The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-04-06
HAYES ON THE MEXICAN VETERANS.

Mr.. Congressman Haycs-our Mr.. Hayes
kindly sends us a copy OF his speech on tn
bill to pension the surviving soldiers of tn
Mexican war, and greatly as it may stagger tn
creduliy of our readers, we fearlessly state tina
we have read it. We find that Mr. Hayes op
poses the bill in question on the ground tina
il proposes to grant the same pension to MeXi
can soldiers who took arms or whose Sympa
thies were on the side Of the late rebellion as L
those who stood loyal. The argument, though
long enough to fill three or four columns of the
FREE TRADER is all contained in the follow
| ing brief extract
| What, sir, has il come to this in this land
that a man can prove traitor TO his Government
can unite with Others in making war upon thai
! Government, can put forth his utmost cnucaV
Ors for years to destroy that Government ana
them after he has been overcome ana forced
! into submission, can turn around and demand
us a right that he be made a pensiOncr upon
the bounty of the Government which he did
his utmost TO destroy?
Herein it strikes us Mr.. Hayes, as truly
loyal and consistent republican, is slightly OIL
|
times, as it were. The question Of Furnishing
the rebels, if our memory serves Us, was dis.
posed of at least dozen of years ago. Judge
Douglas, even before the rebellion expressed
the opinion that the Union would not be en-
trely safe until there were some hangings for
treason, but after traitors by the million turned
up, and the very head and front and cmbodi,
ment of the treason was captured in the person
of jeff Davis, it was curious TO note that the
furious leaders on the other side-cvcn Old
Zach Chandler himself, who 50 grimly insisted
during the whole contest on more bloodetting
suddenly lost all their eagcrness to hang the
rebel leaders for treason. The question OBJ
truded itself, if Davis, and Lee, and Longstreet,
and the rest, were guilty of treason in taking
up arms TO dissolve the Union, then were not
those equally guilty who had-likc Banks
preached in favor of "letting the Union slidc;"I
or like Wendell Phillips, snecrcd at the pco-
pies idolatrous worship of the Cnion;' orr
like Logan, enlisted men to fight against the
Union? At all events the SUPERFICIAL rcpub.
lican congress and cabinet never dared to bring
even jeff. Davis TO trial, to say nothing Of the
smaller fry. ON the contrary, in less than two
years after the fall Of Richmond, loyal con
yress enacted a law declaring general amnes.
iy or forgiveness to all except a few leaders,
and since then even these one by one, or in
patches of dozen, have been granted amnesty
)r full pardon, so that there is not an unpar,
Toned rebel left. Yet now comes our Mr.
Hayes, ObliviOus apparently of his countrys
history for the past twelve years and waking
rom RIP Van WInkle sleep, bethnks him.
% punish the rebels. and the way to do it is F.
o exclude them from the pension roll of the
Mexican veterans! Too late alas altogether
90 late Gordon and Hill are in the senate
he house counts i'll It's membership a dozen or
more Of rebel brgadicrs. Longstreet has been
m administration pet for years and that hOary
Old rebel James Madison Wells has become
the republican Warwick. Thus by SUPERFICIAL
and completely bloody treason
flourishcs over our heads" yet ignoring these.
this survivor Of the "seven sleepers," our Mr.
Hayes, proposes now to begin furnishing trca
SON. and to do II scratching from the pension
roll Il few agewithered, rheumatic, whcczy
crippled, helpless septen and octogcnarian sur
vivorS Of the Mexican war or the war of 1872
because though most of them were too old and
helpless TO take part in the rebellion-yet hap.
pcned to live on that side of the line orsympa
Ihiscd with it--and in the face of the fact, too
that the oilensc, such as it was, has long ago
been by solemn act of congress fully condoncd
and pardoned. Supcranuated long
ago, Mr.. Hayes; your argument don't begin
10 hold water.