The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-05-22
KEEP HANDS OFF.
Department Commander Chas.
Harris Discusses Pensions.
Asks Congress Not to Pass Any
General Legislation.
WAIT FOR THE G. A. r.
Hints That Some Measure Is
Being Prepared.
He Gives Out His Speech in
Advance.
WAIT FOR THE G. A. R.


Harris of the state G.. A. r. gave out
late Saturday afternoon a compendium
of information about what he expects
to do at the Parsons encampment this
week, including the address which he
will deliver.
Among other things. Mr.. Harris
viii present resolutions to the en-
campment providing for a general
pension bill to be prepared by the
pension committee of the national en-
campment. The resolutions are in
tended to shut off all general pension
bills which do not bear the endorse
ment of the national encampment.
The resolutions are as follows:
Resolved, That the United States
senators and congressman from Kan
sas be, and are hereby, requested to
introduce no pension bills in congress,
except they be special bills for in
| dividualS.
Resolved, That the United States
senators and congressman represent
ing the state of Kansas be, and they
1 are hereby earnestly requested to vote
! for and use their utmost efforts to
/ have passed only such pension meas
ures of a general nature as may be
introduced which may meet with the
approval and endorsement of the pen
sion committee of the national en-
campment of the Grand Army of the
Republic.
Resolved. That a copy of these reso-
| lutOns be sent to each United States
senator and congressman representing
Kansas, attested by the signature of
! the department commander and the
seal of the department of Kansas
/ Grand Army of the Republic
Resolved, That the delegates from
Kansas to the national encarnpna ent
at Denver. be instructed to use their
best efforts to have the national en-
/ campment pass a resolution urging
/ every department encampment in the
Union to pass resolutions similar to
the above.
Commander Harris says: st expect
every organization of the Grand Army
of the Republic to adopt similar reso-
lutions to the ones I will introduce at
the department encampment at Par
sons. If this is done the result aimed
at will be accomplished. There will
be but one general pension measure
before congress, and it will be one
recommended by the national pension
committee of the Grand Army of the
/ Republic. And it will be a bill to
which no real friend of the veteran
will object. Then no longer will the
opponents of pension legislation be
truthfully able to say: Why the old
what they want; how can they expect
the congressman to agree? Instead
of thousand or more pension bills
being introduced in congress-many
will be but one. Then we will easily
ascertain who are our friends and who
are our enemies. And, while the
Grand Army is emphatically a non
political organization, yet it can be
easily understood that no veteran OF
son of veteran-regardles of his po-
litical Affiliations and regardless
whether he be a member of the Grand
Army or not-will be likely to vote fol-
or to support any congressman who
mended by such eminent gentlemen as
, | constitute the national pension com
, mittee of the Grand Army of the Re
public"
Mr.. Harris Address.
! Department Commander Harris
will say in his address before the en-
campment:
when the comrades of Kansas
assembled in annual encampment one
year ago at Emporia selected me as
their department commander I stated
that it was the proudest moment OF
my life and pledged myself to conduct
= the business of the department to the
, best of my ability. What I then said
meant, and from that day to this
I have devoted my best energies to the
\ advancement of the interests of oul
J noble order, and especially to increase
\ the membership if possible. Wher
: you are informed that the hand Of
Q death alone has taken over 500 com.
n RACES from the rolls, ana EfaI OLD age
: and feebleness have taken hundreds
more, you may have some idea of the
I task assumed. Yet, with all these
1 and other drawbacks, I am happy tt
4 inform Spu that an increase has &C
. tually been made, the membership
: now standing at 1904. against II, 764
for last year. To accomplish thii
q work the commander visited every re
2 union held in this state where it wai
e possible to do so. Some, however, hS
q was unable to attend because of the
e same dates being fixed for diferen
o meetings. After the reunions he mad,
e as complete a tour of the state as i
was possible for him to do, visiting the
= posts in over fifty counties of Kansas
s and at each making a special effort t.
e see and talk to the veterans WHIT
= were not a431liated with our order. II
l. this work the commander was mate
= rally assisted by post commander
= and other post officers wherever h,
% went by their earnest efforts to in
e duce the attendance of all veterans il
d the neighbOrhOOd of the posts visited
as we'll as in all other possible ways
That these meetings resulted in goot
is not matter of doubt, as in nearE
every instance the names OF recruit
to the posts were taken at the meet
ings, and farther increase in member
ls ship was reported to headquarter
10 afterward.
1T is with pleasure that the depart
ment commander can report that dur
ing the past year there has not been
o single court martial although at the be
4 ginning it looked as if not less thar
y half dozen would be unavoidable
However. at the earnest request of tn
head Of the department, a reconciliation
was effected in every instance. and al
: charges demanding a trial were with
y drawn. In only one case did these trou
y bles end unpleasantly.
During the past year your depart
ment officers. in obedience to the rule
of the order, have steered entirely cIea
d of politics. excepting where the orde
st was directly interested. That is to say
-e that while the commander has insistei
2 that the law giving the preference t
ID veterans should be enforced and live
e I'd to in the same nnanner as the nrcI,in