The National tribune., 1904-08-18
r0UCnINGLY ELOQUENT
GRANDLY FRATERNAL.
Blacks Exquisitely Beautiful Impressive
Annual Address,
To the Thirty eighth National Encamp-
ment, Grand Army of the Republic,
Boston Mass August 16 1904

10 the lhlrty -elEhth National Encamp
ment, Grand Army of the Republic
Boston, Mass, August 16, 1904.
Comrades: Again you have borne tn
banners of the Grand Army of the Repub
lie across the Continent, and from th'
shores Of the great future ocean Of Ameri
can enterprise to the shores of that othe
ocean, across which the Fathers came t.
establish liberty and law. Again you have
journeyed to an ancient stronghold o
Freedom and Union. 1t is meet that, gath
cred from every neighborhood of the Re
public, you should encamp near to tina
spot which received the Pilgrims and il
the midst of scenes whose every memor.
is Of devotion to the rights of men; and j
is meet that you, who in our tr0ublou
times bore the heat and burden of TIN
Great Contest. should be here receive,
with honor and acclaim and love by thos
| whose progenitors builded here a hom
for Liberty and set it's foundations as deel
| rs the GRANTEES of their soil.
Comrades, we pay high honor to ou
hosts. Comrades of the camp, Of the biv
ouac and the battlefield; comrades of th
triumph and of defeat; comrades who's,
souls have been knitted together like thos
of Jonathan and David, by long endu
rance in a glorious cause; comrades, sue
cessors to all the men, whoever in al
| climes and in all lands, have fought tn,
good fight; comrades whose surviving ranks
close round our radiant flag; comrades o.
sorrow and of glory; comrades. of the Grea
War, salute the Commonwealth of Web
ster and Story-of Emerson and Parke
of Mather and Brewster-salute the cit!
always tnmultuous at the sound of chains
Hail to Massachusetts by the Bay ant
Boston by Bunker Hill!
A RETROSPECT.
A year since, at San Francisco, yor
elected me Commander-in-Chi of tn,
ing the high Office l was enjOined to uss
its power with prudence and judgment
and with regard to the feelings of thos,
associated with me and only with on,
thought-the interest of our noble Order
This was the charge laid upon me by tha
Senior of us all, whom we delight to honor
and whose wise counsels have ever beer
then assumed l have to the best of my
ability kept and performed; it is for the
record now opened before you to testify
in what measure l have succeeded
Touched by unfaltering Time, our ranks
are tlinned despite all recruiting), bu
they remain firm and united. Those who
survive are the Old Guard of the Repub
whose high ideals still remain, whose noble
obligations are unbroken, whose deeds OF
Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty still bind
up brothers wounds; still minister to the
wants Of the weary and worn; still lift or
high the unsullied standards of country
humanity, and God. For us all, abides one
Gltcrlcss purpose, the Union, the whole
Union; one prayer, that it's blessings OF
peace and liberty may be wide as the
world; one pledge Of life and fortune and
sacred honor to the upholding of the starry
splendors Of Freedoms flag.
Within the year nothing has occurred
to challenge our beloved country's power
or deeply to arouse our apprehensOns
The dangers that have appeared are those
tations which attend such growth. Peace
has prevailed in the land; prosperous con.
ditiOns have awaited ON industry; the re-
spect of the nations has been ours, and the
strength Of the Republic we saved has
been made manifest. Yet the Grand Army
Of the Republic owes it to those who add
to our strength by flocking to our shores,
how dear it is to those who saved it; how
deep is our determination, and that Of our
sons, that it shall not be diminished; and
how high we believe should be the char.
acter and how ample the preparation OF
those who seek the privileges of our
blood-bought franchises; and Of those who
help administer our Government; and how
complete should be the responsibility OF
those in public places to our requirements
for citizenship and officialism; for all that
We have done and that our comrades ell.
dured will be as water poured upon the
sand, if the ignorant, the depraved and
the vicious are to direct our counsels to
choose our officials and to control in our
affairs. We should in no uncertain words
give notice of our beliefs and our desires
for pure, exalted, enlightened citizenship,
to the end that what We have won shall
be kept by those who are fit for the sacred
trusts we must relinquish to our success
ors. We may well insist that opportunity
shall be given freely to all to become en-
lightened in our ways and traditions and
laws; but that il there are any who will
not or can not avail Of that opportunity
they shall not share in aur Government.
The enunciation of sucu sentiments will
tend to show that We still live; that We are
Americans of to-day and as keenly sensi-
tive to the good of the Republic as when
We wore swords and carried guns; they
justify our continued united activity and
round out with the glories Of your match
less career.
Within the Order all is well; no line has
been changed, no position abandoned; and
those things you charged your administra-
ton with have been attended to according
to our abilities.
PENSIONS.
Perhaps the most immediate duty YOU
charged us with was to look after pension
matters then not yet adjusted. In these
much progress has been made: supplement-
ing a vast number of special enactments.
with which the National officers had no
official concern, the pension of the totally
blind from service reasons, was by an act
approved by President Roosevelt on May
s, 1904, increased to $1O0 per month Tn
der the stimulus of sympathetic authority.
the Bureau of Pensions issued more than
10000 certificates, of all grades and de-
scriptions, of which 1886 Gncluding IT,
536 of the men Of 1861 to '65) were origi-
nal.
At the San Francisco Encampment of
August, 1903, the following resolution was
adopted:
"Resolved That the Committee on Pen
sions to be appointed for the ensuing year
be. and they are hereby, directed to present
to Congress for passage bill which, while
not disturbing the benefcent provisions of
existing law, shall provide that every
survivor of the war of 1SG1-1S65, who
served for n period Of 80 days and who
was honorably discharged, and who has
passed the age of 6C years. shall he Den-