Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-06-13
VETS OF WISCONSIN.
ANNUAL ENcAMPMENT OF G. A.
r. IN OSHKOSH.
Attendance Not as Large as Us1al-
John c. Martin of Mineral Point
Chosen Conmander-Next Years
Meeting in Racine.

Oshkosh correspondence:
The ferty-frst annual department en-
campment OF the Grand Army of the Re-
public opened at Oshkosh Wednesday and
was in session two days. The annual
conventions of the Woman's Relief Corps,
the Ladies of the Grand Army and the
Sons of Veterans were held at the same
time.
The first thing on the G. A. R. order
OF business was the annual address of
the department commander, John W.
Canes.
An important feature of the report
dealt with the Wisconsin Veterans home
at Waupaca. Commander Canes said:
No State in the Union has a Better home
for it's aged and disabled veterans, their
wives and their widows than our State has
member Of the board Of trustees, 1 have at
tended every meeting of that body during
the year, and have visited and carefully
Inspected every hall and nearly every cot
tage, and any adverse criticism against the
home or Its management Is unwarrantad by
nets and absolutely uncalled for In justice.
There are nearly 700 inmates at the Wis
eonsin Veterans Home, and the average age
OF these rs 10 years 1t requires man Of
no ordinary capacity to control and Govern
one OF these homes, for he must Of neces-
sity be Of q kindly, genial nature and vet
frm In dealing with all matters relating to
the inmates and to the management of the
Institution. From what I know Of MI per-
sonal knowledge. Comrade Joseph n. Wood
north, commandant of the home, il well
adapted to discharge the duties Of his i'm
portant office.
Gain in Number of Posts.
The report of G. A. Pettebone, assist
ant adjutant general, shows that at the
end of 1906 there had been a net gain of
twelve posts during the year and a net
loss Of ninety-two in the total member
ship. There were at that time 242 posts
with 1915 members In good standing.
This Insignificant loss in membership dur
ing the year is considered remarkable,
yhen it is remembered that it is forty
two years since the war closed and that
fast diminishing.
A large camp fire was held in Armory
B Tuesday evening. The armory was
packed and the exercises were unusually
interesting. In addition to music by the
band, w. H. Babcock, the soldier singer
of Oshkosh, favored the audience with
solos which were enthusiastically receiv-
ed, and a male quartette added to the
satisfaction of the audience. Capt. J. n.
Ruby of Oshkosh presided, and the speak
ers were Department Commander John
w. Canes, ex-Gov. George w. Peck, ex-
Gov. Edward Scofeld, Lieut.. Gen. Ar
thur Macarthur and Bishop Samuel
Fallows of Chicago.
John G. Martin of Mineral Point was
ON Thursday elected commander of the
Wisconsin, nd of ba
The other officers elected are as follows:
Senior Vice Comma2der-E. T. Ellsworth,
Oshkosh.
Junior Vice Commander-w. II. Gets,
Grand Rapids.
Medical Director-Dr. Samuel Bell, Be-
lott.
Chaplain-Rev. George W. Case, Portage.
Trustees of Wisconsin Veterans Home
j. P. Rumble, Milwaukee, and C. H. Henry,
Eau Claire.
Delegates to National Encampment-W
q. HalIoch, Juneau Charles Shoor, Buring-
ton; ]. L. Hays, Oregon; C. II. Baxter,
Lancaster; Louis Holzhaeuser, Milwaukee
D. W. Howie, Milwaukee H. B. Allen, Mil
waukee s. Diesteese, Fond du Lac; James
Bots0rS Eau Sars W NJ Waksf
ward Salond, Amigo; John II. Degraer,
Barron; f. A. Wilde, Milwaukee; Ezra
Stewart, Brodhead, and W. e. Osborne, La
Crosse.
Next EnCaIn pment Hac1ne.
The next encampment will be held at
Racine.
The department commander appointed
w. w. Williams, Mineral Point, assistant
adjutant general; f. A. Bird, Madison,
assistant quartermaster general, and w.
II. Rood Madison, patriotic instructor.
The attendance was not as large as
usual, showing clearly that the veterans
of the Civil War are not only decreasing
in numbers, but also that &c the survivors
more and more every year have gone SO
far past the meridian of life as to be I'M
able to withstand the fatigues of a jour
ney to the annual encampments.
The administration of the past year
has been both progressive and economi-
cal. The expenses were kept within the
receipts, so that there has been no de-
pletion of the funds on hand, and yet a
great deal of work has been done and
the membership has been kept up remark
ably close to that of the year before. 1t
is impossible to keep up the membership
long and it must soon necessarily decline
rapidly.
Trip to AndersOnviIIe Planned.
The Andersonyille monument commits
sion has completed the details for the ex
cursion to Andersonville next fall for the
purpose Of defeating the monument to
the sons of Wisconsin, who lie buried
there. The party will leave Madison
Oct. Is, stopping en- route one day at
Nashville, two days at Chattanooga, one
day at Atlanta and two daysat Ander-
sonvile. The whole trip will probably
consume ten days.
Wisconsin division of Sons of Vet
Grams at the annual business meeting
elected the following officers:
Commander-Felix A. Kremer of Madi- |
son, Wis.
Senior Vice Commander. F. Smith,
Wis.
Junior Vice Commander-W. c. Cowling |
Of Oshkosh.
Division Council-R. E. Van Matre Of
J. n. Hayes, Stevens Point |
Louis Grasse, Sheboygan.
Delegates to the National Encampment |
at Dayton, Ohio-E. 3. Mattoon Of She |
boygan, Wilbur Perkins of Jefferson. Alter |
Hackett, Sheboygan, and Jay Lett, |
Oshkosh.
The Woman's Relief Corps elected Mrs.
Sarah E. Gaues of Fox Lake, department |
president, and Mrs. Henrietta Smith,
Racine, senior vice President.
Ladies of the Grand Army elected as
president, Mrs. Emma Sonnemann of She
boygan; senior vice president, Mrs. Jen-
ME Hopkins of Milwaukee.