The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-26
LAST ORDER
OF GEN, GORDON
RECEIVED BY GEN. M'GLASHAN.
LEVY ASSESSMENT ON OFFICERS
OF THE VETERANS ANNUALLY.

Jan. 8, but Was Drawn Up on Jan.
G-sorrow Over Gen. GOrdOn's
Death Caused Delay in Sending
Ont the Orders-scheduIe of An
nuaI Assessor ents Announced.
Gen. McGlashan, commanding the
Georgia division, United Confederate
Veterans. yesterday received his copy
of the last orders issued by Gen. John
B. Gordon. While the order is one
relating to routine business only. and
merely levies an assessment, yet be-
cause it was the last ever issued by
the beloved Georgian its contents will
be read with interest by every Con-
federate veteran in the country.
The order, which levies an assess
ment upon the officers of the United
Confederate Veterans, bears the date
Jan. 8, 1904, the date on which Gen.
Gordon passed away. The order was.
however, written on Jan. 6, and was
in the hands of the adjutant general
when the death of the commander was
announced. This accounts for the fact
that the order was not received on
by the veterans while doing honor to
their dead comman der- in-c chief.
Gen. Mickle, the adjutant general
with the orders, has sent this little
note, almost pathetic in it's briefness,
and yet the most eloquent appeal that
could have been made: This was the
last communicate ever sent forth
from U. c. V. headquarters by Cen
]. B. Gordon-an appeal to the Off
GERS not to let the association he loved
so well die from lack of financial sup
port"
Complete Text of the Order.
The following is the complete text
of the order. showing that the generals
last act was to plead for the organi-
cation to which he had devoted his
life since it was formed:
Headquarters United Confederate
Veterans.
New Orleans, Jan. 9, 1904.
Orders No. 1877.
THE general commanding directs at
tention to the following letter which
is self-explanatory and exhaustive:
ITO All Commissioned officers and
Camps Of the L. {. ";
"And Patriotic and Liberal Confed-
crate Soldiers Everywhere:
Every veteran who has stopped to
think for a moment has realized that
the expenses Of the organization must
be growing steadily, while the reve-
nues in the very nature of the asso-
citation as steadily decrease as the
years roll round. The increase is
caused by the constantly growing
amount of work the accumulation of
valuable documents alone entailing
heavy additional labor and expense in
their care
The only expense laid on the or
ganzation is the maintenance of the
headquarters, which by association,
law, and propriety, are fixed at New
Orleans; and headquarters must be
maintained If the organization is to
exist, and the vast amount of valuable
authentic historical matter handed
down to our children.
Expenses Are Nearly $1,000 Yearly.
These expenses may be summed up
under the head of salaries for the va
rious employees, Office rent for the
quarters occupied for the preservation
OF records and transaction of business,
for lights, for coal, for stationery. for
printing, for postage, and various other
minor expenses impossible to enumer-
ate.
There are now over 1900 camps and
each time orders, circulars, or pamph-
lets are sent out it means from 500 to
SIS and this occurs a number of times
each year. often twice in one month.
Then there is the work of preparing all
this matter for the mails; and answer
ing and caring for communications
(sometimes over a hundred a day.,
looking after the business side of the
association. and hundreds of unavoid-
able incidental expenses that must be
met TO provide for all these matters
requires about $1,000 per annum. Less
than half of this amount is raised from
the per capita tax paid by the camps,
and the Finance Committee has found
1t absolutely necessary to devise some
plan to make up this deficit.
after mature consideration, they, by
unanimous vote. adopted the following
schedule of annual assessments cor
contributions If you wish;
Lieut.. Gems. and Maj, Gems, each $40 90
Erigadier generals, each .......... 10 OO
Colonies, each ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 90
All others holding commissions. so
Committee Has Not Discriminated.
"As every member of the committee
is an officer-three of them being ma
ior generals, three brigadier generals,
and the others holding other commits
sions-they cannot be accused of dis
elimination against any one. 1t is
argued that these comrades hold the
honors, and that they should willing
ly contribute TO the support of the
organization to the extent indicated by
the resolution. Further. these honors
are truly honors, the highest that car
be conferred, and conferred on COM
rades as appreciated evidence of merit
Were these honors purchasable, the
committee would have no need to ask
for contributions, for there are dozens
of men who would willingly pay
enough annually to more than double
the amount needed to meet all our ex-
penses But these commissions can
not be bought. hence the moderate
sum asked of each one who wears the
honors conferred by admiring com
rades.
"Of course this demand does not dc
away with the former appeal to camp:
and Confederate soldiers in all parts
of the world who have been blessed
by a kind Providence with ample
means. Donations of any amount viii
be thankfully accepted.
The committee earnestly hopes thai
the response to this appeal will be a;
generous, as prompt and as cordial as
was the response made by the officer!
when they were called on in January
1903. Our association must be preserv-
ed and kept in efficient working or
der, and on whom can the obligation
more fittingly fall than on the officers
of the association? During the wal
the soldiers looked to the officers tC