Omaha daily bee., 1913-09-19
SONS or VETERANS ELECT
John sautter of Pittsburgh Named
COmmander-in-chi
BEERS MAKES ANNUAL ADDRESS
Eleven Thousand Members DIED
DurinE Year sPd Meuabership
is Now Hundred and
Eighty Thouaand.


CHATTANOOGA, Tenn, Sept 1s--John
sautter OF Pittsburgh was elected late TO-
day onimander~in-chief OF the Sons OF
Veterans, In annual session here. Other
Officers chosen were: Harry L. STREET..
Baltimore. senior vice commander; Rob
ert w. Biese Chattanooga. junior vice
commander, and Henry +. Weller Bos-
ton, william B. Moynihan, Rochester,
and Charles c. Behnte. ST. Louis, MEM
bers OF the counciI-in-chief.
Indications arc that the selection Of a
commander-in-chief OF the Grand Army
OF the Republic to succeed Alfred B.
Beers. viii be between Captain G. e.
Adams OF Superior, Neb., and Wash
ington Gardner, OF Michigan.
EIeven Thousand Deaths I'm Year.
More than li.OOo union veterans OF
the civil war died the year ending
December 81, last, and more than 10000
such veterans are still on the rolls
OF the Grand Army Of the Republic, ac-
cording 70 Alfred b. Beers, commander
in-chief Of the organization. who delivered
his annual address at the reunion here
today.
The year started with a membership
Of 1871 ,s4e, Mr.. Beers said, and 1i.77s were
added 10 the rolls by muster, transfer and
reinstatement The losses were as fol
lows: BY death. II ,sSs; by honorable dis
charge. lss; by transfer. l.7e4; by sus-
pension. s.s7e; By dishonorable discharge,
alxty-three; by delinquent reports, 4.2s3,
and by surrender Of charter, 1.oss. making
a total loss, partially offset by gains. of
2. sos. The rate OF, mortality. based on
the membership. was 93s per cent.
Decentralization I'm Railroad Rates.
Another topic discussed nt some length
by MIR. Beers was the alleged discrimina-
tion in railroad rates TO Chattanooga be-
| tween the Grand Army and she confed-
crate veterans. who held their reunion
here In May. 1T would appear" he said,
| that the services Of the veterans OF the
| union army ana the consideration due
them are held lightly in the estimation OF
l the railroad authorisies." The railroads
os the south. however. gave the samo
rate to both camps OF veterans, Mr..
Beers added. the alleged discrimination
being In the north and against the union
veterans. In this connection, he said:
rate Of Cent a Mile.
'.rhe Southern Passenger association,
composed OF railroads east OF the Ohio
river. gave the same rate 60 the union
veterans that they had given 10 the con-
fedefate vsterans in May Of this year
namely cent per mile. The remaining
associations, except she Trunk Line as.
ISOLATION, located In New York, and this
transcontin6ntaI lines. fixed a rate at !;
cents pc rmiie. which is, l believe, g
higher rate than the Grand Army has
paid IN some years Included In the as.
Hcciafions making the charge OF cents
per .niie. was the association whose
roads operate In Missouri and Kansas
/. and perhaps other states. which made Z
rate for tho confederate veterans re.
union Of cent per mile. The railroads
from New York to washington made M
: reduction whatever in rates. but charged
the full regular fare to washington. tn,
/. Esateway 70 the territory. Of the Southern
? Passenger association. which rate IL II
: excess OF the prices regularly charget
: for excursion tickets good for ten days
and largely In excess OF mileage bool
rates good for az least one year"
higher Pensions Favored.
Mr. Beers urged that the pension com
mlstee present a bill to congress grant
ing q pension Of e7S a month to veteran
who are blind. He also recommends
that an effort be made to have repeaic
the law providing thaS widows Of vet
Grams who married after June IL 1850
should not be entitled 20 pensiona
''The most OF US are conversnnt Will
the causes that led to the passage o
that law" he said. IT was necessar.
and proper law then. but since tha
time many honorable. kindly and affec
tionate women have married veteran
from the purest OF motives and minia
tered to them In their last hours, /
seems an injustice that such noble womel
SHOULD be made 70 suffer with the ir
Irresponsible class that the law was de
aligned to reach. Surely a law can b
framed that will separate the wheat from
ltha chaffss