The National tribune., 1911-04-13

/ MASSACHUSETTS G. A. r. 81
Meeting of the Annual Encampment in
i Faneuil Hall, Boston.
4 The Annual Encampment of the De-
rartment of Massachusetts,, G. A. r.
was held in historic Faneuil Hall.
| April 5-6, with Commander Granville
1 {. F1ske presiding.i The attendance was
large and the interest ususually deep
The Sons of Veterans, Sons of Veterans
/ auxlilaries, Ladies. of the G. A. R., Army
! Nurses Association and the w. r. c.
held their conventions at the same time.
Commander Fiske's annual address was
a 1ne presentation of the condition of
the department and was listened to
with strong attention. The principal
! business of the day was election of Of
hcers, which passed off in the most har-
monious manner Commander F'iske,
who had succeeded to the command
upon the death of Commander j. Will
| laru Brown, was unanimously reelected
Commander, and Junior Vice Command
er Hosiey was elected Senior Vice Com
mander by the same unanimity A lively
| but very good natured and comradely
contest took place over the election of
! a Junior Vice Commander, resulting
in the success Of Comrade Isaac c. Day
i. Delap Smith was elected Medical
Director and Joshua Z. l. ,Bodfish
Chaplain. Commander Fiske announced
! the following appointments on his staff
Assistant adjutant-general, w. A
| Wetherbee of Post So; assistant quar-
termaster-general, Eugene d. Sanborn
| of Post Is; inspector, Henry Pond of
Post %; judge advocate, Bowdoin s.
Parker of Post 113; chief mastering
| officer, Alphonso B. Pierce of Post So;
patriotic instructor, Edward O. Skel-
fOn nf Post 1qJ. iaf IF toff 7 ~,
A. Clark of Post IL; department clerk
Israel II. DeWolfe of Post 1879: chief
bugler, John NJ. Flockton Of Post 26
The second days session was largely
devoted to the reception Of visitors.
Delegations appeared from the W.. r.
| c., the Ladies of the G. A r., the
Daughters of Veterans and Sons of Vet
Grams. The w. r. c. was headed by
| Mrs. Belle c. Harris, National Pres
ident of the w. r. c., and the latter
by Chief Bolton, and all
| made bright and interesting addresses,
which were enthusiastically applauded
by the comrades. who crowded the hall.
Comrade Weatherbee made an appeal
for help for aHpoor old war widow, the
hat was passed and s62 was raised for
her. Past Department Commander A
e. Roe made rfin eloquent speech in re-
gard to placing the picture of Julia
Ward Howe la the hall This aroused
officers elect were then installed by
Commander-in-Chief Gilman. and the
official session. Of the Encampment
ended. r. tg5f
The Annual Dinner.
The Annual Dinner took place in the
dining room Iof the American Hotel,
and more than 500 comrades were seat
ed. Sterling ,Npatriotic, addresses were
made by Capt John S, Barrows, Com
mander of the National Lancers, Act
ing Mayor Walter L. Collins, Frederick
e. Bolton, Grief of the
Sons of Veterans, Commander Mccall
lum of the Sons of Veterans, Col. Rob
ert H. Patterson of the regular army
Adjutant General E. B. StHIings, Rev
George E. Lovejoy. Department Chap
lain, and Comrade J. H. Wolfe, for
the Navy. Olin's famous gang" occu-
pied seats in the center of the dining
room and sang patriotic airs. which
added very much to the enthusiasm of
the occasion. Past Department Com |
mander Alfred E. Roe, who had pre-
viously spoken feelingly upon the de-
struction of New York's War flags, at
the time of the fire in the Capitol Build |
ing, brought good news to the gather
ing-a telegram which he had received !
that the flags had been saved. At this ]
the whole audience Joined in singing
Praise God From Whom all Blessings
Flow" Comrade Israel DeWolf spoke |
of the patriotic work done by the news |
papers Of Boston, and moved vote of
thanks to them. which was carried by |
a rising vote. Comrade John McElroy
was introduced and said that Justice |
Oliver Wendell Holmes of the United
States Supreme Court, himself mag
nifcent representative of Massachusetts, !
soldiery, said that the most striking |
thing during the war occurred on the
evening of the first day at Chancellors-
VILE In the midst Of the terrible tur-
moil, the burning woods, the stam-
peded troops. the roar of musketry and
crash of shells, he heard a strong voice
call out authoritatively:
Steady, Massachusetts,
In that brief sentence was embodied
the glorious history of Massachusetts,,
and the firm, steady stand she always
took in the midst of the most trying
circumstances. This came up to his
mind in the midst of the struggle over
the Sulloway Bill, when he received a
dispatch from Comrade Stillings an
nouncing that the Legislature had in
dorsed the bill Comrade McElroy had
come to Boston to personally thank the
comrades there for their splendid work
at that trying time. He appreciated
the difficulties under which they had
la abored, the conservatism of Massachu-
setts, the direct mandate of their Sem
ators and the parliamentary difficulties
in the Legislature. but such good work
had been done by Commander-in-chie
Adjutant General Stillings,
Department Commander Fiske, Com
rade William NJ. Olin and others that
the telling Endorsement of the grand old
Bay State had been secured and was of
highest value. A resolution giving the
thanks of the assembly to Hon. Cyrus
A. Sulloway was adopted by acclama-
ton and standing vote.