Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1913-09-18
Over 10000 Still Remain ON
Roll Of Grand Army Says
Commander-in-C Chief Beers
at Chattanooga.
TOTAL MEMBERSHIP
Loss EXCEEDS $4,000
Discrimination in Rates BY
Northern Roads Against
Union Veterans Alleged in
Annual Address at Re- Union


tby LEASED Wire 10 Evening flern,d.
chattanooga. Tenn. sept 1S.-7
More than il00o Union veterans Of
the Civil war died during the twelve
months ending December 81, last. and
more Than 10000 such veterans are
Hiiil on the rolls Of the Grand Army
ot the Republic, according 10 Alfred
y. Beers. commander Ia chief of the
organization, whn delivered mis- annual
address az the reunion here today.
The year started with member.
ship Of 1886, Mr.. Beers said. ana
1919 were added 10 the rolls bv
muster transfer and Reinstatement.
the losses we're as follows. By death.
ll'sSs by honorable discharge. 435:
by transfer Las. by suspension,
6'al6; By dishonorable discharge, So;
~ delinquent reports i,2S3. and by
surrender Of charter. 1889. making IA
total loss. partially offset by gaina. OF
2'.AyN. The rate OF m0rtaily. based
on tho membership. was G.2s per cent
Another topic discussed at some
length by Mr.. Reers was the alleged
discrimination ia railroad rates 10
Chattanooga between the Grand Army
and the Confederate Veterans. who
ncid their reunion here In May at
would appear" he said. that the ser.
Vices % the veterans OF tho Union
army and the consideration due them
are held lightly In the estimation OF
tho railroad authorities" The rail-
roads Of the south, however gave the
same rate To both camps OF veterans,
Mr.. Beers added. the alleged discrlm-
inaticn being in the north and against
the Onion veterans. In this connec-
ton, he said:
THE Southern Passenger assooia-
ton, composed of railroads east OF the
Ohio river. gave the same rate to the
NniOn veterans that they had given to
the Confederate veterans In MAY OF
this year. namely. one cent per mile.
Tho remaining associations. except
the Trunk Line association. located In
New York, and the transcontinental
lines. fixed the rate az two cents per
mile which is, ! believe, a higher rate
than the Grand ARMY has paid in
some years. Included In the assocla-
lions making the charge OF two cents
per mile, was the association whose
roads operate In Missouri ana Kansas
and perhaps other states, which made
a rate for the Confederate Veterans
Reunion Of one cont per mile The
railroads from New York 20 Wash
ington made no reduction whatever Ia
rates. bat charged the ul regular
fare To Washington. the gateway To
the territory OF the southern P0sscn-
ger association. which rate h. I'M cx-
cess OF the prices regularly CHARGED
for excursion tickets good FOR ten
days and largely in excess OF mile
age book rates good for az least one
year
Mr. Beers urged that the Pension
committee present "a bill TO congress-
granting a pension OF si5 a month TO
veterans who are blind. He also rec
that an effort be made tu
have repanled the law providing that
widows of veterans who married after
June ~. 1889. should not be entitled
10 pensions.
The most Of us arc convcrs8nt
with the causes that led Ia the pass
age OF that law " he said. II was "a
necessary and proper law then, but
since that time many honorable,
kindly aud anectionate women have
married veterans from the purest of
motives and miristerod 20 them In
their last hours. Il seems an Unjust
Ice that such noble women should be
made To- suffer with the irresponsible
rlass that the law was designated 20
reach surely a law cen sbe framed
hat viii separate the wheat from the
rhau"