The National tribune., 1909-09-30
Free s1.Oo Package Coupon
THE EX-PRISONERS OF WAR.
The 37th Annual Convention, Held at
Salt Lake City.

The 37th Annual Convention, Held at
Salt Lake City.
The 37th meeting of the National AS
sociation, Union EX-Prisoners of War,
was held in Salt Lake City, Utah, dur
| ing the week of Aug. 8, 1909, and was
a very successful gathering, and will
remain memorable one in the annals
of the Association. Our stay in the
beautiful city, the home of tho ''Sego
| lily" certainly was pleasant ON. All
| We'd with one another in entertaining
| the comrades of the "stockades," and
| right royalty was it done. The Eastern
! contingent arrived some 10 hours late
Monday night, being met at the depot
| by the Salt Lake Association, headed
by their Commander, Thomas ]. Lough
ney, and with flags and banners waiv-
| ng in the breeze were escorted to the
| Hotel Wilson, the headquarters of the
National Commander, Gen. Harry
White, of Pennsylvania, with Col. J. d.
Walker, Acknowledgement and Quar-
| termaster, in charge.
The business meeting was held Tues
| day, Aug. 10, 2:30 p. m, in Labor Hall,
Commander Gen. Harry White in the
chair. Minutes of Toledo meeting read
and approved. Commanders report
| read. Senior Vice Commander j. F.
Holligers report read. Junior Vice
Commander L. d. Dobbs report read.
On motion, the reports of the fore
going officers with the suggestions and
| recommendations, be referred to the
| Executive Committee.
Report of the Chaplain, Rev. John s.
| Ferguson, read, received and filed. His
| torian Gen. Harry White reported great
| progress, and requested the privilege
| of having his report printed in some
| prominent magazine without any ex-,
pense to the Association. Permission to
| do so was granted. Reports of Adju-
TOW A..
eral were read, approved and filed. o.
A. Parsons, Chairman of the Executive
Committee, reported that in obedience
to the instructions of the Toledo meet
ing, calling on them to appear before
the Committees on Invalid Pensions of
the Senate and House and urge the re-
porting to Congress, with a favorable
recommendation, our prisoners of war
| bill, reported that they, accompanied
| by number of influential and promi-
nent members of the Association, ap-
peared before the committees on two
occasions, and persistentiy, eloquently
and pathetfcally were our claims for
some recognition presented to the COM
mittees by Commander Gen. Harry
White, AdJt-Gen. j. d. Walker Col
John McElroy, of The National Trib-
une; Senior Vice Commander ]. F. HoI-
Tiger and number of other comrades
and some members of Congress, but
our efforts were of no avail, and we are
of the opinion that so long as Cyrus
Sulloway, from New Hampshire, is at
the head of the House Committee on
Invalid Pensions We may not hope for
very much recognition at their hands.
We recommend that the Executive
Committee be instructed to reintroduce
our prisoners of war bill in the House
and Senate at the incoming Congress,
and use al! honorable means at their
disposal to secure n favorable report
from the committees and press 1t to a
speedy passage. Report received, ap-
proved and filed, and the Executive
Committee were instructed to carry
out the recommendation embodied in
the report. A suggestion by a Western
member that in lieu of any compensa-
ton by pension or otherwise to the
prisoners of war, that Congress grant
them medal instead was Indignantly
rejected, not seconder being found in
the whole assembly.
Election of Officers.
The following officers and
members of the Executive Committee
were unanimously elected:
National Commander, Gen. Harry
White, Pennsylvania
Senior Vice Commander, Thomas ].
Loughney, Utah.
Junior Vice Commander, C. f. Hop
kins, New Jersey
..
Iowa.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES ]. D. Walker,
Pennsylvania.
Executive Committee: o. A. Parsons
PENNSYLVANIA; j. NJ. Emery Illinois;
John l.. Parker, Massachusetts,; C. c.
Shanklin, Ohio.
The Commander appointed Col J. d.
Walker, of Pittsburg. Pa. Adjutant-
General
The Prisoners of War Bill.
The attention of the Executive Conn
mittee was called to an unintentional
error that appears in our prisoners of
war bill, which, if allowed to remain
would, II IL became law, prevent some
l,SJO prisoners of war and most of
them from Western commands, from
participating in the benefits provided
by the bill, they being in the hands of
me Confederate authorities until the
27th day of May, 1863. ;See RebeIIion
Records, Series ii, Vol. VIII, Serial No
III page 5S4) The limits provided in
the old bill is May 1, 1865 This will
be corrected in the new bill.
The Campfire.
the Campfire was an old-time, en-
thusiastic and sympathetic gathering of
the survivors of the stOckades and pens
and of their families and friends Short
speeches, individual experiences and
the serving of claret punch and cake
by the ladies' were the features of the
evening. Gen. Harry White, National
Commander, was in charge, and under
his guidance most enjoyable evening
was passed. Cheers and tears alter
mated as the old boys related the story
of their individual experiences while In
the hands of the Confederates and con-
hned in the pens and stockades of the
South. On the whole, it was more like
one of the old-time Methodist experi-
ences than anything else and lasted far
INTO the night, was enjoyed by all. and
the good fortune to be present Cen
Harry White, National Commander:
Col j. D. Walker, Adjutant- General.