SECOND DAY Continuous Session - July 14, 1919 K. of C. Hall, Centre Avenue The Encampment was called to order by Department Commander Thomas F. Gannon. DEPARTMENT COMMANDER GANNON: The delegates will kindly be seated and come to order. All Past Department Commanders will take seats on the platform. We will now have opening prayer by the Department Chaplain. DEPARTMENT CHAPLAIN RIGHT REV. MON. JOHN P. CHIDWICK, D. D.: Almighty and Eternal God, Creator of Heaven and Earth and of all things, Protector of the Nations, and Father of all mankind, we, Thy creatures and Thy children, humbly bow before Thee in adoration, acknowledging Thy supreme dominion over us and our dependence upon Thee. Humbly we invoke Thy divine assistance in our assembly, that Thou mayst enlighten our minds to see aright the course of duty, to see the means whereby we might be able to further the lofty motives that prompt us in our organization, for the glory of our country, for its advancement, its citizens and all mankind. We ask of Thee to keep from us all spirit of disunion. Keep our minds and our hearts in touch with one another in that friendship which we formed under the stress and trials of war. We thank Thee for having preserved us in friendship in the flesh until this hour, marching together shoulder to shoulder as we did in '98, to the music of well-done deeds and to the inspiration of high and holy motives. Good God, we pray for our brothers departed. May Thy mercy descend upon them. May Thou take them to their eternal reward, recompensing them for the intention of that wonderful sacrifice which they were willing to offer when they went forth for Thee and for country. Spare us in the afflictions of the world, if it be Thy holy will, that individually and in our families and in our country we may have reason to rejoice in the goodness which Thou shalt manifest to us, and having enabled us to work out Thy holy will here, mayst Thou bring us, people and nation, to eternal reward. May the blessing of God descend upon us and remain with us forever. Amen. DEPARTMENT COMMANDER GANNON: I now declare the Sixteenth Annual Encampment of the United Spanish War Veterans duly opened, and ready for the transaction of such business as may properly come before it. COMRADE FAGAN (No. 1): As the Encampment is just about to open I think it might be well for us to adopt an official order of business, in order that we may have some guide during these three days' session, and I move you, sir, that we follow the Order of Business as outlined in the Reports of Department Officers to the Department Encampment, and that no deviation be made therefrom except by majority vote of assembled delegates. COMRADE RUHLMAN (No. 1): I second the motion. The Department Commander, after calling for a vote, announced the motion carried. DEPARTMENT COMMANDER GANNON: The first order of business is, Report of Committee on Credentials. Is the Committee on Credentials ready to report? COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF JONES: Comrade Department Commander, for the purpose of introducing this resolution, I am going to ask Comrade Fagan to assume that his motion has not been the resolution that I am going to ask unanimous consent to present is in relation to events which have occurred in the organi aztion in the past two months, and I feel that there will be no objection to it by anybody. COMRADE FAGAN (No. 1): I would like to be strictly formal so that no one else may ask for unanimous consent, but I move that we permit the Commander-in-Chief to present his resolution so that it will be regularly done. The motion was duly seconded, and after some discussion the Department Commander called for a vote, and announced the motion carried. COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF JONES: Comrade Department Commander, with your permission I will present the resolution: WHEREAS, The Almighty God in His wisdom has called to His own our late Commander-in-Chief Comrade Carl C. Van Dyke who departed from this life in Washington, D. C., at 1:20 A. M., May 2th, 1919, and WHEREAS, Through his death the United Spanish War Veterans have lost an honored and loyal Comrade who by his freely given Comradeship, his sterling integrity and his warm generosity had woven for himself a wreath of our golden opinions; now therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Sixteenth Annual Encampment of the Department of New York, United Spanish War Veterans, in session assembled in the City of New Rochelle, New York, on this 14th day of July, 1919, tender to the bereaved widow and family of our late Comrade its most sincere condolence, and be it further RESOLVED, That as a mark of our love and respect to the memory of our late Comrade in arms this Encampment shall rise and for a period of two minutes pay a silent tribute and offer a prayer that he may be enjoying the reward of his many sacrifices upon this earth; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of these resolutions be spread in full upon the minutes of this Encampment and a copy be sent to the bereaved widow to show the appreciation of the Department of New York, U. S. W. V., of the life work given to our beloved organization by the esteemed Comrade who has entered into that great army of the Supreme Commander above. COMRADE RIGNEY (No. 4): I move, sir, that the regular order of business be suspended. and that the resolution just read be regardad as the first order of business. COMRADE MURPHY (No. 1): I second the motion. The Department Commander after calling for a vote announced the motion carried. DEPARTMENT COMMANDER GANNON: The question before us now is on the adoption of the resolution. COMRADE CULLINANE (No. 46): I move the adoption of the resolution. COMRADE BOURKE (No. 2): I second the motion. The Department Commander after calling for a vote announced the motion carried, and the assembled delegates arose and stood at attention for a period of two minutes. DEPARTMENT COMMANDER GANNON: We will now have the report of the Committee on Credentials. CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEE ON CREDENTIALS: The Committee on Credentials reports 149 delegates as qualifying. PAST DEPARTMENT COMMANDER CUNNINGHAM: I move that the report of the Credentials Committee that 149 delegates have qualified be received, and that the Committee be continued in power and make a final report on Wednesday morning on or before the balloting for candidates for election. I would also embody in that that it be the first order of business on Wednesday morning; that the final report of the Committee on Credentials be received as the first order of business on Wednesday morning. COMRADE BEERWALD (No. 103): I second the motion. COMRADE SHINN (No. 43): I would like to make an amendment to that motion, that that Committee do not report until ten minutes before the balloting takes place, for the reason that many comrades who will be up here on Wednesday may not get here before noon, and if the hour is set for balloting it seems to me that ten minutes before that would be the proper time to receiver the report of the Committee. COMRADE STALL (No. 21): I second the motion. COMRADE O'ROURKE (No. 20): To my mind a resolution of that kind is not necessary and I think it is out of order. Any man coming here as a regular delegate can vote if he presents his credentials even when the roll call for balloting is in progress. DEPARTMENT COMMANDER GANNON: I think the point of order is well taken, but it seems to me there should be some specified time for voting. Even while the balloting is going on somebody may come in and want to vote. So there ought to be a time for the Credential Committee to make their final report. COMRADE FAGAN (No. 1): I move as an amendment to the amendment that the final report of the Credential Committee be made on Wednesday morning just preceding the balloting for candidates. It is almost the same as the other motion but it gets us somewhere as to when they should render a report. COMRADE CULLINANE (No. 46): We have got to have some designated time to limit the man registering as a delegate. As Comrade Fagan says, "to precede |