Tri-weekly journal., 1847-06-15
% Cents a day for the Soldier, and $500 a
day for Congressman.

day for Congressman.
1t lisa great outrage-as great an outrage as
was ever done or suffered--that the government
of the United States, with nrivalled sources
of wealth, and revenues ample for every pur-
pose, paying its members of Congress EIGHT
DOLLARS day and its other civil officers in
proportion, should require its people, who are
neither serfs nor slaves, but free and indepen-
dent citizens, capable, the poorest of them,
of accommodating at least a competency in
few brief years at their own pleasant homes
and in the sweet pursuits of peace, to abandon
those homes and repair to foreign and death
dealing cline to fight the battles of an aggressive
war, and return to their families, if happily
even that fortunate, with constitutions broken
down by disease, and wounded and MANNED for
life, for the paltry pittance, which it is lie to
term lragcs, doled out to them under the pre-
sent laws, by the Government Paymaster.-
Were our soil invaded or our liberties endanger-
ed this great wrong might be borne, as it has
been borne, without murmlr. But when the
only object of the war, apparent to the people. is
the conquest of territory which is not needed,
and the only one avowed by the Government
the conquest of peace which ought not to
have been broken, to exact from the patriotism
of our citizens their services for less than one
half of what the commonest day laborer can
earn at home, is gross and cruel imposition,
for which those who are responsible should be
held to a strict and stern account.
We conversed on Sunday with three dischar-
ged soldiers from the battle field Of Cerro Gordo.
They were all citizens Of this State. and one
of them member of Captain fuckers compa-
ny, a large portion of which was recruited in
this place. They had each of them lost limb
in that disastrous field-one his right arm, and
the other two leg each. They had been con-
fined for several weeks in the hospitals at Vera
Cruz and Jalapa, paid off upon their arrival in
New Orleans at the rate Of SEVEN DOLLARS A
MONTH minus their Suffers bills, and were thus
far on their way to their homes, with dismem-
bered frames, shattered constitutions, and the
chilling prospect before them of lives of pen
ury, wretchedness and dependence. Their de-
scription of their restitution and suffering in
the Mexican hospitals was heart-rending.-
Without a dime with which to obtain the
slightest comfort they lay for weeks upon their
hard couches of anguish, undergoing every con-
ceivable privation, and upon being turned out
Of the hospital, were literally feeced by those
vultures under Government protection, the
Suffers, for even the decencies of life. One of
them had on a pair of cotton pantaloons, such
as can be bought here for 81 ,25, for which he
was compelled TO give an army Sutler at Vera
Cruz an order upon the paymaster for $685.
But with all their hard fortune, and ill treat
ment, these brave fellows bore up Justify
They complained of nothing but the nigardly
pay of the Government, and the extortion of
the Government Suffers, which left them no.
thing to show for their hard service, as one OF
them observed in our hearing. but their ampu-
tated limbs, and their certificates of honorable
discharge.
This, we repeat it, is great National wrong,
and ought to be atoned for. The Government,
which pays at least its full value for every other
sort Of service has no right to ask or expect the
poor soldier to hazard his person and life in for
eign war for less pay than he would receive as
common day laborer at home. This ''sixpence
a-day" system for the pay of the soldier, is one
derived from countries where the people are
slaves, and compelled to do the bidding OF
their masters. 1t is out of place in this land
Of freedom and equal rights. If the Govern
ment can afford to pay its members of Congress:
eight dollars day for keeping alive the polit
ical strifes of the country for their own benefit
it can afford to pay the man who fights the
Buena Vistas and Cerro Gordos of his country
something like the market value for his time
This the friends of the present Administration
in Congress, with our late Representative, Mr.
Owen, among them, have refused even to ap
: proximate. On the Goth of May, 1916, the,
voted down proposition to increase the pitt
full pay of the soldier the pitiful sum of tire
dollars month. LET THAT VOTE BE REMEM
BERED!
O-Robert Dale Owens pay as member O
/ II Il