The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-02-18

ana pellttie the intelligence ana patriotism
Of the noble men in Massachusetts sent e
the field in the dark days of the war to dc
battle for the preservation of the property
and rights of the men who would now deny
them everything. In recent leading edi
torial it said:
| ARMY SERVICE.
The majority of the Posts of the Grand Army Of
the Republic in this State seem TO be disposed to
throw their influence i'll favor of what certainly
questionable measures The State Encampmeni
Endorsed the Lowering pension bill, and adopted q
| resolution to have offered and advocated in the
Legislature the bill of last year exempting honor
ably-discharged soldiers and sailors from the neces-
| sity oil submitting to competitive examination for
appointment 10 Office under the civil service laws
The pension bill referred tc would necessitate if il
| became law, enormous enlargement of the
| money now annually paid by the Government to
the sufferers the families of the sufferers by the
late civil war. 1t would result in donating out OF
the Treasury of the United States lifelong pension
I TO thousands upon thousands Of men who did not
suffer the least bodily injury from service in the
army, and who only went into the service because
! thcy were paid enormous bounties in money for so
doing. SO, too, in the matter OF the civil service
examination. The Grand Army of the Republic men
would foist upon the public service set of in
/ competent men merely because they had done
army duty in the past. For it should not be over
looked that, however great the patriotism of our
citizens in the years of 1861 and 1862 the armies
OF tie Federal Government were only recruited
during tie years Of 1868 and 1861 by drafts and the
payment Of enormous bountics. The fever of
patriotism had run its course, and, If 1t had de-
pended upon patriot service to save the country,
the country would never have been saved. 1t was
by donations OF public money and by compusion
that men were induced to go 10 the 'front.' and, with
these facts staring us in the face, it will hardly do
TO assume that those who thus went are, for their
. public spirit and devotion, deserving of lifelong
generosity on the part of their fe!low-ctizens.
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE, as every one
knows, has been opposed to the $S-a-month
service pension scheme, believing that such
a measure has no sort Of a chance with
Congress or the country at present, and that
its agitation viii embarrass other plans
upon which the body of the G "A r. is united,
and which will bring much needed relief to
destitute homes in every part of the Nation.
But whatever may be thought Of the
action of the majority of the Department of
Massachusetts, there can be no two opinions
that the editorial of the Adrertiser is as mean
and vicious an assault upon the veterans as
ever emanated from the Copperhead or rebel
press during the bitterest periods of the war.
1t is gross calumny on our people to say
that the fever of patriotism had run its
course" by the end of the second year of
the war, and that if it had depended upon
patriot service to save the country, the
country never would have been saved"
If this were only approximately true it
would stigmatize us as having less of patri-
otism and courage than the effete people of
WORKOUT lands, for we should go far indeed
to find people so lost to pride as to give up
at the end of two years fight for their ma
tional life. No one but man with selfish
ness and cowardice thoroughly ingrained
into his nature viii say s.sat the young men
who carried the struggle on to the victorious
end would not have done it whether or not
there had been dollar of bounty paid.
1t is true that toward the end of the war
there were drafts and large bounties paid
But there was never in the history of the
world a war of as long continuance which was
carried on with as little help from these aids
in filing armies. At least three out of five
Of the men whose names appear ON the rolls
of the army received no bounty whatever,
beyond the Governments allowance of 800
in greenbacls, which at the time it was paid
them represented not more than $50. What
inducement was there in this paltry sum to
lead any man into years of perilous serv-
ice?
From first to last there were 1853, 1872 men
mustered into the service of the Government
OF these the following received no bounty
whatever:
First three months 81 SIG