The National tribune., 1904-08-25
Officers Elected {:
Officers Elected:
GEN. WLMON ". BLACKMAR, of Massachusetts, Commander
in.Chief.
JOHN r KING Of Maryland Senior Vice
PATTEN Vice
WARREN z. KING. of Indiana, Surgeon.GeneraL
Chaplain j. II. BRADFORD Of Potomac ChapIain.inChief
THE FIRST DAY.
Opening of the Encampment-The Comman-
der in Chiefs Address ess-Presentattons-Re-
ceptions-Receptiion of Visiting Delega-
tions-Veteran legislation.


tions-veteran Legislation.
Boston. Mass. Wednesday, Aug II.
The National Encampment convened in
the magnificent. spacious Symphony Hall,
at the corner of Massachusetts and Hunt
ington avenues. 1t was the largest and
most convenient hall the Encampment had
ever gathered in.
| Immediately upon the gathering of the
delegates. some one proposed three cheers
for Comma nder-in- Chief Black, which were
| given with a will.
Chaplain-in- Chief Scott delivered an elo-
quent invocat ton, praying for the Presi-
dent and country and the &. A. Il. and al
lied Orders.
The Adjutant- General called the roll.
All the National officers were present.
COMMITTEE ON CREDENTIALS.
The Adjutant- Genera, presented the roll
of the membership of the Encampment.
Approved
All Past Commanders in Chief were in
vited to the platform.
Gems o. 0. Howard. Osterhaus and G..
NJ. Dodge were given the privileges of the
Encampment by a rising vote. and re-
ceived three cheers.
Gen. II. C. Darlington was presented
and received with cheers.
THE CoMMANDER-IN-C CHIEFS ADDRESS.
Gen. Black read in strong, clear voice
his annual address, which was listened to
with deep attention, frequently interrupted
by enthusiastic applause.
| The mention of President Roosevelt 8
name was the signal for prolonged ap-
pause.
The address was referred to committee
consisting of G., NJ, Dodge, Thos. G. Law
Ter, G. w. Buckley. d. c. Rugg, and Chas.
NJ. Leavis. =.
Comrade T. &. semple (Pa.) presented
a resolution asking for a committee to con-
fer with the railroad companies in regard
to an immediate change in the manner of
sseia%s9;oe ss'jaa';9n Of r,'0 tickets Adopted by
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT.
Comrade Haff Mass read report in
regard to the Invitation to the President
to attend. The President personally Or
dered the great feet to be present in Bos-
ton Harbor to, greet the veterans. Com
rade Hall read the following letter from
| the President:
I "Whte House,
| washington. ID. c.. Aug. g.
my dear Gen. Biackmar:
II have most carefully considered the
invitation which | received through you
and your associates of the committee to
attend this year the Annual Encampment
of the Grand Army of the Republic at
Boston. 1t is with the most genuine regret
that l find that it is impossible for me to
accept.
"One of the memories which l shall al
ways cherish is the occasion two years ago
when it was my great good fortune to
drive along the line of the Grand Army
and afterwards from the stand to greet it
as it passed in review.
ut is no disrespect to any other body of
our citizens to say that the men who
fought for the Union in the great civil war
have a claim upon all Americans such as
no other men in the country can have
1T is to you we owe the fact that we
have country at ALL and every American
to-day is under a debt of personal obliga-
ton to you and your comrades.
What President Mckinley wrote in
1900 is true now.
Under the lead of your comrades the
Philippine Islands were won for the cause
of civilization, of civil liberty, and of peace
and justice. At this time it is only under
the American flag that the people of the
islands can preserve the public order, the
individual freedom and the material we'll
being which have come to them as the di-
rect consequence of the deeds of your
brothers-in-arms OF younger generation.
"The work which has thus been done
will not be undone, for the Nation remains
true to the memory of your own great
deeds.
LAS the representative of all our people,
| bid you Godspeed. send you this express
sion of the honor and esteem in which the
Nation holds the members of the Encamp-
ment and their comrades throughout the
country
| "FaIthfullv vOurS
THEODORE ROOSEVELT"
applause, which was taken up again after
it subsided.
/ w. 3. c. DELEGATION
Mesdames Lizbeth Turner, Clara Bar
ton. Adele Black. Darcy Kline, Kate r.
ing the w. r. c., entered, and were re-
ceived standing and with cheers. Mrs.
Turner read her report of splendid good
work done in the past year, which was re-
ceived with enthusiastic applause, and the
Encampment rose to receive the conclusion
OF the report, and gave the women three
cheers and tiger as they left
A HISTORIC GAvEL.
Commander Field (Mass.) introduced a
delegation OF comrades and sisters of the
w. K. g., who1pr@ented a gavel, made of
| hiSLoIi " "dtcEt4lS ETOm IlyIQOuCQ hOCK TO
) the battleship Maine.
TESTIMONIAL ITO PAST coMMANDER-1N.
CHIEF STEWART.
!. Comrade Sample (Pa.), chairman of the
Committee to Prepare Testimonial to
Past Commander-in-Chef Stewart, in we'll
chosen words presented fine silver service,
suitably inscribed.
TRIBUTE TO THE COMMANDMENT CHIEF
; Chief -of-Staff Mcconnell was recopnized
by Senior Vice. e.Commander Chief Kline
to read the following original tribute to the
Communicating Chief, which was frequently
interrupted by applause:
OUR BAYARD
Bayard like that one of old
That great, clean headed Chevalier
Whose fame Is bright as beaten gold,
Without reproach, unknowng fear;
Like him whose heart was ever pure
Whose life worthy lesson taught,
Whose name and deeds to-day endure
Writ on page without q blot
This Bayard Of the latter DAYS
Upon whOle head age drifts Its snow
But In whose heart still leap and blaze
The flames Of youths undying glow:
He who In times that tried the soul
When dark dissenson rent the land
And War, grim War must take Ira tnlI