The National tribune., 1886-06-17

unnecessary repairs" on an unnecessary
building in West Virginia.
There is scarcely single sentence in the
above which does not convey an untruth,
either directly or indirectly.
1t is fatuous nonsense, as stupid rs III is
insulting, to talk about soldiers putting up
their votes to be bid for by demagogs.n
There is no class that can be singled out
among our citizens who are so well informed
in regard to our Government, who are more
earnest in upholding all that is good in it,
and who sre as little likely to be led astray
by demagogs as the soldiers.
The men in Congress who are advocating
doing justice TO the soldier are only carry
ing out what nearly every member of the
present Congress from north Of Mason and
Dixons Line feryently promised to do when
he was candidate for election. They are
only doing what nearly every convention
City, County, District, State, Republican,
Democratic, Greenbaclz, Labor and Temper
ance-has repeatedly declared, with all en-
phasis, that it was the duty of the country
to do.
At least two-thirds of the present House
of Representatives went before the people
on platforms which called for repeal of the
limitation TO the arrears of pensions and for
just extension and liberalization of the
pension laws. Within the next few weeks
these men viii be again before the people
asking for election on platforms containing
identical planks. The men whom the Post
denounces as demagogs are the ones who re-
gard the prediction promises of themselves
and their parties as assuming an obligation
which calls for fnllllment-
The allusion to Gen. Grant was very un-
fortunate. There is no doubt that great
man regarded his veto Of the equalization
of bounty bill as one of the mistakes Of his
civil administration, and had the opportu-
nifty been given him he would have expressed
his regret for ii as frankly as he did his sor-
row for having ordered the disastrous charges
at Vicksburg and Cold Harbor.
But what incredible stupidity can possess
a man who talks about "rayenous claim
agents WAO hare already bought up tens of
thousands of claims and held them TO col
! lect"
The most ordinary information in regard
to the laws of the land viii make any one
understand that this is simply impossible.
No pension attorney can by any possibility
have any other pecuniary interest in claim
than that represented by very small fee.
No less absurd is it to say that four-fffhs
of those who fought the war through are
now dead. There were about 2, ,250,0 900 who
enlisted for three years. OF these about
100000 died or were killed during the war.
Probably an equal number has died since.
This would leave about 100000 still sur
viTing. 1T is in the very nature Of things
that the pension list should increase now,
and for the next few years. As the average
age Of the men who fought the war through
was about 25 years, most of those who sur
vive are in the neighborhood of their 50th
year, a period Of life when the shocks and
strains of their youthful service are prone to
manifest themselves in premature and total
disability. 1t must be expected that the pen
sion list viii swell rapidly for the next few
years, and then il viii decrease with even
greater rapidity. as the veterans hasten TO
join Grant, Thomas, Hancock, Meade, and
their other gallant leaders on the farther
shore.