The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-09-30

say to you. my old comrades that utterly
denouuce and scOrn the statement that I'VE
are the wards of this Government" ] tell
you, comrades, that We are the ssviors of
this Nation, tremendous applause.1 We
are its Saviors snd not its wards ICheers.l
The "wUrdS under our GOvernr2et are either
indians or inoeciles. or incapabies of that
class who are not citizens, and we decidedly
object to being clasSed as Ind ans or
lmbeciles or incapableS. Laughter and ap-
plause-l ! remember great saying once:
Not one dollar for tribute, but millions for
defense" and the old sold ers want il under
stood that we say, Not one Collar in charity.
but millions for justice and justice we
snail receive or we Will receive nothing at all.
We did not enter the army of the Union for
the purpose of gain, hut we went into the
army TO sustain the tag of our country-to
keepit floating 70 the breeze without the loss
of a single star or tue crossing ont OF a SIM
gle bar. Cheers We entered the Union
army for the purpose OF maintaining the
Union, "Strong and great" one and iuSepara-
bic in all its parts. then. now and forever
more. We entered the Union army because
II Was our duly TO do so. and because as in
telligent, free men we knew our duty. and
Knowing il dared maintain il. lCheerST We
made IL possible for the Government of the
[ nited States to become even the power that
held Indians and imbcciles as wards and all
we have TO hand down to our children and
our ch;ldren's children is the faded parch-
ment or paper testifying TO our service; and
tbs we beGueath to them, and we hequeath
il not rs the wards OF this Government but
as its saviors. lCheers.l
CIRCUNLoCUT
Now then, nv old soldier friends. il you
want 10 ask for pension to dav. what do you
do! VIII tell yOu-hrSt. you have to 70 and
engage an attOrney--yOu cant do il without
one. and he will have 10 engage another at
torney at Washington for him. and the one in
Washington will be some friend or relative OF
some member of Congress or Senator: then
in six or seven months after GU have made
your application you will receive u letter
saving YOU must furnish further evidence
tho dpDRe nniar the lnty &c
to grant YOU a pension. They ought always
TO say in the letter that the evidence is
not sufficient under the Republican law
to give you pension, and so the cd
soldier stumps around and gets further
evidence and sends il along and IN six or
seven months more comes another letter
saving. You must get the affidavit of the
surgeon who attended you IN your d disability,
and If you cant get him get your Captain,
and if you can't get the Captain get the
Lieutenant and if not the Lieutenant get
the sergeant. and if YOU can't get the SER
geant get the corporal, and then if you can't
get the corporal yOu get private soldier
who can give the facts in the case" And at
last the great Republican law comes down to
taking the statement of private. hut under
that law the privates statement is not fit for
any thing until all the other sources of in
their peculiar wav OF showing their
love for the soldier. Well. the old
soldier is not able 10 furnish the evil
dence: the truth is the officers hare
missioned officers are scattered around over
the country, and he hunts around unsuccess-
fully. and it finally comes back indOrsed
"claim diSallOwed for want of evidences" or
it comes back too late and finds that he has
answered his last roll call and has gone to
rest ana sleeps the sleep that knows no
waking.
ONE LAW FOR ALL.
Why then, my comrades, is 1T necessary to
go through with all this circum Ocut;on
&c get that 10 which you are entitled?
We say again that we want law
and are going to have il that will grant
pension on the discharge papers and
evidence of the disability and suffering now;
that the services of Il soldier shall be greater
than member of Congress or 4 Senator and
his parchment shall be greater than the COM
mission of a President of the United States.
lApplause.l Now YOU understand why these
special pens on bills are brought forward in
the Democratic Admin stratiOn. 1t is the
hand of the Republican party that has made
IT necessarr to pass special pension laws for
each soldier who stands on the same plat
fern and ground that his comrades do We
want to make one law for all and grant them
pensions according to their eyiSin disablll-
ties, their neceSs ties and sutferings.