Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-06-29
dbe Eaufaster 1utelliaenfer.
LANCASTER. JUNE %. 1885
Concerning Patriotism.

Concerning Patriotism.
"Great applause on the Republican side
OF the House" the other day followed the
declaration of Mr.. Bayne on the floor of
Congress that President Cleveland, "by
God, was not the equal of any man who
perilled his life and went out to save the
Union v; and this sort of cant finds good
deal of responsive echo from a considerable
portion of the body of American citizen
ship. 1t is demoralizing and dangerous
doctrine false in essence, as unpatriotic
as it is untrue. 1t cheapens real patriotism
and no true soldier who went forth to
battle really "to save the Union" will
srrogate to himself such superlative 10y
atty as to deny equal patriotism to many
who did not.
There is no danger that the services Of
the soldier to his country will be forgotten.
Republics are not ungrateful, for military
services at least; and the glamour which
surrounds them has not been lost with the
development of civilization. Our soldiers
paid, as soldering goes; their families were
well cared for: they have been exalted to
office, and the governments bounty in the
pension business has been profuse, prodigal
and undiscriminating. In view of all this
and the motives which are so easily re-
membered as having inspired vast num-
Der of enlistments, it is a little disgusting
to hear men who call themselves soldiers
forever prating about their patriotism and
discOunting and depreciating anybody and
everybody who did not imperil their
lives to save the Union " just exactly as
they did. A great many people who were
borne on the rolls of the army and are now
carried on the pension rolls never i'm
perilled their lives at all and never in
tended to a great many others did not
enlist to save the Union and were moved
by very different motives Throughout
the North, at least, the number of
men withdrawn from the active pursuits
or life for army service was not such pro-
portion of the whole number as to seriously
interfere with any important interest or
high enterprise. Professional and business
pursuits, agriculture and manufactures,
Literary, educational and religious work
went straight along and while of course
all good citizens were missed, and many a
home was filled with anxiety, and
many Others quickened with poignant
grief, it is undeniable that hundreds of
thousands of good men during the war
period were helping to q" save the life of
the nation," doing their duty as citizens,
sustaining the government and making the
Union worth saving, by the exercise of
other functions than those of the soldier.
We may look around us at home and, re-
calling the past or reviewing the present,
1t does not occur to any right-minded per
son that there is any justification for these
sharp contrasts in which some of the self
styled "soldiers" continually ind ulge, upon
the assumption that any man who went to
the army is better than every man who
didn't.
There is higher patriotism than that of
soldier who simply enlists and fights
there is greater heroism than that of the
battle held; men are daily illustrating
civic virtues just as illustrious as the mill
tary; the call to duty is altogether as loud
now as it was in 1861. By ever increasing
bounties for four years and by enlarging
pensions for twenty-four we have been
teaching men how "sweet and proper it i.
to die for the father-land and even t,
enlist or be drafted for it. 1t is high tim
some attention was being paid to tn
patriotism of rightly living for one
country.
The truth is, most of this talk lik
Bayne's is insincere. The people who in
dulge in it are not even sentimentally silly
They are talking for themselves or SOM
other selfish interest. Bayne, for instance
Isl bowling Blaine man; and yet Blain
wasn't soldier; he let himself be drafte,
and sent substitute, who got no furthe
than the provost marshal's office, whenc
he was transferred to Jail. If Blaine ism
as good as the meanest man who went int
the army why does Bayne support him, fo
The fourth time, for the highest office in tn
country?