The National tribune., 1882-08-26

their claims prior to July l, 1880. This is one
of the rankest pieces OF injustice any Congress
ever peTpetratcd upon free people. Ihe ma
.jority of those who volunteered and went into
the Union army did so from patriotic prlncl-
pies, and not from mercenaIy motives, tor, a1
the beginning of the WAY, the wages OF the prl-
Yate soldiers were only twelve or thirteen dol
lars per month and this Was paid in deprecated
currency, which was worth only about 3It cents
on the dollar, according TO the gold standard,
which made the soldiers pay only about Siz or
80 per month. The Government, towards tho
close of the war, began so see that she was noG
paying her defenders enough. and begun PEN
sioning her invalid soldiers according to their
injuries which were received in the line of duty,
paying them from date of ftherapplication. Now
If one invalid soldier had right to file his claim
for pension whenever he saw fit and proper. ve
maintain that all had the same right. Tho
FOrty-slXth Congress pretended to be very
patriotic and wonderfully sOlicitous Of tho
rights OF invalid ex-Union soldiers and passed.
the bill, of which we are complaining. entitled
tho "arrcarage of pension " act, which amOngitS
provisions compelled all applicants to file their
claims on or before July /, 1850, or else forfeit
their right to pension from date of disability
or discharge. All applications for pension
filed since July l, 1850, only receive pay from
date of application, although they served the
Government just as long and hard as their
more favored comrades. They fought just rs
hard endured the tolls and hardshipS of camp
life, were in just as many battles, were just AZ
severely wounded and possibly as badly in
jurcd but, because they failed to file their
claims prior to that particular date they are
left without the benefits which their more
lucky comrades enjoy. This arrearage pension
law was passed on the 25th of January, 1879,
and it was either a right and just measure, or
it wrong and piece of great injustice. If
it was wrong, the Congress which passed the
swindling the Govern ment out of hundreds Of
millions of dollars, and in giving it to ex-
Union soldiers to whom it did not owe a far
thing beyond what they were receiving under
the old pension laws which were not limited.
If it were a just and righteous law why limit
it? Why limit justice? Why limit right? 1t was
done by design for the express purpose of cut
ting out these 53, 7S9 claimants who filed their
applications since July 1, 1856. orwhO may here
after apply thus swindlng them out of their
just dues. have written to several of our
Representatives in Congress tthis season. and
they all admit the injustice of the limit in the
law, but have thus far failed TO move its repeal.
As friends of the eX-UniOn soldier, let us urge
this matter before Congress- so that this un iuSt
limit to the pension law may be removed.
Then all the soldiers, even as they shared the
tolls and perils alike, may also share the
bounty of the Government alike, for every
one must see the injustice which is being
done to the invalied soldier who filed his
claim prior to July l. 1880. l am an ex-Union
soldier, and q friend to them ALL and l want
equal and exact justice to all.
THOMAS S. BROOKS.