The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-08-13

has been greatly reduced during the past
year, but the number remaining sGs-
pended IS entirely TOO large. When com
rades who are on the suspended list can
not, without prejudice to themselves and
their families, pay their dues, the posts
should promptly remit them in order that
they may he aSain placed in good stand
ing and have another chance.
Pension Legislation.
In discussing pension legislation Com
mander Nevius said: Investigation will
show that there have been many bills
introduced in the national congress upon
different lines, called pension bills. ask
ing for relief for the veterans upon diff
ferent lines, and no prospect of any OF
them becoming a law. The Grand Army
of the Republic, standing united, has in
the past years secured and placed upon
the statute books such pension laws as
are i'm force and viii continue to ask for
such relief as shall seem to be equita ole
and just. And 1t does not stand in the
way of other veteran organizations SeCur-
ing such legislation from the national con-
gress as they may by their influence OBJ
tain.
Il am informed that several depart
ments have passed resolutions along diff
ferent lines and faNoring different laws
from those which have received the sane
ton OF the Grand Army OF the Republic.
These resolutions will go into the hands
of the pension committee and after their
report will receive the consideration of
this encampment. 7 invite your careful
consideration of the subject matter of
these resolutions.
The number of survivors Of the civil
war at the close of the last fiscal year.
as shown by the report of the commits
SlOner of pensions was Co., $50. The num-
Der of survivors on the pension rolls May
81 1909. was 5954l1. The amount appropri-
ated for pensions during the year was
1852 coo
Complaints Investigated.
THE amount appropriated I'D spent
during the year ending JU~ sos. in
the national and state HON .e sup
port of old and needy soldier, was e 49,
36l. Ny attention has been called 20 or
three times to letters from inmates of
the soldiers homes. anonymous letters.
complaining of i'll treatment and irregU-
larities in the home. All of these mat
teTs have been carefully Investigated and
the complaints found to be without foun-
dalton.
Il received anonymous communications
IN regard TO the home in California and
visited the home i'm company with the Of
tice-s of the department of California and
investigated ii very carefully. [ found
in this home that all OF the officials were
Grand Army men and in addition to their
pensions were receiving compensation for
such labor as they could perform. that the
surgeons and some of the nurses were
not Grand Army men for the reason that
the Grand Army men in the home would
not or could not perform the duties re-
quired of them
The speaker told in detail Of the diff
culttes he encountered in securing a round
trip rate of one fare to the Salt Lake en-
Campment and added.
The transCOntiental lines operating be
tween the Pacific coast and Salt Lake
City promptly granted me a rate OF one
fare for the round trip. All roads west
of Chicago have given US a rate of one
fare for the round trip and all east of
Chicago have stubbcrnly resisted and re-
fused to do better than give US a rate
of one and One-half fare to Chicago and
st. Louis This IS not as good a rate as
these associations are giving to summer
tourists for the Yukon Seattle exposition.
but we cannot avail ourselves Of the sum
mer tourist rate unless we purchase tick
cts through to Seattle.
You will observe, comrades. that [
have iabOred earnestly and zeaiously with
the great railroad corporations in the in
terest of the Grand Army Of the Republic
for reasonable rate to and from our en-
csmpment for the men who from 1861 to
1865 bore the 5Tunt of battle and saved
the UniOn-One and indivisible-and that
the great railroad corporations which cir
die it with their tracks have no feeling Of
patriotism and make no concessions to the
comrades Of the Grand Army of the Re-
public"