North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1866-04-18
TRUTH FROM THE RECORD OF 'e4
SHODDY AGAINST THE PRIVATE
SOLDIER.
Clymer for the So ldier.

The disunion press is full ofHes in re-
gard to the action of Democratic Senators
in 1884, before the Senate was organized.
After It's organization, viz, OIL. n.the 3Oth of
March 1865, Senator Hopkins offered the
following resolution (see Record, page
1868
Resolved, That the Committee on Fed
eral Relations be instructed to bring in a
Joint resolution instructing our Senators
and requesting our Representatives in Con-
gress to vote for law requiring the pay
ments of non commissioned officers and
privates in the service of the United States
in coin or its equivalent.
Upon this resolution Senator CIymer,
now the Democratic candidate for Govern.
or, spoke as follows (see Record, page
$50: y
I did not know, sir, that the Senator
from Washington (Mr. Hopkins,) was
about to offer resolution Of this kind had
l been aware of this fact | might have
been able to form more correct judgment
as to his intentions in so doing,
JUSTICE TO THE SOLDIER.
Iprepume he designed to perform an
act of simple justice to those who, on the
tented field, are struggling for the mainten-
ance ofthis government. He himselfintends
to place this meritorious class of our fellow
citizens, so far as relates to their pay, upon
a footing with those sleek, well-paid, we'll
fed, truly loyal and most discreet gentle
men who, in this time of trial, are idling
sunny hours in the courts of Europe as our
foreign ministers, while the soldier is en-
during the pains, the trials and the dan
gers of campaign. Contemplate the
picture the one class clothed in purple
and paid IN gold; the other clad in home
spun and paid in greenbacks the one sur
rounded by all the luxury which gold can
buy; the other in their individual persons
and in their families, enduring all the want
and misery which paper money ever ent2iis!
An unprejudiced observer, sir, would not,
it seems to me, be likely to attribute any
sinister or improper motive to one who at
tempts to equalize in some degree the con-
dition of these two classes. Surely, sir,
the disparity between one hundred and
sixty dollars year-the wages of the SOL
dier paid in greenbacks-and the salaries
of our foreign ministers, ranging from sew
en- to twenty thousand a year, paid in gold,
is of such magnitude that it should not be
"disloya!" to attempt to equalize it.
TALK AND NO WORK.
TIE mo, sir, it is strange passing strange,
that those who profess so much love for
the sol Ter, who are eternally parading
them selves as the "solders' friends" who
would make the soldier believe that every
one outside the pale OF their political COM
muniOn is his enemy, whose whole stock
in trade is to yell that they are loyal -
ana to boast that they love the soldier bet
ter than wife or child, should here to-day
resist proposition so fair and just. BY
your deeds YOU shall be tried. Honeyed
words of fattery cost nothing. To sustain
this resolution and the enactment of ITS
purpose into law, might impose some
Slight additional taxation upon your "loyal'
gentleman, and that would cost something
You cannot afford that Oh no Fulsome
nraisc, laudaton without stint-that you
can give, it is in your line but when the
soldier asks for the means wherewith to
sunnlp his wife and little ones with the
bare necessaries of life--which, owing to
the vicious system of huances iDaugurated
by Republican rulers, hrve beeE raised to
fabulous prices-you turn your back upon
him and brand at " disloyal" every maj
who dares to advocate his claims. That
is a species of disloyalty of which /, for
one, am neither ashamed nor afraid. If it
be ''disloyal' to stand by, guard, protect
and defend the poor and humble against
the rich and powerful; to be in favor of the
soldier rather than OF the shoddy contract
or, then am disloyal. 1t is kind of
disloyalty of which you, gentlemen on the
Republican side, will never be accused by
those who know you. Where the spoils
are, there will your hearts be also.
UsURPATIoN OF TIE SENATE.
Possibly, sir, the Senator from Wash
ington offered the resolution with an addi-
tional motive-that was, to relieve himself,
and those who act with him politically,
from the base and unfounded charge that
We were opposed to an increase of the pay
of the soldier. When this Senate was un-
organized, as we then believed, and as you
subsequently admitted by proceeding to
elect speaker, resolution vas offered on
the opposite side of this chamber, instruct
inc our Senators and requesting our Rep
resentatives in Congress, to vote for bill
increasing the pay of the soldiers. We
then voted against it, as under similar Cir
cumstances we would to-day. We told
you then that by no vote of ours would
we ever recognize your high-handed act
of usurpation. We told you we would
vote against any and every resolution, even
should you offer one asserting the divinity
of cd himself We stood nm for q nrin-