The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1885-10-21
An UnmurmuritS Noble People.

Ocala Banner.
A Cripple Soldier" from Mishigap,
writing to the New York Ledger, says:
''In back number of the Ledger
saw a letter from an INVALID, Column
bus, Ohio that makes an appeal to the
rich of your place, and says she lost her
thousands in speculation. How many
old soldiers who, like myself, for love of
country and "Old Flag" lost their health
and limbs, would like only one or two of
those thousands to invest in home. l
never had any but a country school ed
ucation, and only few terms at that.
At the age of eighteen | went to do all
l could for the 'Old Flag | was badly
wounded in Kenesaw Mountains, and
came home a cripple for life. | grew
somewhat better and mrrried a good and
loving wife. She, with my little ones,
has been my only comfort. Then came
the change. My old wound grew rapid
ly worse, and leaves me now helpless
not able to do an honr's work. And now,
oh, my God, am pauper without a
home, almost without a hope. What
cares the world for such as |? They pray
for God to comfort and help those who
lost their all in defence of their country,
and then coldly withhold the helping
hand. Vast sums are subscribed to build
Il great monument in memory of one
whose memory Is, and ever will be, en-
shrned in the hearts of his soldiers and
countrymen. And this, of course, is right.
But some of those dollars would help
such as l, and keep our little ones from
hunger and cold. But the public does
not think, and perhaps does not care
for us. We are old, broken i'll health,
crippled, and are wanted no more. Per
haps its all right. God alone knows"
The United States government pays
out sixty millions of dollars annually
tor pensions to the wounded soldiers of
the Federal army and to the families of
the soldiers who died in the war Be
sides this, every soldier who enlisted re-
ceived bounty. No government on
the face of the earth ever before paid
such vast sums for such a purpose. In
addition to this the various states of the
north have appropriated sums, more or
less vast, and the private charities to help
in the same cause, have been great.
Still, with all this. complaints. such as
the one here quoted, frequently appear
in the northern papers.
But not a murmer has ever gone up
from Confederate soldier that we hava
heard of. He fought and lost and hero
ically submitted to the consequences.
No pension has ever been paid him or
ever will be paid him. He expects none:
asks none. Many were consrcipted into
the service many went as substitutes
many went believing that secession was
wrong, yet sunk individual opinions and
responded to the call of their states and
shared the hardship of their comrades
and barred their breasts to the foe, with
out murmnr When the war was over
the confederate soldier returned to
rueined and desolate homes. His money,
if he had any, was valueless; his slaves
were freed; his cott on destroyed, or had
cies of property, except the land itself.
had been swapt out of existence, and
the taxes was so high that confiscation
would have been relief. There was no
government at his back to pension him;
there was no avenues to wealth open
before him. Those who remained at
home were as poor as he was. Bus
iness of all kinds had been stopped. Ad
ded to the general obstruction of the
south there was a total upheaval of its
political forces and complete disorgan-
ization of its labor. Ruin and desola