Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1906-08-20
G. A. R. COMMANDER
RIB. BROWN OF EVANSVILLE, Ohio
IS CHOSEN.
Reports of Officers Show Mem.
bership of Organization Is In.
creasing in Spite of the Great
Inroads Made by Death of
Veterans.

Minneapolis, Aug. 17.-For Com
mander in Chief, r. B. Brown, Zanes-
vile, o.. senior vice commander, Will
lam H. Armstrong, Indianapolis; jun
Tor vice commander, E. B. Fenton,
Detroit; chaplain in chief, Archbishop
John Ireland, st. Paul; surgeon gen.
eral, w. H. johnson, Lincoln, Neb.
These officers we're elected yesterday
at the annual meeting of the Grand
Army of the Republic. All other Off
GERS are staff appointments and will
be announced later by the new CON-
mander. The strongest opponents of
Mr.. Brown for the Office of commander
we're G. q. Burton, of Missouri, and
Capt. P. H. Coney, of Kansas. Both
withdrew when it was seen that the
election of Mr.. Brown was certainty.
Several candidates were nominated
for senior and junior vice command
ers, but later all withdrew in favor of
Armstrong and Fenton, and both were
chosen unanimously. Archbishop Ire
land had no rivals for the position of
chaplain.
After the election the place for hold
ing the next convention was taken up,
but adjournment was taken before a
vote was reached. The voting will be
resumed this morning.
The new commander in chief was
born in 1845 and has always lived in
Ohio. He enlisted in the Fifteenth
Ohio infantry at the age Of 16, and
served in the Fourteenth army corps
in the Army of the Cumberland until
he was mustered out in 1864. He then
re-enllsted and served until the end of
the war. He was private for three
years and then became non-commis-
stoned officer. He has long been active
in the work of the Grand Army. Mr..
Brown is now editor of the GAINESVILLE
Courier.
Corporal Tanner Reports
The reports of officers we're submit
ted at the morning session.
Notwithstanding the fearful inroads
of death Commander Tanner declared
the e. A. r. today is $500 stronger
than at the encampment at Denver last
year. He said that the e. A. r. has
attained position of commanding in
tluence. He bitterly arraigned those
who, posing as the "most eminent
men of the nation" had proved false
to their trust in various ways, but de
clared that among all such the name
of no civil war veteran could be found.
Commander Tanner said the time
was close at hand when the ultimate
disposition of real estate and other
valuable property acquired by q. A.
r. posts should be considered, suggest
ing that a committee be appointed to
consider carefully the whole subject,
as we'll as the relations to be sustained
in future between the &. A. r. and
the Women's Relief Corps, the Ladies
of the Grand Army of the Republic,
the Daughters of Veterans, the Sons
of Veterans and other patriotic organ
iaztions.
Membership Increasing
The total membership of the Grand
Army is declared in the report of Adjt.
Gen. Tweedale to be 235.823, an in
crease of 3,36S during the past six
months. The losses by death for the
year ended December 81, 1905 were
9,2O5, or 3.9 per cent of the total
membership. In the preceding year
the losses by death reached exactly
the same percentage.
w. r. c. Elects Mrs. Sparkling
Mrs. Carrie Sparkling of Cincinnati
was last night elected national presi-
dent of the Women's Relief Corps.
Mrs. Sparkling has previously held a
number of high offices in the organiza-