The National tribune., 1882-12-28
Happy New Year!

/ This is the last issue Of THE NATIONAL
/ TRIBUNE for 1972 Somewhere in its jour
! ney across the continent it will witness the
( death of the old year and the incoming OF
I the new, hut long ere it reaches its occi-
dental readers its Happy New Year" will
have become a stale and thrcadbare greeting.
/ But that must needs be so, since the close OF
the year finds THE TRIBUNE going to more
than nine thousand post-oitices, while its
picket-lines extend without a break from
he Atlantic to the Pacific coast, and such CT
our subscribers as do not receive TIE TRIB-
UNE until a week or more after its publica-
lion must not think on that account that
hey have been forgotten by the editor III
the general exchange of good wishes. He
prays that this may prove a happy new year
10 them all, happier than any of its prede-
ccssors, and as happy as anyone could desire.
And what Will make it happy? Not
merely abundant harvests, nor prosperous
trade, nor thriving industries, for plenty
and happiness do not go always hand in
hand. At this very moment, when the
country is more prosperous than ever before,
when ii is at peace with the world and itself,
and when the payment Of the Governments
bonded indebtedness and the re-establsh
ment of the currency on a specie basis are
40 longer subjects OF public anxiety, there
are those who would have the Government
repudiate its remaining obligations and deny
TO the soldier the justice which ii rendered
without question 10 the bondholder. 1t is
the recognition of these obligations by Con
gress, despite of this opposition, that viii
make the new year a happy one to our
readers.
But how can this be brought about:
Now, rs year ago, that is the question
which Is uppermOst in the minds of our ex-
soldiers, and we make the same answer to-
day that we did then: By unity of purpose
and concentration of effort. Much has al
ready been accomplished in that direction
through the instrumentality of THE TRIB-
UNE 1t has become a rallying point for
our veterans and medium for the express
sion Of their opinions, so that our comrades
in Maine are no longer ignorant of what Is
being done in California, nor those in Kansas
uuacquainted with what is going on in New
York. The apathy and indifference which
once characterized the attitude of so large
proportion of our soldier population have
disappeared, and in their place has sprung
up a spirit of confidence and determination
that is i'll itself source Of power. The year
has been distinguished everywhere, indeed,
by an active revival Of interest in the wei
fare of the soldier, as the marvellous growth
of the Grand Army alone sufficiently shows,
and THE TRIBUNE feels as if the first and
perhaps the most difficult portion of It's
mission were already accomplished.
But all that it has so far achieved will be
loves labor lost unless our veterans can be
prevailed upon TO make common cause with
THE TRIBUNE in the approaching struggle
for the recognition of their rights. They
can 10 longer afford to divide their forces.
or scatter their fire. We say to them, as we
have said before, but with increased earnest
ness, that nothing is 50 essential to success
as the maintenance OF great representative
newspaper, whose opinions viii be accepted
as the reflex Of their own, and whose appeals
will have the weight of public demands
Behind THE TRIBUNE there should be an
army of at least one hundred thousapd sub
scribers, with al the organized power which
such a support would afford, and We look to
our ez-soldiers to give it that backing.
Now is the time to 20 TO work II is
question simply OF individual effort. There
is not one Of TIE TEIBUNEs readers who
could not, if he chose induce at least one of
his comrades to become a subscriber, and it
seems to us that the object to be attained is
worthy OF the effort. Besides there is no
time to be lost. Whatever is done must be
done before the meeting of the next Con-
gress, for in all probability upon the action
Of that body will hang the future of all
pension and bounty legislation
Happy New Year, comrades! 1t depends
upon you, after all, whether it shall he
happy or not. Give TIE TRIBUNE the
necessary circulation-not less than one
huodred thousand-and we will guarantee
the rest.
Those Down -trodden Banks.