The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-07-03

NATIONAL TRIBUNE, Washington, ID. [.
The National Womans Relief Corps cele-
brates its first anniversary at Minneapolis in
less than month from this date. The great
question which will, we trust, be fully and
finally settled there is the eligibility to men,
bership of all loyal women. This question was
warmly discussed when the National Order
was organized in Denver, and when the vote
was taken a decided majority was in favor Of
the membership of all loyal women.
Afterwards the fact was taken into consider
alton that there was in existence the Depart
ment of New Jersey, auxiliary to the Grand
Army of the Republic, which never had admit
ted any to membership except the wives,
mothers, sisters and daughters of soldiers, and
whose representatives present were opposed to
enlarging the privileges of the Order. TO make
it an easy thing for this Department to become
part OF the National Order, compromise was
proposed and voted favorably upon, which al
lowed Departments to decide the eligibility TO
membership within their jurisdiction. Still,
New Jersey has not to this day become part
of the National Order.
The action outlined may be deemed an in
consistency, since the eligibility of all loyal
women is unquestioned in the National Order.
1t is, in fact, just such an inconsistency as ex-
listed before the war between the National
Government and individual States. The Ma
tional Government, speaking through the Dec
laration of Independence said, :" We hold these
truths to be self-eyident that all men are
created equal; that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain inalienable rights; that
among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness" Yet, in the face of all this, certain
States denied these rights aud privileges to
certain men whom God made with black faces
instead of white.
The National Relief Corps says, in the pre-
amble to its constitution, "We, the under
signed, mothers, wives daughters and sisters
OF the soldiers, sailors and marines of the late
war of the rebellion, and other loyal women,
do unite to establish a permanent association
to specially aid and assist the mem
bers of the Grand Army of the Republic and
to perpetuate the memory of their heroic dead !;
to inculcate lessons of patriotism and love of
country, not only among our membership, but
to our children also" And yet, in the face of
all this, we find Corps working under the Ma
tional charter deliberately denying to loyal
women the right of membership guaranteed by
the National 0rder-a right and title they won
by actual services and sacrifices for the men
who fought the battles of the Union We trust
the National Order may never be called upon
to suffer for its shortcomings.
TWO WINGS OF THE UNION ARMY.
that there were two wings to the Union army.
There were the determined soldiers, with arms
in their hands, who had vowed their solemn
vows to maintain the flag of their country and
maintain the supremacy of the Union arms
These were the men who stood a living wall
between their homes and the bullets and bayo-
nets of a defiant foe. And these were the men
who were returned to us torn and manned and
bleeding, or who were buried by comrades on
he oil fo11 g.
Of earth above them to keep their pale faces
from the burning sun and the bleaching rain.
And there were the no less determined sol
diers in that widelydistribgted army at home
who had vowed no less solemn vows to sustain
and comfort the armed patriots at the front to
bind up their wounds; to do their work IN the
field and factory; to cheer them with letters the
outpourings of faithful womans heart; to give
OF their food and their clothing, their meat
and their drink, their tears and their prayers
to go thinly clad; to bear heavy burdens; to
crush out the hopes and loves and rewards of
life looming up SO bright and roseate,-and all
that the Nations heroes should have better
cheer in the rude biyouac or on the CORY bat
tlefeld. This was womans wing of the great
Union army, without which battles had been
fought in vain, and victory, had it ever come
would have been bald and worthless.
Thus far there is no division of sentiment ;
the most strenuous advocates of the eligibility
OF all loyal women, both in Post and Corps
meet no antagonism from those who oppose the
membership of all but wives, mothers, sisters.
and daughters of soldiers, when this broad di-
vision is made. The sole controversy which
arises turns not so much on g loyalty as upon
" relationship In other words, loyalty" by
the endowment of the Creator must yield in
this case, ne are frankly told, to loyalty by
proxy.
HOW TT WORKS
Admitting for the sake of argument that the
women who worked in the home wing of the
Union army during the war-who We're enrolled
III soldiers aid societies and Christian commits
sions-have no right to membership in an or
ganization which exists for the sole purpose of
administering TO the Union veterans, let US see
how it works. For instance land this is not an
imaginary case), soldiers wife whose mar
riage dates back to the war; and who is a men,
Der of Relief Corps, dies After waiting a
reasonable time the soldier marries aeain-a
young woman this time, who can Just remenl-
Der that there was war. And yet this wife
by reason of her marriage to a veteran
stands on the same footing with the soldiers
wife, or widow, who sacrificed all that was
near and dear IN the old war days, while the
loyal woman who worked by the first wife's
side and was her friend and neighbor, her con-
soler and adviser, is forever shut out.
WHO WERE THE LOYAL WOMEN?
Besides, it is not true that the wives. mothers.
sisters and daughters endured all the hardships
and sufferings of the war. There were hun
dreds and thousands of women whose fathers
were dead, or disabled, or over age, and who
had no brothers to go, who worked night and
day for the soldiers There are hundreds and
thousands of women to-day living single and
alone, whose lovers were shot down In the
service, and who have gone through the world
with sealed lips, silent and making no sign
Some of those women are in our Relief Corps
our noble and honored sisters. Who dare order
them to the rear now?
When, % years ago on the 18th of April last.
the writer of this, in a Western town, among
strangers, suddenly, as if bolt had fallen
from Heaven, heard the words from her young
soldier husband, i've enlisted" it was q
loyal women whose arms were around her
whose loving and untiring thoughtfulness
brought comfort to many dark day and night
OF sorrow, and sickness, and pain 1t was the
loyal women through the long four years of
war who stood by the soldiers wife and mother
at the cutting table; in the packing room; at
the lunch stand at the depot with hot coffee
when the trains came in; who planned fairs
and bazars; who clothed the naked and fed the
hungry; who knelt at the affairs when the bells
toiled defeat, or waved their handkerchiefs
when they rang out the glad notes of victory
Sister comrades in the hour Of rejoicing as in
the hour of disaster they must ever be to me !
Oh, loyal woman, If forget thee, let nly right
hand forget It's cunning: If do not remember ttee,
let mig tongue cleage to tkeroct Of mg mouth ~
ALL FOR CHARITY.
Letus hear no more Of the honors of exclu-
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