The Washington times., 1913-06-28
VETERANS. FORCED D.......
.G1S..f . r.-.st. -. - g
9. TO ADVANCE FARE
Hardships Worked on Soldiers
in Gettysburg Trip by
Official Ruling.

District veterans who attend the Get.
tysburg reunion. which opens tomorrow
will have to advance the money for
their railroad fare, but will be REIN.
bursed for their transportation after
their return to Washington.
This was the decision given today by
the Comptroller of the Treasury IN re-
sponse to a query made by the commits
sion named to have charge of the dis
bursement of the "a, 900 appropriated by
Congress yesterday to pay the fare OF
, the local, veterans to the semi-centen-
NAL celebration on the famous battle
field.
Col. Thomas S. Hopkins, member of
the commission and also the Dis
trtct's member of the commission in
charge of the celebration, and Capt.
d. B. Null. formerly a post command
er Of the United Confederate Veterans,
called on the Comptroller this morning
and conferred with him regarding the
$4,000 fund. The other member of the
disbursing commission named by Con-
gress yesterday is Secretary of War
Garrison.
Works Hardship On Some.
The fact that they must advance the
money for their own fare will work a
hardship on some of the old soldiers" I"
said Colonel Hopkins, but the round
trip will only cost s5.o5. and think
those who do not have that amount will
be able to borrow 1t until they get back.
The Comptroller said that he blieved
that under the provisions of the act
act passed yesterday 1t would not be
legal to disburse the money to the vet
ln he
trip, but at any rate the time is too
short for that now, and 1t Will have TO
be given out after the return from
Gettysburg"
There was a line of veterans waiting
to see Col. Hopkins before 7:S0 o'clock
this morning and all during the fore.
noon they packed his office Some OF
them were much distressed by the news
that they would have to advance the
money for their own fare and one OLD
Confederate soldier who was wounded
at Gettysburg said that he could not
20 because he did not have rhe money.
He came while l was out and talked
to my stenographer," said Colonel Hop
kins. "If / had been there / would
have loaned him the money myself"
Colonel Hopkins left for Gettys-
burg on the LIS train this afternoon.
and most of the local veterans win fol-
low on the special train which leaves
here tomorrow over the Baltimore and
Ohio at $50 a. m. or on the Pennsyi-
vania special which leaves Monday at
12:0 p. m.
Memorial To Women.
The first real crush of the veterans
will reach Gettysburg in the morning.
and the first meal in camp will be
served tomorrow evening. Already the
PENNSYLVANIA G. A R. is there to well
come the old soldiers from other States,
its State encampment having opened
yesterday. There viii be plenty OF
regular troops and Boy Scouts to per-
form every service for the veterans,
such as carrying their baggage from the
train to camp filling the water buckets.
and doing everything possible to save
the older men from any tiresome duty. .
A memorial to the women of the civil
war period may some day be erected
on Gettysburg,s field as a result of the
speech made to the Pennsylvania vet
Grams yesterday by Commander-in-Chief
Beers, of the G. A r. He eulogized
the wives. mothers, and sweethearts
who saw their loved ones march away
in the sixties, and said a fitting memo
rial should symbolic the nations debt
to them.