The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-01-04
Remarkable Statements.

FROM me New 1OfR Evening Post.
At the late New England dinner in this
city, Rev. DIR. Bellows, President of the
United States Sanitary Commission, made
some statements which are particularly
worthy of note. He says f -
mo less than thirteen millions of money
''passed through his hands for the relief of
''the widows and orphans of the brave men
''who fought these battles in the late strug-
'tgle. He would state circumstance that
'.would scarcely be believed unless it came
from authority, that no less than ninety
''per cent. of the army who fought through
''out the war were purely American He
''dia not think bis friend the President of the
''St. Patrick Society, would be obliged to
''him for this statement, but it was never
'theless the truth, and if his worthy friend
''was chagrined with the statement, he
''would say to him it is so; but let the Lon
''don Times put that fact in it's pipe and
t'smoke it. More than that, more than
''ninety per cent. of the claims of
wounded soldiers and soldiers widows aud
''Orphans came from those Of foreign birth.
Gle did not say this TO rehec: upon the
"gallautry and loyalty and bravery of the
| chad so nohly fought for the Union and the
country they had adopted. He merely
/ s'did it at /. this time-at the close of tile
''great events. through which they had pass
''ed-to vindicate the character and patriot
ism of the native element, and to disabuse
''those powers abroad who imagined or
''wished to please themselves or their sub
'jects with the idea that the great Ameri-
''can struggle and the great victory which
I ''closed it was achieved by the foreign ee-
''ment in the country. This was not so -
with all thanks and gratitude to the Irish
German and othsr elements that entered
Into the struggle, he was bound to make
this declaration at the present time"
In these statements will be found suf-
ficient reply to the English journals which
have had the audacity to assert that our
war for the Union was fought by foreign
ers hired for the purpose. The proportion
1 of adopted citizens in our army was per-
haps as great as we could have expected,
for it was not to be expected that the head
of an Irish or German family just arrived
would leave his wife and children who de-
pended on his daily labor, and enroll him
self as asoldier to tight for institutions the
blessings Of which he hadIsearce had time to
/ experience and in behalf of which he could
therefore he expected to feel no great en-
thusiasm. But the great truth that the
Union was defended and the rebellion put
down by men born and brought up under
our institutions remains an established fact,
honorable both to them ana to the country
), Tor which so many of them nobly laid down
their lives,
i The other point-that small as was the
proportion of men of foreign birth who went
as volunteers into the service, ninety in a
hundred claims for relief made by wounded
soldiers and the widows and orphan children
J, of soldiers, have come from persons of for
eign birth-is, perhaps even more remarka
ble. 1t shonl,! be observed. as III part ac
4 counting for this, that the elHigrant in thi
: country is generally a poor man, aud mas "a
Il relatives who might contribute to his sup
/ port or provide him with occupation -bu
: even making that allowance. the fact stated
: by DIR Bellows demonstrates the superiorit,
: OF our institutions over those of the nlonar
r chies of the Old World in rearing up a self
. reliant race of men, full of resources, unwil
3 ling to depend Gu charity, and ingenious il
devising the means of dispensing with it
a aid.