The Grand Army

THE BOY'S IN BLUE. St. Louis, Sept. 29.- The Grand Army veterans, attired in rubber coats with trousers rolled up, paraded yesterday forenoon in a Bteady rain. Estimates of the number in line vary from 15,000 to 20,000, the lattor being nearest the mark. FAIRCHILD'8 ADDKESK. The encampment opened in due form in the entertainment hall of the Expoaition building at 3 p. m. The Coinmander-inChief, General Fairchlld, presided. The annual addreas of the Oommander-in-Chief, whlch is very long, was then presented. A synopsis is as follows: It announced the evidenoe of per nanent and healtny growth of the Grand Army of the Republic and of the strong love of the order entertained by the loyal people of this country. That this may continue he earnestly cautioned every member that he keep a watchful guard over himself when he acts or speaks as a member of the Grand Army and not consciously further schemes foreign to the legitímate purpose of the organization. Artlcle 9, forbiding the use of the organization for partisan purposes, bad, so far as he knew, been strictly obeyedin letter and spirit. From Adjutant-General Gray's report he learned that the total number of membera borne on the rolls of the order at the National encampment was 326,499. In 1880 there were 60,64 members. In the last üvp quarters there have been mustered into the Grand Army 7,3öo. There were reported June 80, 1887, in good standing, 33t,562; sus pended, 2ö,:M0; by delinquent reports, 10,892; total at last returns borne upon the rolle, 372, 674. The aroount reported expended in charity March, 1880, to March, 1887, inclusive, is 1253,634.43. This money was disbursed to 17,670 oomrades and their families, and 8,!)99 others were assisted, giving2U,tiOU individuáis who had received benetits during the year. Duri'ig the year death had claimed 3,406 members. Ho seiected for special notxe the late Seneral John A. Logan, who in lite had manifested nis loye not only in words, but by active public and private efforts, did any poor, maimed, helpless veteran need an advocte, lid the Grand Army need a defender, his was the örst name that came to the lips, and he was never appealed to in vain. A letter had been received by him from Joseph W. Drexel offering in perpetuity the cottage on Mount McGregor in which General I". S. Grant spent his last days to the survivors of the gallant men who taved the country, the only conditlons being that the oottage and surrounding grounds be held In trust by the CommanderIn-Ctiief of the Grand Army of the Republic, the president of the Mount McGregor Railway Company, and another to be nained by the fiver. General Fairchild recommended that it be referred to the incoming Commander-inChief, with authonty to accept on satisfactory fcrrangements. He recommended the ippointment at once of ! competent comrade to wnte the history of the organization, and suggested that the gen eral Government includo in the nest de ïennial census an enumeratiou of the soldiers Kfthe late war of the rebellion who may be living in 1890. He also recommends that the National headquarters be locuted at some sentral point and that an Assistant AdjutantBeneral be put in charge. In the matter of pensions ít has been an aim Df the order, he said, to have Congress grant relief of the pressing needs of the comrades. The Grand Army, with the approvai of the people in general, have enlisted in this cause; men of all shades of polit cal belief have been foremost in these efforts, and never intil this year has it entered the mind of any well-informed man to charge that his zeal in behalf of our needy comrades was of a political partisan character. The Grand Army of the Republic would never consent that this question of pensions should be classed amon those ivhich men commonly cali partisan. The Grand Army has been of one mind In tonsidering it but simple justice that the United States should at least grant a pension of not less than tía a month to all persons who lerved three months or more in the military or oaval service of the United States fluring the war of the lebellion and who have been honorably discharged and who are now or may hereafter be sufferfering from mental or physical dl ability - not the result of their own vicious „ubits- which incapacita tes thom for the performance of manual labor. "What is asked now in the way of pneral pensions,' General Faircbild said, has been asked for years. It is not detnanding too much. Many members are ol the honest opinión that it is not enough, favoring a broader measure of relief whioh will embrace all who served a certain length of time and can sliow an honorable discharge, iommonly called the service pension bill." General Fairchild said he was not here to argue Igainat that as an ultímate measure. He wished to do nothing to postpone the coming of the arnval of the day of relief to the suffer tng. In conclusión he said: "In fraternity, charity nul loyalty we stand, proud of the fact that there is not now, nor has there ever been, any bitter feeling of bate for those of ourfellow-cititens who, once in arms against us, but now bemg loyal, have long ago taken their old-time places in our hearts, never, we devoutly hope, to be removed therefrom. We have not now, Dor have we at any time since the war closed, bad any disposition to open again the bloody Bhasm which once unhappily divided this people. We w.li not only ourselves notreopen that flreadful abyss, but we will. with the loyal people North and South, protest against all attempts which others may make to do so, by bolding up for especial honor and distinotion ny thing tbat pertains to or in any manner glorifiesthe cuue ofdisunon. "With the people of the South we only seek to continue the friendly r.valry long ago entered opon in the effort to make our beloved land great and prosperous and its people intelligent, ti ppy and vil tuous. We will rival them in exalting all that pertains to and honors this great Union and in condemning every thing that tends to foster a hostile sentiment thereto. We will rival them in earnest endeavors to incúlcate in the minds of the citizens of thts country, and espec.ally of our ohildren, a hearttelt love for the United States of America, to the end that present and coming generations Bhall in every part of -the land believe In and maintain true allegiance thereto, based upon a paramount re ■peet for and fldel ty to lts constitution and laws, which will lead them 'o discountenance Whalever tends toweaken loyalty, incites insur rection, treason or rebellion. or in any manner Impuirs the efficiency and permanency of our free instilution and wili impel them to 'encourage the spread of universal liberty, equal rights and justice to all men,' and to defend these sentiments, which are quoted from the fundamental law of our order, with their Uves, lí need be." The position taken by the Commander-inChief In the pension question was received with gre;i. favor and warm approvai, and the kind but firm conclusión of the address and his allusions to the South met a most hearty response and was greeted witll cheera The Woman's Relief Corpa began the sesBion of their annual National encampment Wednesday. President Elizabetb. d'Arcy Einne preRided, The annual reports of the president and secretary were read. St. Louis, Sept. 30.- The encampment met promptly at nine o'clock a. nx yesterday. The ïeport of the Committee on pensions relates to their efforts to procure liberal legislatiou from Congress, and the fate Of the Dependent Pension bilí. A new bill has been prepared, which makes provisión for pens. ons to all veterans who are or may heriai ter become unable to earn their owb livelihood, and it is clalmed that such a law wouid at once remove fully 12,000 veterans froni the public alms-houses where they now are, and make them pensioners inscead of paupers. The resolutions presented by Past Commander-in-ChieL Yandervoort at Wednesday'e session censuring President Cleveland are still in the hands of the Cornmittee on Kesolutions. The comnaittee has decided to present two reports. The majority report wlll recommend fhelving the resolutions on the ground of expediency, und deprécate any action by the Grand Army thatwould glve lts enemies a chance to say that its organization had a partisan bias or was being used for polit cal purposes. The minority report will favor the indorsement of the resolutions as they stand, the minority members holding that the Grand Army should go on record as condemning President Cleveland' s action in vetoing the Dependent Pension bilí, "his general pol.cy in the matter of pensions, his attempted return of captured rebel flags, and his policy of snubbing Union veterans and honoring Confederates wlth Administration appointmente" - all of which points are touched upon in the resolutions. The encampment passed the f ollowing by a unanimous vote: "Xeolved, Thatit is the sense of the encampment that there shall be a place set apart by law at the capital of the Nation where all captured flags and ottaer trophies of war shall bepreserved and displayed. We therefore request Congress to make such provisions, and recommend Pension Hall as a suitable plaoe for said purpose." Columbus, O., was chosen as the place for the next annual meeting-. St. Louis, OcL 1.- When the G. A. R. enoampment met yesterday the committee reported unfavorably upon the Vandervoort resolution censuring the President for his veto of the Lependent Pension bill, and the report was sustalned by a vote of 318 to 173. The election of officers followed, and resulted as follows: Commander-in-Chief- John P. Rea, of Minnesota. Senior Vice-Commander- Nelson Cole, of Missouri. Junior Vice-Commander - John C. Linahan, of New Hampshire. Sergeant-General- Lawrence Donahue. Cbaplain-in-Chief - Rev. Hdward Anderson. The offlcers of the eneampment were then installed, and the twenty-first annual encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic was at an end. The Woman's Rslief Corps concluded lts session yesterday by the election of the followinji oflicers for the ensuing yaar: National President, Mra Hampton, of Michigan; Senior Vic-President, Mrs. Cera Day Younp, of Toltd). St. Louis, Ocl 3.- General Post, chalrman of the Committee on Eesolutions at the late meeting of the Grand Army of the Eepubllo in this city, denies the report that there was a protracted wrangle in the committee about the resolution censuring the President He says the committee unanimonsly decided to take no action on the resolution, and its deoision was a most unanimously accepted by the convention.