writers and pub
fishers has entertained State Editorial So
cieties representative Of both Alabama
and Georgia. a full company or more in
each squad. and in the aggregate a more
winsomc and attractive people yOI s aice
could find. | had occasion to remark to
some of them that when | was Il robust
hoy Of tender years, proud as mother
hen of my Sergeant stripes. that the Ohio
regiment | was with had a mighty hard
time of it climbing with Joe Hooker's
army up Lookout Mountain. but that.
after surmOunting all the obstacles we
had n view embracing Tennessee. North
:
and thought it the most beautiful outlook
on earth. And this memory clings to me
still. and with it n longing desire to see
that sight again. all of which brings me
to remark the hearty wish that you com
radeS who will next month rally in this
city by the Golden Gate will determine On
an EncamDment site for 1904 in one of
the States named where. | firmly believe,
the Southern heroes of 81 to 90. who
r.,ttl-. md
Chickamauga and lodged in the protective
bunch of hardtack in storage in my haver-
sack, thanks to the bareback. Il leaden
Wad ] still retain. would welcome us all
with brotherly greeting.
AS matter of fact. when last month
at the Press Clubs reception to the Geor-
gia newspaper men | incidentally men-
toned to a group of the visitors that next
Ronth this city is to be the scene of the
Grand Army National Encampment, and
that for It's success California's Leyisia ture
had voted an appropriation of S2J,C00. o.
*. d by Governor Pardca: that San Fran
cisco's Supervisors followed with 5000.
and that private citizens had contributed
sufficient to make the total entertainment
appropriation $4,000 these Southern
newspaper publishers united in saying:
Wish tE!.yd bring their Encampment
down cur way before they get too old to
iihN'I- 'L'N u HhIVlA iiilt 10y al N'Irpllt-
And shouldn't these newspaper men know.
if anybody. the sentiment of their Com
monweaith:
One of the city's foremost citizens. q
material helper in preparatory work Incl
dental to the assured success of next
months Encampment, is \. \. Watkins.
n local wholesale hardware dealer of
prominence. who. 40 years ago. was a hero
of official rank in the Confederate army.
lat In, ta1 L.
dent Mckinley. visited San Francisco in
May, 1901, Mr.. Watkins was of the City's
Committeeman to receive him; personal
reception. by the way, that proved eX-
ceptionaly pleasant to the President and
caused him hearty laughter. On shaking
hands Mr. Watkins sad:
The last time | met you. Mr. President,
you appeared to be i'll a great hurry"
Where was that" Mr.. Mckinley
asked
1T was Cedar Creek in '64. was with
Earlys command"
well, I'll never forget that 10Th of
September said the President, smiling
Il was in hurry, and so were a
lot of the Northern troops. You fellows
gave lis an awful routing. If you had
only pushed ahead, | don't know where
we would have stopped. I've often
wondered why, Early didn't keep US go
ing
Il can tell you said Watkins. I'VE
become partially paralyZed at the site of
the bacon and crackers in your wagons
more than we had seen in three years,
and we stopped TO have a.square meal"
1t is believed that by next week the
Grand Army generalship that has been
commissioned to make complete prepara-
ton for the final grand rally in San Fran
cisco, before meeting in heaven. will have
had everything in formative order of pro-
gression. and that the general outlook will
be sufficiently comprehensive as to what
Encampmant week program and festyi-
ties will be like, so that next week all can
be exploited in this correspondence.
Before closing. however, | will add
final remark by way of extension of the
newspaper feature Of this letter, by not
ing that at a recent meeting of the
Board of Directors of the Press Club The
National Trbune's correspondent was au-
thoriZed to announce that the city's Gen
eTal Committee of Arrangements for next
months Encampment reception had set
apart $1,000 as an aside fund, to be used
by the San Francisco Press Club for the
special entertainment of the G. A. r.
newspaper men who may come to the En-
campment, and that they will find at Press
Club headquarters 4 restful place of gen.
uine California hospitality, including
quiet writing room supplied with pens, ink
and paper, that they may write the girls
thav loft bahinl thap. a leo nIant,f,i c,,n