The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-05-21
VETERANS RIGHTS.


BROOKLYN N. Y, May Is, 1885.
To THE EDITOR: Permit us to place you
right in regard to a matter contained in your
article-"The President and the Soldiers y
in your issue Of the 14th inst The law of this
State is contained in Chapter 312, Laws of 1884,
and reads as follows:
SEC. 1. In every public Department and upon all
discharged Union soldiers and sailors shall be pre-
ferred for appointment and employment. Age, loss
of limb. or other physical Impairment, which does
not in fact incapacate. shall not be deemed to dis
qualify them, provided they possess the other
. requisite qualifications.
SEC. 2. This act shall take effect Immediately.
1t was Gov. Grover Cleveland who signed
that bill, and when. two months subsequently,
his attention was called to the fact that on the
public works at Albany no attention was paid
to the law he wrote the following letter:
EXECUTIVE CHAMBER,
ALBANY, n. Y, July %, 1884.
To ISAAC G. PERRY ESQ., Superintendent.
DEAR SIR: desire to call your attention TO the
provisions of Chapter 3l2 of the laws of 1884. This
statute declares that in every public department
and upon all public works of the State of New York
honorably discharged Union soldiers and sailors
shall be preferred for appointment and employment.
This law should be observed by you as well in
the original employment of persons the Capitol,
in the discrimination which you obliged to
make when lack OF funds compels you TO reduce
your force.
Yours, truly, GROVER CLEVELAND.
Such acts as these; his speech made at a ban
quet at Buffalo, July last (which appears in
full in the GAR. Department of New York
Encampment Report and the manner in which
he received the delegation Of the Society of the
Army Of the Potomac and the GAR. Veterans
Rights Union last week, inspire a confidence
that Section 1854, Revised Statutes, and Section
3, Chapter 2S7 laws of 1876, will receive at the
hands of this Administration, from all with
appointing power, the consideration to which
they are entitled.
The resolutions passed at the several corps
meetings which resulted in the appoint
ment of the Committee from the Society of the
Army of the Potomac in Baltimore, are here
with appended.
In your article headed "Veterans Rights"
the objects of the Union and law only are set
forth We assume that you intended to and
will cover the whole ground by the resolutions
themselves, which are as follows:
At a meeting of the - Corps Club, held at
object of the GAR Veterans Rights Union, as
above shown the following resolutions pre-
sented and unanimously adopted:
Res0tred That the - Corps Club, in annual
session assembled. urge upon all i'm authority in
the National Government with appointing power
to give full force and effect TO the provisions of Sec
1851. Revised Statutes. u. $; Sec z, of the Civil
Service Law, and Sec 3. Chap 2S7, Laws of 1876 in
regard to persons honorably discharged from the
military or naval service of the United States DUR
ing the late in order tina: the preference therein
contained may receive strict enforcement; also,
ReSolred, That we heartily approve of the amend
ment TO Section I754 introduced at first session,
4sth Congress-. extending the preference given
therein to honorably discharged Union soldiers and
sailors without regard to the cause of such dis
charge and that we will do what we can, iii every
honorable way to secure the passage OF this amend
ment: also,
Resoired That copy of these resolutions, duly
authenticated by the President and Secretary of
this Club. be presented to the Society of the Army
Of the Potomac, in annual session assembled asking
concurrence therein and the appointment of Com
mIttee OF three to accompany like Committee of
the G A. r. Veterans Rights Union Of Pennsylvania
and New York to present matters herein contained
to the President of the United States.
Thanking you for your kindly interest in
the soldier, we are
GAR VETERANS RIGHTS UNION