Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1885-11-13
waoNGs nIGmTED UP.
DO Justice to thp Unlop soldiers.


en- route; Star route nt tho end ,ramps
out trnmpei; the Hystem Of slavery in
ruins ballot-box suffers in n mnas; snnd
lol,crs, Mongolinn murdcrers, Indian and
Negro hnteta and corrupt partiEans and
parties, and no soulcd corporations, on the
skii-nnd general stampede Of devils OF
oil kinds. Amen. Lot them all be routed
Ionr correspondent was very glad IN
deed to, zee IN communication from
Bowling Green that the people are be-
gining to consider the Soldiers wrongs
And we shall feel much more pleased when
We see these wrongs righted up. Intem-
pcrance is n great wrong, but no greater
than the robbery Of the Grand Army Of
the Republic. The government promised
them sixteen dollars per month ard boun.
ty Of one hundred and sixty acres OF gov
ernnient land and did not give them cilh-
er the land or the sixteen dollars. In plain
English the government acting for the peo.
pie lied. Now according 10 the new yer.
sion of the Bible all drunkards aud drunk
prd makers go to "Ilades," wherever and
whatever that may be, and all liars share
with them IN the emulumen,s Of that
place. The liar is on par with the
drunkard. Let the people fix both. They
can do 1t. The Republican party over
hauled that miserable budget Of rag cur
rency with which we paid of the Union
Army and gave us greenbacks good for n
dollar in gold, dollar for dollar. This re-
moval Of rotten rags from the currency
wns grand act OF the Republican party
II that grand old party is dead, or should
ever die, its memory will be enshrined III
the hearts of tho American people, at least
for Two deeds-the squelching Of the re-
bellion and the gift Of the beat currency in
the world. II might he well to mark the
names Of money mongeis who took ad-
vantage Of the government in the hour oil
extreme peril, reduced the value Of the
currency from two hundred TO two hundred
and eighty per cent, and then to add IL
the infamy paid of the soldiers in thi.
stuf not worth one half OF the promised
gold dollar, just ~ il the soldier had moi
been already sufficiently cheated and rob-
bed out of pocket and out of manhood by
lionrlless band of suffers md sirumpetf
soldiers had not already suffered enough
met rebels az mercilcss ns savages who
doomed the "damned" yankees TO be torn
limb from limb by shell and shot, to die
by slow starvation day after day amid rot
tenness and stencil in prisons guarded and
stared ut by men whose hearts lelt no more
pity than demons. Just as il IL was moth
L. lu.t II H..
cut.throals by a clnas of men who siaid al
home and made money out of the misiort
unes of the country aud had not courage
enough to take up II loaded rifle by the
breech, much less to face a sharp shooter
marked for dead shot, just M If all
this service and endurance was not worth
from thirteen to sixteen dollars per month
But after his return, poor in flesh and
pocket, this shadow of his former sell
must be called pHuper, paid of in rng'
worth but fifty cents on the dollar. II ht
tries to get II pension lie must go before
the doctors, pull off his coat and be squeez
Ell TO see il lie has any gizzard left. Or ii
he tries TO get the bounty he must go on,
West and squat OH wild lands to be cleared
up by labor and muscle which has been
spent in forced marches and OH battle
fields.
But you say the soldier is miserable
drunkard, who spends his wages in dram.
shops. We ask in all candor who made
any of the soldiers drunkards? Was your
hoy drnnknrd when he enlisted? mo
He had never touched or tasted drop oil
intoxicating drinks" When, and where
did he begin TO drink? "At Fort Donald
son, Vickpburg. Shiloh, Franklin, Chea,
Mountains, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg
and in that terrible three days battle in
the Wilderness when Grant drove Lees
broken battalion back into Richmond, and
scores of other places. After every hard
fought battle il was the custom to roll ou
whiskey barrels and the boys were invited
TO drink. My boy refused at first. Blu
his comrades and officers told him that
little whiskey would do him good-we'v,
had hard fight-now let us have a Jolly
good time and forget the mad slaughter o
our comrades and the bitter tears of tn,
bereaved ones ut home. In cost yor
nothing-Its part of our rations, Uncle
Sam foot. the bill. And 20 my hoy begal
to drink, and when he got drunk lie wu,
bucked and gagged by officers 40 drunk
themselves that they did not know The
difference between Justice and devillshness
Aud when he came home his stomach wa.
IA raw ns piece of beef just from ll,.
butchers shop and lie has cravel liquor
ever since. Aud am afraid he will die o
drunkard.
All tliat's the story il IL? Well all
have TO say is to commend Uncle Sam Il
the watch, care and prayers of the W. C
II. U. and other saints, for such they are
aud more-angels of mercy, and / trus
when the Grand Army of the Republic i.
called out again it will not feel the terrible
curse of whiskey barrels. And NJ to the
soldier boy l have this 10 say, there il
more hope for him when he dies than there
is for the sober traitor, though lie be d
deacon IN the church, or minister of the
gospel sunk down 70 low ma 10 Disgrace
the pulpit. II treason is a capital crime
patriotism il u capital virtue. A drunken
pntriot ia better christian than u sobeI
traitor. Aud If the latter ever gets tc
heaven in spirit of treason he will moi
be tolerated In the presence Of Washing.
ton, Grant and Lincoln. Aud further
more the man who snys that this drunken
soldier boy ought not TO receive the ful
pay, promised him by the government I,
induce him to enlist and 60 through al
thS va WIZ WV WI uSSVhut VI hir
drunkenness, brought ON by the govern
ment, occupies n position not very fal
from that occupied by a traitor.
Again we are told That it will not do tt
say anything about the payment Of The
debt due TO the Union Army because i
will bring mp again the ghost of III,
"bloody shirt" All! that Ia II terribl,
shirt which frightens the government 3,
badly that II dare not pay ils honest debii
due to the ones whose valor the govern.
ernment owes its very existence. Yes
by all means bury that "shirt," or rathe
put it on the arch traitor who plotted
treason and brought untold desolalion o.
our beloved conntry-stretch his sneck will
n hcmpen cord ill he be dead, then ere
mnte his body the bloody shirt and all
and put the ashes in stone box, lest the,
poison the fsl,, and sink IL so deep in tn
bottom Of the sea that the ashes OF treason
may never arise again in the form of
bloody shirt to frighten the goyernmen
out oi its wits.
II