The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-02-15
When?

When?
In letter enclosing club of new SUBJ
scribers to THE TRIBUNE, an esteemed cor
respondent at Kyana, Indiana, remarks: l
want to see your announcement of 100000
subscribers some day this year" Nothing,
we are sure, would give US more pleasure than
to be able to make such an announce
ment, and it rests entirely with our sub
scribers to fix the time "Some day this year."
however, sounds somewhat vague and indefi-
mite. Some day this winter" or some day
next spring." would, in our judgment, be
nearer the mark-the sooner the better. The
year which has just begun promises to be
critical one for the soldiers cause. 1t was
ushered in with a general attack on soldiers
rights, and the pack Of newspaper blood
hounds can still be heard at full cry on the
trail of our pensioners. The effect of this
hue and cry upon Congress can already
plainly be distinguished. The $40 bill,
which ought to have passed the Senate in
the early days of the session, was allowed to
slumber for weeks in committee, and al
though petition after petition for its enact
ment has been presented, it is doubtful, to
say the least, whether its friends will be
able to force a vote upon it when it finally
comes up for consideration. 1t is true that
the House has passed, by what was practi-
cally an unanimous vote, the regular pension
appropriation bin, so that the work Of the
Pension Office viii suffer no interruption for
at least anothe; year, but upon the whole it
cannot be said that Congress has shown
any disposition to consider pension or
bounty measures, except when absolutely
forced to do so. Nor is it likely that it will
manifest any greater interest later on, for
the session is now rapidly drawing to
in the consideration Of the tariff bill, 10 the
neglect of all other legislation On the 4th
sine die, and it is to the next Congress that
our ex-sold;ers will then be forced to look
CARDS the composition of that body, beyond
the fact that the Democrats will be in
known. How its members will vote upon
questions affecting the interests of our vet
but one fact stands out clearly, to wit, that
they will take their cue from whatever hap
pens to be the prevailing public sentiment
at the time. Between the adjournment OF
the present Congress and the converting of
its successor, period of nine months viii
intervene, and it is not too much to say
that upon the use which our veterans may
see ct to make of this interval will depend
to a large extent their chance of securing
from the forty eighth Congress the justice to
which they are entitled.
THE TRIBUNE stands ready to become their
leader in this campaign, but to insure sue
cess it must have at least one hundred thou
sand veterans at its back, and the question
again recurs: How soon will they be forth
coming? 1t is question, as We have said,
for our subscribers themselves to decide, and
everything depends upon the promptness of
their answer. Some of them have already
shown that they appreciate the danger Of
delay, and have gone to work with enthu-
siasm to raise the needed recruits. We
note with pleasure that several Posts of the
Grand Army have even gone SO far as to
appoint special committees to canvass for
subscriptions, and we are in hopes that their
| example will be widely followed. But what
is needed is that every subscriber should do
| his share towards building up THE TRIB-
| UNE's circulation. There should be an adj
vance along the whole line and the thunder
of the artillery should be heard above the
crack of the sharpshooter's rifle Are you
ready, comrades, for the charge?