The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-01-15
OFFICIAL PAPER OF BROWN CO.

Some time since the GhlcagO Inter
Ocean contained bitter sirane against
Hon. w. L. Price, of WISCONSIN,, for
casting the only vote in the house
against granting the wlaow of Gen,
Grant a pension for life Of $5,1OO a
year. Mr.. Prices attention being cali
ed to the article, he penned q reply
which the Inter Ocean reA used TO pub
lish, but which was subsequently made
public through the Milwsss.kee Sunday
Telegram. In his letter Mr Price gives
the Inter Ocean some very hard nuts
to crack, which probably explains why
that journal refused to pnblish it, and
also exposes IN an unenyiable light
the aristocratic TENDENCIES which our
government is unfortunately yet so
rapidly developing. he takes the
ground that Mrs. Grant, as the widow
of our greatest general, should be cared
for by the government and, if needy,
should be relieved, side by side. with
every other widow of every other SOL
dier who served in the union army !;
but, being previously possessed of prop
erty amounting to over $L000,000
she should not receive a pension 81,
largely in excess of the many other
widows, equally as loyal and loving,
who parted with their husbands to
whom they were as much attached
and made other scratches for the
general good as great as she, merely
because she belonged to a class sup
posed to OCCUPY higher place in So
ciety. AS the wiI0s of q union SOL
dier she is entitled to all the benefits a
grateful nation can justly and indis-
crimlnately confer, but as the widow
of an ex-presldent of the United
States, who received 100000 for
eight years service as president, anu
who while acting as such officer vetoed
a bill toequsllize the bounty es soldiers
and signed Il bill which Increased his
own salary from $4,000 to $4,000
per annum, we owe her nothing. 81
would" adds Mr.. Price, "withhold
from the memory of her distinguished
husband, aud his family, no good
thing that could be horestly given,
but am sufficiently a 'disgracefuP
representative to believe that under
our republican form of government
every man has the right to be equal of
every other man., that shonor and
fame from no condition rIse,' and that
under our theory of government moth
ing is due to position; for he presi-
dent of to-day may be the pathmaster
of to morrow, aud vice versa. / not
only believe that these distinctions in
favor of class are unjust, but they are
dangerous. The tendancy of the
times, as shown by the acts pensioning
presidents widows, retired army officers
and officers and their heirs, at higher
rate than those who rendered equally
good services in more humble capa-
city, is one of the most fruitful causes
that lead to that feeling of unrest and
conviction of unjust treatment, that
deyelopes IN communistin mobs, de-
struction of property, and interruption
of productive business enterprises, and
in too many instances loss of life"
We rejoice greatly that there Is even
one man In congress possessed OF
sufficient stamina to champion the
rights Of private soldiers against the
arrogance of the puniest wearer. of Of
epaulets, the punier the more arrogant,
and who dares denonnce class de-
tinctions in the very cradle of arls-
tocracy-.sto beard the hon in hsden"
land to averin the councils of the
nation that equally faithful service is
worthy Of equal recognition. We ack-
nowledge with regret, but it were folly
TO deny ii, that this republic, founded
on the equality Of its citizens, is be-
coming ali oligarchy Of the most ex-
clasiye type -or rather the birthplace
of the empire has become a hot Bed of
scctionalism where classes are sur
rounded with a barrioade US impene-
trable as the walls Of China, and
where it is accounted anything but
proper to act. or talk like ra-
tional American citizens. The east
to-day is hardly more. American than
it is English. Everything foreign is
initiated and extolled and the more un.
American anything is the more is it
appreciated. No wonder then that
the private soldiers, who fought the
battles, bore the marches and ate the
rotten rations furnished by rascally
contractors, while the officers revelled
IN luxury, receive no more recognition
than they do. WHY, for some time