Arizona republican., 1905-09-09
Corporal Tanner Becomes
Commander in Chief
AN EXCITING MOMENT
His Tribute to President Roosevelt.
The Next Annual EDcampment to
Be Held at HinneapOlis-A Dying
Han In Office.

Denver, Sept. S.-The thirty ninth
national encampment of the Grand
Army of the Republic elected officers
today as follows: Commander IN
Chief, Jas. Tanner of New York; Senior
Vice Commander Geo. E. Cook of Den
yer; Junior Vice Commander, Silas H.
fowler of Minneapolis; Surgeon Cen
eral, Hugo Philler of Waukesha, Wis;
Chaplain in Chief. Rev. Father J. G.
Leary of Chapman, Kan. Minneapolis
was chosen as the meeting place for
1906.
The contest for commander in chief
was the most Interesting feature of the
session today. Besides Corporal Tan
ner, r. 3. Brown of GAINESVILLE, Ohio.
Charles Burrows of Rutherford, n. j.,
and Charles G. Burton of Nevada. Mo.
were placed in nomination. Burrows
name was Immediately withdrawn. AL
though George Stone of San Francisco
was not named formally as a candi-
date, the department of California and
Nevada cast their fifteen votes for him.
The total vote for Tanner was 447.
Brown received 1877. Ohio and Penn
sylvania giving him their full vote and
Indiana a majority. Burtons total
strength was foTty-two votes. When
the adjutant general announced the
:
The old veterans leaped from their
seats. shouting and cheering and
throwing their hats into the air. Amid
the din General Brown mounted the
stage and when quiet had been restor-
ed sufficiently for him to be heard he
moved to make Tanners nomination
unanimous. Messrs. Burton and Stone
both seconded the motion, which was
carried with a roar of ayes.
Commander in Chief King appoint
ed the defeated comrades a committee
to escort Corporal Tanner to the stage.
While the four were walking down the
| center aisle the delegates made a rush
for Tanner and lifting him into the air
carried MIN bodily to the rOstrum. The
delegates then rose en- masse and
cheered for several minutes.
In a brief speech Corporal Tanner
thanked his comrades saying: There
/ is one man whose esteem and assist
ance it is necessary for the old SOL
diers to have. There are three men in
the encampment whom 1 will call in
council in meeting President Roose-
| welt"
Another great shout went up as Cor
poral Tanner indicated the persons ne
referred to in his veiled remark and as
| it died down he said that he expected
! to have the beneficent counsel in all
his undertakings as commander in
chief of Senator VIM. Warner of Mis-
souri,. General John G. Black of Chi
cago, and General Granville NJ. Dodge
| of New York. The convention pro-
| ceeded to balloting for officers at the
conclusion of Tanners address. George
! w. Cook of Denver was the only nom
inee for senior vice commander and he
received an ovation wnen his unani-
nous election was announced. For
| junior vice commander James G. EV-
crest of Illinois and Silas H. fowler of
| Minnesota We're before the convention.
! The vote stood, Everest 2S9; fowler,
32S; Hugo Philler of Wisconsin and
Fred Brothers of Nebraska were nom
mated for surgeon general, the former
| receiving S26 votes, Brothers 203. The
vote for chaplain in chief was close.
Father LeaTy of Chapman. Kan, win
ming from Jesse Cole Of Iowa by a vote
of 2S2 to 279. Previous to the ballot
ing a letter from President Roosevelt
| to Commander in Chief King, regret
ting his inability to accept his invita-
tion to attend the encampment was
read and a telegram in reply was sent.
the recommendations in the annual
report of the commander in chief were
approved, as were those made by the
surgeon general, chaplain in chief and
| the quartermaster general.
| During the recess the newly elected
! commander in chief announced three
appointments, all that he would make
until he returned to Washington.
Lieutenant colonel, John Tweedale, re-
tired. was made adjutant general and
| Allen G. Bal1eweII of New York nation
: al patriotic instructor; Thomas G.
Sample of Allegheny, Pa, was continu-
ed as a member of the council of ad-
ministration. Mr.. Sample is reported
on his death bed and Corporal Tanner
explained that he wanted him to be in
office as long as life lasted.