Los Angeles herald., 1906-05-07
TANNER nnIIRTS
SERVICE PENSION
coUNTRYS FINANCES WILL
NOT ADMIT 1T
Q. A. p. Commander Does Not look
for Joint Blue and Gray En-
csmpment-wII Visit SOL
dlers' Home Today

Corporal James Tanner, commander
in chief Of the Grand Army of the
Republic, who is now in Los Angeles
on trip of inspection of the state de-
partments Of the @. A. r., spent yes
terday sightseeing.
He will go today to the Soldiers home
at Sawtelle. After a thorough inspec-
tion of the institution is made, the old
soldiers will give dress parade and
exhibition drill in honor of their dis
tinguished guest.
Tonight reception will be rendered
the commander by members Of the To-
cal G. A. r. posts and by various aux
Hilary organizations of the order. The
reception will be held in Elk hall A
program of speeches and patriotic nti-
sic has been arranged.
Relative to pensions for all veterans,
Corporal Tanner said yesterday:
Pensions for all soldiers who served
ninety days in the Rebellion regardless
of their being injured in the war or be-
coming disabled or infirm since the war
are not possible at present. / have
always been in favor of service PEN
sions, but fear they are ungettable.
1T would. according to statistics.
cost the government 100000 TO give
all the surviving soldiers a service PEN
sion of $12 per month. realize that
at present the finances of the United
states are not such as would warrant
this expenditure. Possibly when the
financial conditions are little better
we shall take up this matter and force
it to a conclusion. President Roose-
welt has signified his Willingness to aid
the veterans in any reasonable manner
he can.
No RecrIminations Then
HI l.
relations existing between the Confed-
crate veterans and the Grand Army
members. There never was the slight
est animosty existing between the
lighters In the Civil War. All the talk
was made by the stay-at-homes and
the demagogues. The soldiers were too
busy fighting during the war, and too
busy making another start in life after
the war to give time to idle and use
less tongue wagging and recrimina-
tions.
"To ILLUSTRATE, let me tell of the royal
reception and elegant banquet given
me in New Orleans by members of
the Confederate Veterans association.
The Confederates were about to open
their annual reunion while l was in
New Orleans. They insisted a dozen
times that / should stay over and ad-
dress the great general meeting of the
ii. L
most magnificent banquet by General
Lee. commander IL chief of the Con-
federate Veterans, and a number of his
staff officers.
No Joint Encampment
Il do not look for the time to come
when the Union and Confederate vet
Grams will hold a joint encampment.
There is no sentimental reason against
such an encampment. The. only reason
lies in the fact that the distance to be
Travelled by the Confederate veterans
to most of the Union encampments
would necessitate too great an ex-
penditure of time and money.
The southerners believe in holding
an encampment early in the spring
and we believe in q fall meeting. They
have a mass convention and we have
a delegate convocation. 1t would be
necessary for all the governing laws
of each body to be changed before
joint encampment could be held.
The treatment of a Confederate
soldier at G. A. r. encampment is
little short of royal The same may be
crate gathering. Last September at
Denver there were several Confed-
crates. One 1 remember in particular.
He dressed in his faded gray uniform
and visited all the Headquarters.
Wherever he went he was received with
cheers. He called on me in the Brown
Palace hotel, and as he walked through
the rotunda such mighty shout went
up that it was heard for blocks. After
that it would seem that there is little
feeling but that of good will and broth
erly love existing in the hearts of the
veterans of both Sides