General Raum:-Quite a number of the comrades of the Society have requested me to offer an amendment to the by-laws of this Society, which I now do: TOLEDO, O., Sept. 6. "I propose the following amendment to the by-laws of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee: Amendment to Art. I by striking out the following words: Persons applying for membership shall pay back dues.' If the Society will allow me to read that by-law, then, of course, the intent of the amendment will be better understood. The President:-You give a year's notice? That has to lie over for a year. General Raum read Article 1 of the by-laws. Dr. Plummer:-I wish to offer a resolution for an amendment of the constitution and by-laws of this Society also. The resolution I have to offer is on the same subject: Resolved, That a part of Article I of the by-laws, which reads as follows, to-wit: "All persons applying previous to, on, or after the annual meeting in eighteen hundred and seventy, for enrollment, shall pay a membership fee of ten dollars; that the annual dues shall continue to be one dollar, and persons applying for membership shall pay back dues"-shall be amended to read as follows, to-wit: "All persons applying previous to, on, or after the annual meeting of 1889, for enrollment, shall pay a membership fee of ten dollars; that the annual dues shall continue to be one dollar, and that persons applying for membership shall not be required to pay back dues, nor shall they be entitled to receive reports of meetings held previous to 1889, without paying cost of same." The Recording Secretary:-If you will allow me to read Article I of the by-laws, which I ask permission to do, it will lay before the Society clearly what the meaning and intent of that resolution is. (Reads Article I.) The President:-This matter is not debatable; it lies over for one year. General Buckland:-I offer the following resolution: That Article III of constitution be amended by adding the following: "That any relative designated as aforesaid may become a member of this Society during the lifetime of the member by a majority vote of the Society at any annual meeting; shall pay the annual dues of a member from and after his admission, but shall not vote on any question before the Society during the lifetime of the member he is designated to succeed; that upon the recommendation of any member, and the approval of the President, and vote of the Society as aforesaid, one son of any officer of the Army of the Tennessee, who shall have died before the organization of the Society of wounds received in battle, may become a member of the Society; and in case there be no son of such officer eligible to membership, then his widow, if she desire, shall be considered an honorary member." The President:-I understand these propositions to amend our by-laws and also constitution are simply read aloud for consideration, but are not debatable now, but will be a year hence. General Hickenlooper:-A clause of the third section of our constitution says: "In case such deceased member has no son eligible to membership, and has made no designation, then his widow, if she so desire, shall be considered an honorary member, and as such shall receive our care, consideration, and respect, and shall be entitled to receive notices of proposed meetings and reports of proceedings." Under that provision I desire to present the application of Mrs. Ella Rowett, widow of General Richard Rowett, for membership. Mrs. Rowett was unanimously elected to membership. General Dodge:-I desire to offer the following: "The Society of the Army of the Tennessee desires to place upon its record its appreciation of the great loss our country has sustained in the death of General Philip H. Sheridan. While not a member of this Society, it has counted him as a part of its victories and its history. General Sheridan possessed those qualities that Grant once said was the requisite of a General: 'The willingness of wading in and fighting wherever the opportunity offered and the quality of, after he had whipped his enemy, following him until he destroyed him.' And while we acknowledge his qualities as a great fighter, his genius as a commander, we also admire his simplicity and his steadfastness to those principles for which he fought. This Society extends to his family their sympathy and encouragement in their great trial and bereavement. We extend that cheer and support to his widow and children that at such time comes from a soldier's heart. Resolved, That the action of this Society upon the death of General Sheridan be entered in our proceedings and a copy sent to his family. Adopted unanimously, by a rising vote. The Recording Secretary:-I want to call the attention of Captain Gile to his resolution. My understanding was that he sug gested that the Secretary should notify the members by circular, but there is nothing in this resolution that states that, and I would not be authorized to go to that expense. Nor does it provide where the money shall be remitted. Captain Gile:-To the officers of the Society. The Recording Secretary:-Which officers? The Recording Secretary:-It ought to specify some one man. General Fuller:-I want to make an announcement. I want to say on behalf of the Committee of Arrangements that any and all members of the Society and their friends, who would like to see something of the shipping, as we have already shown you something of the streets, that we will be happy to take you on the river at 3 o'clock this afternoon. Colonel Lyttle and Commanderin-Chief Kountz, of the Grand Army, will be in the rotunda of the Boody House, where you are all stopping, and at exactly 3 o'clock by the clock in that rotunda will march to the boat. It is only two blocks from the house. As many of you as desire to take that ride, we will be very happy to escort you. The boat will be gone not to exceed two hours and a half-an hour and a half to two hours. Captain Williams:-I wish to call the attention of the Society to one thing, and that is in relation to the register. The way our proceedings are published we find, for instance, we find John Smith, Captain, Galesburg. In the multiplicity of Smiths, we don't know who they are, nor their command. I was looking over the register with an army friend for Major So-and-so, that be longed to the Iowa Brigade. We found his name, and location at East Liverpool, Ohio. That is not the same man. I know it can't be, because he is at East Liverpool; he belonged to the Iowa Brigade. In reference to the convenience of the members of the Society, I would suggest that in our register there be published— there shall appear-the post-office address, name, rank and organization to which the member belonged, as far as possible. The President:-The Secretaries are fully empowered to publish such statistics as will enable the men to know each other. Do you offer that as a resolution, or make it as a motion? Captain Williams:-I offer it as a resolution: Resolved, That in the published proceedings of the Society there shall appear in the Register the post-office address, rank and organization to which the member belonged. The President:-From that resolution, naked, it will be inferred that the post-office address is not given, whereas, I am very sure it is given. Captain Williams:-The post-office is given, but not the organization. For instance, Captain John Smith, we want to know what regiment he belonged to, or whether it was a battery or a cavalry regiment. The President:-From this resolution, it would be inferred that there was nothing given. Captain Williams:-That simply fills it out complete. The Recording Secretary:-As I have kept this register since this Society was organized, I think that I may be permitted to say a word about it. I don't think Captain Williams has any idea of the interminable amount of paper it will take to do it. There is nobody but what knows who Captain John Smith is. All that is there is correct, so far as my experience is concerned. The passage of the resolution will involve an amount of work that it will be almost impossible for the Secretary to do without employing extra help, and, under those circumstances, he will have to embody that in his resolution, or it can't be done. I see no benefit in it, because I never have had any complaint of confusion. The resolution was defeated. General Chetlain:-I offer the following: Resolved, That the sincere thanks of the members of this Society are due, and are hereby tendered, to the Local Committee of Arrangements and to the loyal citizens of the city of Toledo for the generous manner in which its members have been entertained by them at this, its twenty-first, annual meeting. General Leggett:-I suggest, General Chetlain, as an amendment or attachment to that resolution: "Especially to the only members of the Society of the Army of the Tennessee residing in Toledo: General J. W. Fuller, Major Bell and Dr. Bond, who, for the time being, is the Medical Director of this Society." General Chetlain:-I accept the amendment. The resolution as amended was unanimously adopted. General Pearson:-I hold in my hand a beautiful little book gotten up by the officers and trustees of the Toledo Memorial Association. I move you a vote of thanks be extended to those officers and trustees for this little book, one of which has been given to each member of the Society. Carried. General Hickenlooper:-I wish to speak of a personal matter to the members of the Society at the present time. I feel deeply grateful to the members of the committee on the selection of an orator, in the unexpectedly distinguished honor of that selection. The report was made while I was absent from the room, therefore I have had no opportunity to speak on the subject. The point I desire to call your attention to is: I move that that report be reconsidered, and that the committee be allowed to report at any time. My reasons are substantially these: I desire to call your attention to the fact that the Society has ordered its next meeting at Cincinnati, and to the further fact that a prophet is generally without honor in his own country; that the interest attached to the delivery of that address will be largely enhanced by selecting not only a more competent person, but some stranger to that city. The people of Cincinnati have heard of me, and from me, until they are heartily sick and tired of it. It will be absolutely devoid of all interest to the audience that may assemble on that occasion. I feel that the best interests of the Society demand, and that it would be much more preferable, to have some stranger deliver the address. I would be very happy, indeed, to accept the honor if it were tendered at any future time and any other place. |