Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-09-14

General O'Neall's report shows that
$95,314 has been rv-rended for relief
during the year.
General O'Neall strongly recoul-
mends that the G. A. R. establish per-
manent headquarters instead IT
changing its home office each year, as
is now the practice. General
O'Neall in his report says:
I'm my humble Judgment. the time
has come and now is, when perman-
ent Headquarters should be establish.
ed. l can see no reason why our
Headquarters should from year 90
year, be carted around over the coun-
try, mourning freight bills and damag-
ing what little furniture we have and
without and compromising results.
know of no other society or organ.
ization that constantly changes its
home office, and I can think OF no
good reason why we should. Another
great mistake is the annual change Of
the Adjutant General. care not
how competent nor how wide the &C
quaintance of the appointee, he
comes into the office wholly un-
acquainted with conditions. He must
become acquainted with his cores
pondents the heads of the depart
ments and learn what to expect and
from whom to expect it. This requires
time and by the time he learns these
things he must go out of office and
some other comrade take up the work
de novo. The Grand Army of the
Republic should be continuing and
not a constantly changing institu-
ton.
"And what / say Of the Adiutant
General Is also true of the Assistant
Adjutant General. Get a good man
and competent and keep him. Such
is the practice of successful business
men and such should be out practice.
4 therefore, in the interest of econ
omy and as l firmly believe In the
best interest of our beloved organize
ton, most earnestly recommend that
some definite action be taken by this
Encampment either by the establish
ment now of permanent headquarters
or by the appointment Of committee
authorized to act and required to
make it's report to the next National
Encampment.'
Commander Browns Address.
New York, Sept. 12.-In his annual
address to the encampment Commah-
1--WE are assembled In this, the
Forty-ffrst National Encampment, in
one of the historic cities of the EN-
pire state. On this soil were fought
some Of the great battles Of the Re
volution and the heroism of the pat
riots of the days long gone is empha-
sized in the silent shafts which mark
the bloody fields where brave men
4 70 r,in
for the land and to found new Re
public dedicated to the largest meas
ure of civil liberty. In large sense,
our service as soldiers and sailors 's
linked to that of these men, for to us
came problems to them unsolved.
Not far away our loved Chieftain
fought his last battle in this life and
from the mists of Mount McGregor
great soul went back to God who
gave to mankind the mightiest soldier
of the age. He was our comrade and
proudly wore our badge-a distinc-
ton he priced to the end Of his fruit.
full career. Today in loving remeln
brance we wear on our breasts as q
memorial the reproduction Of the
features of U. S. Grant in enduring
bronze, treasuring in our hearts anew
the tender significance Of his last
words Of counsel to his countrymen,
Let US have peace"
"In General Orders repeated sug-
gestions were made as to recruiting
| 1t seemed to me entirely feasible and
desirable. that our numbers should be
increased The events Of the past
year have strengthened that convic-
ton. Wherever systematic canvass
was made one fact stood out promin-
iently-that in most localities through
out the country, not one-half OF those
eligible to membership, we're enrolled
in the Grand Army of the Republic.
In many of the departments substan-
tial gains were made this year and
generally enlarged interest has
been awakened along the whole line.
Aggressive efforts will be richly re-
warded and we can for time at lea st
hold our own against the inroads Of
the Grain Destroyer"
General Brown spoke in common
dalton of Congress for appropriating
$4,000 a year for flags to be used in
Memorial day decoration Of the
graves of Union soldiers in National
Cemeteries and the passage of the
age disability pension law. He re-
commended that the pension COM
mittee OF the organization present to
the next Congress a bill increasing
the pension Of all widows now on the
roll at rate less than $12 month
to that sum. Speaking of President
Roosevelt's interest in pension mat
tiers, General Brown said:
President Roosevelt is the friend
of the veteran soldiers and sailors of
the Republic. Official acts, public
declarations and assurances in priv
ate conferences warrant the state
ment that no Chief Executive in the
history of the nation has held or
could hold higher regard the service
Of the men who saved this Union,
and no President has evinced a
stronger desire to adequately recog-
nize that service and it's results than
Theodore Roosevelt"
In a tribute to the Woman's Relief
Corps. the speaker said:
ITO their unselfsh devotion and
untiring zeal in this holy cause, we