The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-11-11
A COON POINT.

A GOOD POINT.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In looking over
THE NATION AL TRIBUNE OF Oct Is notice your sum-
ming up the cash value Of time given 20 the Nation
10y the 2 ,230 272 men who not only saved the Ma
ton, but made b one Of the most prosperous on
earth. You fail 10 figure out the enormous debt
the Nation contracted AT n high rate OF interest;
aud, also 10 figure out aud give the same soldiers
who endured the hRrdshps OF the march, camp and
battles their shRre Of credit for paying this enor-
nous sum. Ia other words the soldier who
served three years drew his pay; Uncle sam Dor
rowed the money 10 pay him; the same soldier
came home. went 10 work and paid IL back TO
Uncle sam that the Nation might redeem all II
promised. Each paid back all lac got, and
many much more and still he is found erubbng
away 70 finish paying the last cent, Yes. he who
marched, fought. and came home with a broken
constitution, and paid hs part Of the enormous eX-
pense without squealing-J. r. NAUSLE Private.
Co. b. I'D H., Carson, Iowa.
Our correspondents point is a good one
The men who fought the country's battles
who marched and dug and carried 54-cali-
Der muskets-were the men who came home
and bore the burden Of paying of the enor-
mour debt incurred by the war.
The survivors of the 2,230,272 men who
served an average of three years became
on their return the very bone and sinew of
the country's commerce, manufactures and
industries They represented so much of the
activity and energy of the country for the
next two decades that upon them fell most
of the burden of the great debt payment.
When they came back and went to work
on their farms and in their shops, stores and
offices they found every thing they touched,
dealt in, worked with, ate from their tables
or clothed themselves with saddled with
taxation to provide means to pay principal
and interest TO the men who had lent the
Government money or sold it blankets,
clothing, mules or munitions of war. The
veteran lighted the fire in the morning for
his young wife TO cook his breakfast with a
match from a box which bore q revenue
stamp. The fuel which began blazing had
I helped pay its share Of the dues of the bond
holder. The smoking food the girl-wife
placed before him had done the same. The
clothes that he and she wore had had their
price enhanced by the war taxation. The
deed which transferred to them their cosy
home bore a stamp which represented sew
eral dollars collected for the bondholder
The lawyer who drew il up had had TO pay
a license for the privilege and charged them
with portion Of this. The railroad tickets
they bought on their wedding-tour paid a
percentage 10 the National Treasury. The
doctor who attended them and their chill
dren as they arrived-the druggist who put
up his prescriptions both paid a license to the
Government, and the medicines they took
were ornamented with a revenue stamp.
The tobacco which filled the husbands pipe
had paid 10 times its value in satisfaction of
the bondholders' claim. Everywhere either
husband or wife turned they encountered
special taxes, stamps and licenses. Every
where they had their comforts diminished
and their labors made harder by the neces-
tity of paying the bondholder every cent
that the letter of his claim called for.
They did this resOlutely and unfinch-
ingly, denying themselves daily that the
other creditors Of the Nation might be salts
fed. So thoroughly did they do this that
the Nation was enabled to pay or the almost
incredible amount Of over S3,OOO,OOOOO0 OF
principal and interest, and relieved this
generation not only Of this vast amount OF
Indebtedness, but Of the thousand forms OF
annoying taxation which the veterans sub
mitted TO in bringing about the grand result
All this must be taken into account in
considering the question Of justice TO the
soldiers.