The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-03-15
Robbiug the soldiers.

tbSCbACA AnbO OnC DOllbiCdl kfdNos
Robbing the soldiers.
II the Republican party has any special
stock In trade that they have used to adj
vantage in every election since the close
of the war, and indeed during the wsr, 1t
has been their professed devotion to the
soldiers. There has been no state or ma
tional convention held anywhere, with
out some specious balderdash about the
defenders of the country meritiDg the ap-
probation Of the nation, and needing the
fostering csrs of that party. In
this state the party has made
Senator Morton an idol aud periodically
rendered peans of praise to him as the SOL
dier's friend. The republican party, by
their representatives in congress, have,
upon suitable occasions. passed resolutions
in recognition of the services of soldiers
and sailors and the service of the govern
ment. This is all well enough and was
merited, and would have been commends-
able in that party if these platform resolu-
tions were not mere bald hypocrisy. This
is proven by the facts now being devel
OPO1s ~ 10 VOL AhOW III bhas 0AabFy 90
a general, really cared nothing
for the lives of the soldiers
under him, and that in the prosecution OF
the plans of his campaign, the prob
able loss of five or ten thousand men in
proposed battle had no sort of respect il
the end proposed might be accomplished
by the sacrifice. So. too, in the general
Mo, Of tho y,rosaout;o,, NJ tho wor II ;s
well known that the policy OF refusing to
exchange prisoners caused hundreds and
thousands OF our soldiers to languish long
in Southern prisons, while policy that had
real respect 10 the soldiers good would
have provided for exchange, and relieved
them from suffering.
But the Republican party, not withstand
ing their utter disregard of the real good
of the soldiers, have never failed in these
paper resolutions, especially at time
when their votes have been useful in per-
petusting the power of the leaders OF that
party. Nothing shows more clearly their
hypocrisy than the late developments at
Washington. It is now clear, be-
yond all doubt, that the presi-
dent has had guilty knowledge Of
the general commerce in post-trsderships,
with brotherly kindness informing Orville
OF probable vacancies and changes, giving
him as well as others. like Marsh, an OPP
portunity of farming out, for an annual
stipend, the positions to unprincipled
bribers, who have fiseced the soldiers of
the nation who were forced to buy
them, by enormous prices for everything
they purchased. Protest after protest has
been made by the soldiers, and
in many cases by the officers,
but without relief No officer who hoped
for promotion dared to brave his superiors
and follow up his complaints, because it
appeared a useless sacrifice of himself
without relief to his command, and thus
the fraud has gone on from year to year,
and the defenders of the nation, the pro-
tectors of the frontier men, have been reg
ulsrly fleeced to put thousands and thous-
ands of dollars into the pockets of scoun-
drels and go-betweens, to whom the pres
ident has given the disposition of these
places.
After these developments we wonder II
the party will have the effrontery any
where to talk or resolve about being
friends to the soldiers. Will they marshal
divisions and regiments agein in camps
and conventions and regale them, as was
done here last fall, with partisan political
speeches, and tell them that the
Republican party is the peculiar
champion of the soldiers? II so,
every man who wore the army blue
should rise up with indignation and rspel
the insult. The party that paid the SOL
diers in deprecated currency and the
bondholders at home in gold, deserves
nothing at the hands of the nations de-
tenders. The soldiers can scarcely be led
up to the polls to vote to sustain men In
power who only regard their interests by
resolutions and platform plsnks. Those
who have fought the battles of the
country will not be satisfied with such
treatment. They will not be led about as
cattle, to do the bidding of party, which
has sold out for q price the right to prey
upon their comrades yet in the service.
They will rather repel with just scorn
every hypocritical appeal that is made In