Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1906-02-17
almost lost TO him ..orty-one years
ago."-Bostop Globe.
Commanders General Order.

dSO- "oOSlO1t lTlOOe-
Commanders General Order.
In his last general order from the
National Headquarters of the Grand
Army of the Republic Commander-in-
Chief James Tanner says:
The commander-in-chief would like
the very earnest attention of all the
comrades in the matter of our de-
creasing membership. We number
now about $4,000. 1t is safe to say
that this number does not comprise
more than one-third of the surviving
comrades of the civil war. This
condition of affairs should not be
permitted to exist for any consider
able length of time.
With two or more eligible veterans
not members, for every one we num-
Der in our ranks, the field for success
full recruiting is large, and surely a
little united action all along the line
would produce astonishing and most
pleasant results.
There has never, in my opinion,
been time since Appomattox when
it was so desirable for each survivor
to be a member of our order as now.
Our comrades need the mutual sup
port and countenance of one another
as never before, and the organization
needs the greater force arising from
the power of numbers.
With such a great field for recruit
ing open to us we should do much bet
ter than we have been doing, and we
should go far beyond offsetting our
losses by death. To the comrades ac-
tive in post affairs l make a special
appeal to go far and use every effort
possible to keep the comrades from
dropping out of the ranks through IN
disposition or inability financially to
remain among US.
In the old days, when your comrade
was unable to keep up on the march,
how often you carried his gun or
knapsack or his blanket roll, all to
help him keep up. Now that he
needs encouragement of another kind,
let us do what we can to help him
keep up till the end, and to the end
that when he passes to the rest of the
grave, he may go with the badge
of right on his breast.
If we cannot by recruiting at least
offset the losses unavoidable through
death and other causes, L shall feel
bitterly disappointed, if not humili-
ated, when 1 take the gavel at Mime
apolis.
While the Grand Army, in the very
nature of things, can have no success
sion as such, and must march on to
the inevitable but glorious extinction
through death, just as inevitably, to
a very large degree, the Sons of Vet
Grams will be our successors. They
will bear our achievements in loving
memory and carry them along the
| generations.
| All too soon will come the time
when the paralyzing hand of age will
enforce quiet and inaction on our
part, while it will be 1.-The boys" who
vii; go out to those silent cities where
"-1ountain grasses. low and sweet,
| Grow in the middle of every street.
and 'Eeirs will be the loving tasE
of laureling the graves of our dead
The organization of the Sons OF
Veterans, as l know it, is an honor
| to all the land. Its membership is
earnest, Intelligent and enthusiastic;
it's chosen representatives men Of
high character and patriotic purpose
| They ask very little of us-simply oul
Endorsement and Encouragement
With all my heart. Il give it to them
for you and for myself, and to you
1 say, stand by the boys! Some of us
lean on them now, and many of us
must do so soon, heavily.
Oficially,- the Grand Army has but
one auxiliary, the Woman's Relic
| Corps, but in the largest and best
sense not only the Woman's Reliet
Corps, but the Ladies of the Crane
Army and the Daughters of Veterans
and every other organization which
| has for its cornerstone patriotism
| are our auxiliaries.
We shall be better men the closer
we are privileged to associate with
any or all of them The members Of
the two elder organizations bring te
! their beneficent labors in our behalf
the wisdom born of experience and
maturity, and as to the Daughters OF
Veterans, why, from their pure lips
| the babes of the future will heal
| whispered the story of the grandsires
valor and sacrifice.-James Tanner
| Commander-in-Chief.