New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-02-27
BY-GONES FOR ONE.

| OF Vermont, III his opposition W .ho piii si"A.'
ing pensions to soldiers and sailors OF the
Mexican and Indian wars. or rather In the
grounds of his opposition, THE TRIBUNE falls
| 70 see any violation of the rules OF g0od taste
or propriety. or any reasonable cause OF
offence for the late members OF the COnfed-
crate Army now in Congress, in that gentle
| mans criticism Of tho BILL that it placed Con-
| fedcrate soldiers who fought in those wars on
| n better footing than the Union soldiers VINO
| fought in the war of the rebellion. The OBJ
lection, if not conclusive, Is perfectly lar
one. and entirely legitimate to the argument.
1t was a natural comparison between TWO
classes of pensioners; it was suggested by the
provisions of the bill and it would have been
very strange under the circumstances II II hau
not come up during the discussion. we tall
to see in 1t any prOvOcation for the lofty ana
somewhat arrogant manner III when MI
Gooda of Virginia took it upon himself TO
administer censure to tho Vermont representa-
tive or any excuse for the coarse taunt OF
Mr.. Crttenden, OF Missouri, in his inquiry
where Mr.. joyce himself was during the war
Of the rebellion. The question was very
promptly answered for Mr.. Joyce by
Mr.. Townsend, of Ncw-YOrk, who informed
the Missouri knight -errant that he WAS an
honorable officer OF the Union Army, serving
his country, so that tho taunt only recolled
upon its author. Whether Mr.. Joyce had
served III the army or not, the question was
irrelevant and impairment, and not less so
were both the matter and manner OF Mr.
Goodies passionate Outburst Here is prOp0-
siti0n to pension the soldiers in the Mexican
War; war in which. for reasons familiar TO
every student of history and politics, the
Southern States furnished a very large ma
iority of the volunteers. There has been an
other war since then, in which many of the
survivors of the former were in arms against
the Government to which they now look for pen
sions. That war has left, also, large numbers
of pensioners upon the Government, and their
relations to it as its wards have been defined
by statute. The first was undertaken at
the instance of the slavcholding States, with
n view of extending their territory and In
crcasing their power. The second was sue
ccssfully waged against the revolt which the
slaycholdng States had thus strengthened
themselves to make. The present proposition,
as Mr. Joyce views it, is to give the preference
in the distribution of the Government bounties
Tor IulIuIul hl'lCc W tIit Hul'i''io VI WV
first war. Is it at all strange that a repre-
sentative of a Northern State should, under
such circumstances, institute comparison be-
tween the two and protest against such favor
itsmf
But Mr.. Goodc cries out that he is surprised
at such extraordinary behavior; that he can
not believe any other member OF the House
would do such an infamous thing. and that the
gentleman from Vermont must stand alone in
opDo,iny the bill Oh such grounds. He calls
it Visiting punishment on Mexican veterans"
because they "took sides with the South in
1.-THE late civil war" and then he pays a glowing
tribute to the Mexican veterans who paid
:" their tlxes bore their due proportion of the
burdens of the government and performed
all the duties of good citizens" These vet
crans. he added, with the sneer which used to
be so common before 1861 in the mouths Of
Southern members OF Congress. and Is rapid
~ coming again into fashion, would be
found as ready to respond to the call of the
country in similar emergency as they were
in 1916. and would not be found behind
1.-THE constituents of the gentleman from Yer
"mont, Is they had not been found behind
them ut Palo Alto. Rcsaca de la Palma,
Bucna Vista, Monterey. Cerro Gor'lo, Churu
busco aud all the battle fields of Mexico which
American proweSS and valor had illustrated
land made famous" All of which is the ut
tcrmOst bosh and nonsense. Because MIR. Joyce
protests in giving the preference III the award
of pensions To men who, whatever may be said
in their favor must be admitted, in the light Of
cold and impartial truth. to have borne arms
hn (,,vprpmaut whose bonutV thpV
scck-ovcr the men who fought against them
and for the Goyernmcnt-brcausc he disputes
the Justice Of such discrimination, this
Virginia orator says he is "yisiting pun
"ishment upon the Mexican veterans" for
taking sides with the South i'll the late
war. We do not know how many of the
Confederate brigadcrs in this Congress agree
with Mr.. G0Odc in this view of the case,
but we venture to say that no man at the
North. or in the South, or anywhere else, could
understand his proposed discrimination in IA
vor of the Mexican veterans OF the Conlcder-
ate service rs anything else but punishment of
the Union soldiers who took sides with the Gov
eminent in the late unhappy civil war. That is
tho foot on which the shoe pinches. 1t is all
very well for these gentlemen to uSo their fine
rhetoric about the burial of differences and
the era of reconciliation and the blooming of
Spring flowers over fields that have been
trampled by the red fiery hoof of war; 1t
sounds, pretty. Bat when we find them Selling
every opportunity, by all methods, direct and
indirect, to aggrandze themselves and their
section, to pay rebel claims and rcpudiate the
National debt, to elevate the Confederate and
put down the Union soldier. to ennoble service
for the lost cause and disgrace loyal and
faithful men, we cannot help slspectng that
their letting by-gones be by-gones is purely
n matter of preaching to us, and not in any