The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1917-07-26

| and your readers to have the advantage Of
| the real conditions connected with the re-
| union and the hospitality extended to the
veterans by the citizels of Washington.
AS Chairman of the Citizens. Committee
| I claim to have been in close touch with
every detail connected with the reunion
| from the very moment after the vote was
| cast selecting Washington as the place of
meeting for the 1917 reunion. and during
| the week of the reunion no one could have
| been more in touch with the details ,han 1.
l have simply to say that after cores
| bonding with every camp Throughout the
country, requesting direct information as
to the number of veterans who would at
tend and how many the city would be ex-
pcctcd to care for. the total of these inGui-
RIGS showed that only few over three
thousand would come with the expectation
that the city would ,rovide for them.
without any further notice whatever Mon
day afternoon and night they came into the
city in train leads mt Il time: but W.. were
"eual to the emergency, all reports to
the contrary. notwithstanding. and some of
thcscc trains did not reach the city until
two O'Clock in the morning. and every one
had comfortable place TO sleep by three
O'Clock that morning. of this ! am GER
tain. l did net retire until after that
hour. Any reports that the Veterans slept
and in parks. or at the depot. is abs olutely
false. unless it was some isolated ease
which would In likely to occur in amy city
where forty or Fifty thousand people sud
denly GENE into it.
The report that $50 slept on the floor
ut the Union Station il. true, but it was ut
my suggestion that the depot officials allow
them to co So as it was bordering on three
o'clock in the morning. and many of them
from, txnr hpvxn
was supplied with mattress and an
army blanket.
We had contracted to provide $4,000
meals and we furnished $4,000 in the same
length Of time. We had IL mess hall with a
capacity of serving 1000 men ut time
and when, on account Of the extraordinary
number VIC had to house. it became neces-
<:,ry to :ecurc quarters at distance too
far from the camp for the old veterans to
walk for their meals. We had automobiles
carry their meals to them. and. If any.
probably some who left their lodging places
sarly in the morning failed to receive their
breakfasts, but if such was the case it
was the exception. Every complaint was
personally investigated, or by persons in
whom had explicit confidence in what
they would report Inquiries were made of
the individual veterans from the highCsI
officials to the privatcs. and from the let
trrs we have been receiving and from the
personal expressions. before they left the
rncampmcnt, there has been only one view.
and that is that tie reunion was the most
satisfactory and the entertainments the
greatest they have ever had. We had re-
captions and entertainments from ten
o'clock in the morning to one o'clock ut
night, and feel sure that any fair-mindcd
man would not make any statement against
the reunion. unless he was so biased that
It would be impossible for him to see in
the proper direction.
l make this statement to you simply
for the reasons above set forth, and they
,an all be substantiated by such men as
ten. Harrison, Gen. Micklc and Gen. Ben
nett Young and by the Daughters and the
Sons.
With much respect, beg to remain,
Yours very truly.
RcBr. n. HARPER, Chairman.
Further comment would seem unnec-
essary. 1t appears that Washington
was Cvercrowded, 0ccasiOned Icy the
presence of SO many outsiders seeking
war material contracts. which, by the
way, was mentioned in the Banners
original editorial. We are ready to
ccacede. gentlemen. that the -cramped
coalition that prevailed for one night
was tittingly met, or. so would seem
',rc.n your reports. The Banner was
net the only newspaper to make COM
ment ever that overflow" and its
editor is net alone in insisting that
these now aged and highly priced
citizens who once formed the backbone
Of as noble, daring and courageous an
fer a cause should receive the very
best possible treatment while in at
tendance at their reunions. But surely
year communications would indicate
that such was the intention on the
part of Washington, and fer this rea-
son we grant you space, and trust this
closes the controversy.