Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1886-07-13
lBiddeford Journal
A TWO SIDED QUESTION.

hose people VINO think this TUE uoes
no, hold good In the matter Of pension
vetoes. make . grave mistake. While
Presidsn, Grover Cleveland IL bu.ily plae.
ing his official stamp Of disapprobs,ioa
upon the claims Of sick and crippled vet
erans OF the war. and the Democratic
press are glesfully spPlsudins bis acts,
million men, gray with premature age.
many on eu,ehes, many with empty
sleeves, many emacia,ed by disease, look
silently on. more In sadness than In sn-
ger. half doubling the reality Of What
their eye. behold When In the strength
and enthusiasm Of their young manhood
they marched 20 battle and death for the
government. they did not dream tina,
when a score Of years had passed tha,
same government would say TO them
"Yoa volunteered CALAMITY. you Tough,
nobly and fell with your face TO the foe.
Bu, then. We paid you thirteen dollars
per month lad you took your own risks
II you were .ho, through, OF were broken
in health bu, cannot prore II TO us by
two reliable witnesses. IL l. useless TO
tell u. ,hA, you are prema,urely decrepid
and suffering; we are sorry for you, OF
course. bu, we eanno, help you we owe
you nothing; practically you are frauds"
Ys, thi. Is precisely wha, these veto
message. Of presidsn, Cleveland say 10
the ex.soldier Of the Union.
General John A. Logan addressed the
Grand Army men Of Ottawa, Kansas, on
Sunday. when he gave u,,eranee TO his
sentiments touching thi. remarkable ae'
ton Of the President. General Logan
said
ITO you. my old comrades. le, me say
one word. dislike very much TO have
10 say L.. bu, after What the Government
h.. done, necessity hA. been laid upon
me TO say Il. You have in your ranks
men Who are unfortunate. They are
erippls.. blind and poor, and ,o,,sr on
the streets. objects Of charity. You. my
comrades. know the wants Of those once
.,slwAr, fellows. who gave the best days
Of their lives 10 save the Union. You
mus, sec that posts are organized all over
this grea, county. 80 tha, every disabled
soldier. every poor oomrade. may be
taken care Of. aud II, Perehanee, he may
no, be able 10 show the exact 'Po, where
he 10, hi. wound. be can show whether
|, was from . friend or ~ enemy. You
know ihl, this Go,srnmen, ose. him
care. being unfortunate. poor and unsels
10 help himself. Ba, ~i,h such organi-
ra,ion. nl have referred 10. you will
yoar.elve. be prepared TO take care OF
your comrade when some misguided
President shall veto bis bill.
There Il. q greA, deal said. my CON-
rade.. about the frauds psrPs,ra,sd BY
unjus,ifsble claims made in order 10 80
cure pension. One word ia reference TO
them. DO no, make the sweeping as.
ser,ion ihA, al the pension. that have
bsen granted have been right. for do
no, know bu, do know ior certainty
that there 1. not man Who served
through the war. Who 'lep, amid snow
and ice. Wind and rain. by sunlight aud
starlight, in dampnss. and darkness, ihs,
came on, Of the service with bis life pro.
longed. DO no, believe that there Is .
man Who went through the war. no
matter VIA, some people say. who Was
after !, as physically eomPe,en, . he
would have been had be no, seen the
service, know hundred. Of men who
oush, 10 have pension. who have no, 70,
them because Of their pride. and who
now cry GU, fraud again,, the Govern.
men, but. my ooun,rymsn. would
rather have few frauds. 90 eAlled-al.
though they amour, to li,,le-,h.n to
have hundreds denied pensions who ATE
Justly entitled TO them. ] would take
the chances Of making a Sigh, mistake
in iha, re.peet. would = thousand
time. rather that any soldier who had =
bill for pension OF $40 agar. who had
served hi. country whether he could
prove IL exactly OF not, should have 4,
.igned by the President. than that an AZ
rant knave and rich traitor should have
$4,000 year.
81 claim nothing for myself. The men
Who carried the mu,keis were the men
who fought the battles. Ba, while you
were uamping day aud nigh, around
Viek,burg and Shilo and freezing 10 the
storm. around Doneldson. and marching
on the word Of command from one end
Of the country to the other, young and
strong. you did no, believe then that the
time would ever come ,hA, any man. no
matter wks, hi. political affiliations were,
would ever complain OF q little pension
granted to a soldier. and there is not
man within the sound Of my voice in this
vast audience who WAS in the army him
self. bat mus, eonfess ,ha, during the
war, and when /, WAS doubtful which
side would be successful. the feeling WAS
,hA, when these boys returned home they
would no, wan, for gratitude. Why
should rich meu who fst,ened on the
blood OF 500. 900 men now complain II
men are pen.ionsd because OF their ser
vices. May God forge, me II ever for
get them.
There j. one thing we can say to the
Government: Practice what injustice
toward the old soldiers, faithful servants
Of the Union. you may. the time will no,
be long until they are on, OF your reach.
A few more year. aud there will be no
more Grand Army OF the Republic. A
few moie years and we shall have TO 20
TO the cemeteries. the hillsides, the
brooks. the marshes aud the rivers to as
certain the history or want, OF the sol.
dier."