The National tribune., 1883-01-18
II nx to NIeet the Hue and Cry.

The publication, in our issue of the 4th
inst, of editorial extracts from some of the
newspapers which have raised the recent
hue and cry against our ex-soldiers has had
the effect Of opening their eyes to the char
ac.er of the opposition with which they have
TO contend, and at The same time excited
the most intense Indignation. Within the
last two weeks we have received an i'm
! mense number of letters commenting on the
course pursued by these newspapers and
replying to their charges, for which it is, of
course, impossible to find room in our col
umns. But the spirit which pervades them
is such IS to leave no doubt that our veterans
are at last thoroughly aroused and deter
mined to stand by their guns. If they
would make their shots tell, however, it is
necessary that they should DO something
more than write letters. 1t is all very well,
/ for instance, to suggest to the editor Of THE
TRIBUNE that q new party, composed Of
! soldiers and their friends should be organ
| lied Tor the enforcement of soldiers rights
aud it is an easy matter to show by statistics
that Our veterans still hold the balance of
/ political power in this country, but the
organization of political parties cannot be
accomplished in day or q week. and two
! years at least must eIapse before the in1lu-
! ence Of the soldiers vote can be exercised
/ effectively at the polls Yet it is evident
/ that something must be done to cOunteract
the efforts which the newspapers in ques-
! ton are making to prejudice popular senti-
/ ment against our pensioners. There is an
| old saying that lie persistently stuck to is
as effective as the truth, and although the
/ journals which are now dcnouncing the
! pension-Toll as fraudulent and characterizing
| all applicants for pensions as Unsuitable glut-
tons disdain to furnish any proof that their
! charges are well-founded, their "damnable
iteration" of these ISLANDERS may after
while convince the public that they are not
ISLANDERS at all. It must be remembered
that public opinion in this country is to a
very great extent the oUtgrowth of newspaper
! opinion, and especially in regard to matters
about which the readers of newspapers have
10 means of informing themselves other
than the press itself If the New York
HefgJd, for instance, publishes a statement
that large proportion of those now drawing
pensions from the Government are not
legally entitled to do so, the readers Of the
Eorad may at first be disposed to doubt it's
truthfulness, but inasmuch as they have no
other source of information on the subject,
the chances are that they will in the end
accept it as a fact aud shape their opinions
accordingly.
Now, this agitation of the pension cues
ton, which has been sprung upon the
public by such newspapers as the Herald,
must in the very nature of. things
either soon die out entirely or 90
forward to its legitimate conclusion
the overthrow of our whole pension system
If the public are once persuaded that the
frauds which are charged against it really
exist, they viii demand such sweeping
changes in the present laws as viii probably
not only cut OF all present applicants from
the benefit of pension legislation, but d.
minish the compensation of those who are
already on the pension rolls. Revolutions
never 80 backward, and If, after all the
years that have elapsed since the war, the
anti-soldier sentiment should at last get con-
troll Of Congress, nothing is more certain than
that much of the legislation Of former Con-
presses would be repealed and that the condi-
ton Of our pensioners would be made much
worse than it IS al present To avert this
danger it is necessary that something should
be done at once to neutraliZe the influence
Of this newspaper hue and cry. 1t is reces-
sary that the public should be made ac-
quainted with the actual facts touching the
integrity Of the pension roll and the righteous-
ness Of the claims that arc still pending, and
this can lie done without organizing new
party or Joining issues at the polls. The
proper courss and the only practical one
for our veterans 10 pursue IS to restrict
so far rs possible the circulation Of all news
papers which endeavor 10 prejudice public
sentiment against them and extend the cir
culation OF those which are building up
public sentiment in their favor. OF the lat
ter it may be said without egotism that
there IS none which Is doing so much to set
The soldier right before the Nation as THE
TRIBUNE, and, therefore, none around which
OUr veterans have such good reason to rally.
If tAey would bring to naught the efforts Of
their enemies to array public opinion against
them, let them go Systematically to work
TO increase THE TRIBUKEs circulation.
Every subscriber TO the papers which have
joined in this hue and cry against the sol
der that they can persuade to take THE
TRIBUNE instead, viii be recruit gained
IN their cause and lost tn the oonosit;o,