The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-05-27
HOnOrlng the Dea0 Heroes and
Cheating the Living Ones.

The Philadelphia DAILY Neacs, after speak
ing in commendatory terms Of the beautiful
custom of decorating the graves of those
brave men who sacrificed their lives to pre-
serve the honor and integrity of this great
nation, thus refers to the gross injustice done
to the surviving soldiers by that party which
promised 30 much when men were wanted
to fill up our depleted armies:
But what of the living braves2 Those
countless numbers that breasted the storm of
iron hail through the Wilderness" and
yet escaped, or those who traced their way
down from Atlanta to the Sea, rearing the
old stars and stripes at every point of their
approach from whence they had been strck-
ell down those gallant spirits that stood
upon the decks of cur gun-boats. or in the
suffocating heat Of the iron-cladS, poureti
out swift retributiOn on the men who were
seeking the destruction Of our Government.
What of these who still survive Traverse
the avenues of our great cities, and you mud
them, with the single hand that remains,
grinding hand-organ, and thus soliciting
aims from each passer-by; or journeying
over the country, and passing through ham
let and village, how many OF them do you
find but single degree moved from pauper-
care not, and the solemn pledges Of the Gov
ernment mace to them violated with the
same impunity that marks the pagan's reck-
less disregard of his word 1t is not, Of
course. to be expected that the Government
can fully provide for all who fought her bat
ties and still survive, but every principle of
morality, OF honor, and even Gecency, de-
mands that the faith that was pledged to
the man before entering the army, shall be,
IN 80 far as practicable, redeemed
.'In 1851 the then Director Of the United
States Mint, Mr.. James r IS Snowden, is
sued from that establishment the following
circular
"MIST OF THs UNITED STATEs.-PHIL-
ADELPHIA, April %, l66l.-Referring to
the recent proclamation of the President
Of the United States. respecting the en-
! ployment Of troops for the defence of the
| Capitol, the Directors makes the following
! regulations
81. Any person employed in the Mint.
subject to the appoin ntment of the Director
| who has volunteered, or may volunteer, to
serve in the army, will, the expiration
Of his service, be re-employed in the posi-
/ tion be now occupies.
-. ~ roll of persons, to whom this order
will apply, will he kept by the Directors
clerk. Signed.
JAMES Ross SSOwpEN.
director Of the Mint"
F'Now let us recur to a case occurring un-
der this order, and see If we do not convict
the GoycI cInment, or rather, one of its { fl
Gals. of cheating and defraudiug our living
| braves. Mr. James Crussen was, at the
time this letter was issued, an employee in
the Mint, and, having notified Mr. Snowdea
Of his determination to act under it, and
join the army of the Union he received from
the Director very complimentary letter
enclosing c"py of the order quoted. AT
the close Of the war Mr. c. returned to his
home. and was, in good faith. reinstatel by
| Director Miilward. Bat a few weeks since,
Pollock was again inducted into Office as
Director of the Mint. and, with a cool disre
gard of the pledged faith of his predecessor.
and of the Government through him, with
single sweep of his magnificent rm he dccap-
itated every soldier tnat had been appointed
by Directors Miliward and Linderman, Mr..
Crossen among the rest. Shall We, in the
immediate view of the decoration which is
to take place tomorrow week, declare all these
professions of honor for living soldiers, and
reverence for the dead ones, hypocrisy q
The decor alton is a cheap service, and this
creature Pollock will doubtless be engaged
in it, for he is ever on the alert for means
of manufacturing 'bumcOmb' for his own
benefit. But will his utterances not choke
him when he again gets up to talk about
'our gallant dead or to pirate Of the services
rendered by the brave men who constituted
the various armies Of the Union 1t costs
but little to go through the motions of dis.
tributing these flowers, but to observe good
faith toward the living representatives of
principle which one has and is still abusing,
requires something Of courage which cow
ards are strangers to. Alas that whilst
hoEoring the dead soldier, we should delib-
erately cheat and defraud the living one."