Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-04-22
Something on the Pension Business.

business a little. About that time
there was a correspondence between
a Grant county farmer and the
Commissioner of Pensions relative to
soldier who was reported to have
kept a wound in the bottom of his
foot irritated by wearing button
in it. The Commissioner set aside
all merits in the question with the
simple admitted assertion that the
man was wounded. What happened
Observation-Disclosures the wound was
nursed to keep it open or to heal it
was not for him to consider. Our
Grant county farmer replied under
date of June, 1879 as follows:
Lancaster, Wis, Jane 20, 1879.
To tie Commissioner Of Pensions, Washington,
d. c.
sit seems to me that the climax OF
injustice 10 capped in this pension
business, whether ayoidable or not.
You ought to know better than do
know that there are thousands as
undeservaDt as --- who
are pensioned. / name him because
| know him, and / know he is not
disabled by the wound. But for
nearly year some good soldier had
to wait on him and stand guard for
him and over him, and stand in the
ranks and fight his battles for him
while he was nursing bis brass but
ton disability out of harms way and
laughing ia has aloavo to aee how
nicely'he was Sinking bis duty onto
some one else and drawing his ra-
lions aud i'll gotten pay. For such
service he gets pension, back pay
and all. And it makes him a fight.
ing hero. He says he can whip any
one who dares to expose him worse
than he whipped the confederates
and be swears vengeance on me for
the part | have taken in it.
And DR. A. said that the
one who divuIgad it ought to be
shot. Every Copperhead said that
every Union soldier ought to be shot.
But threatened dog never dies.
Now let US look on the other side.
Samuel C.Ransom, a neighbor OF (the
button pensioner) was three years
in Company Q, goth Regiment, Wis.
Vol. During that time he contracted
the chronic diarrhea. But, sick or
well, he stood to bis duty like a
good soldier. He was honorably
discharged at the end Of the war.
He came home and was for seven
years unable to do anything to pro.
vide for a dependent family and
is far from being we'll now. Leon.
ard f. Ransom of the same com.
pany, a healthy able. bodied young
man, after the fall of Vicksburg
wrote to me, saying: "This is
a great victory. I am thank
full that l was permitted to add my
poor mite toward gaining so great a
victory for my country" He came
home at the end of the war with an
honorable discharge, and he has not
been nor 10 he now able to labor
much to provide for a needy family.
And you must know that there are
many in like circumstances. Iname
these because | know them and know
what | say to he true. Yet the
faithfulness of these men bars them
from pension while the very sneak
ishness of the (button mem secure it
to them. Can anything be more in
fernalP To add to its beauty the
very bread is taken out of the faith.
full soldiers children's mouths for
taxes to pension these fellows. Is it
any wonder that the true soldier be
gins to feel degraded, belittlsd and
bemeaned by these things? Take
care that some Hercules shall not rise
among them, who shall turn the Styx
of public Indignation through the
Augean stable and not only clean it
of the excrement but sweep the cat.
tie with it. IF that shall be it will
take something more than re DOM.
mend from professed surgeon, hav-
ing in view munifcent share OF a
muniGcent bounty bestowed on mu-
nificent sneaks by munifcsnt gov
eminent supported by muni6cent
tax levied on muni6cent people, to
secure pension. Suppose all the
Union soldiers had been-(but.
ton men) where would now be the
Vicksburgs, the Gettysburgs, the At
lantas and Appomattoxes?
1t seems to me this whole pension
business is only race for votes.
Those are favored whose votes can
be bought. The Southern Brigaders
favor pensions and back pay because
they are, as they ever were, ready
to lick out the spittoons of their
Southern lords and masters, and the
Republicans must not seem remiss in
showing their good will to the sol
der, but dare not be just And the
Greenbackers are willing to adopt
anything that may seem to promise
to them place.
These things will not last always.
Some of the hardest hits in the
original letter are not published and
the name Of the principal character
is omitted. For publication fcti.
tious character might as we'll have
been taken. The point is that many
undsservlng persons get pensions
and many do not get them who
should. The views expressed in the
above letter are radical and they
are entertained by hosts of radical
war men who have been quiet on
that and other subjects because as
yet other difficulties have not been
removed preparatory to better re-
form.
A New Railroad TO Galena-Sale of
the Narrow Gauge