The National tribune., 1888-06-28
CONSIDER THIS.

poorer in cbampioaiag the cause Of the reteran8.
CONSIDER THIS.
Surprising that Meade and his gallant men
had gone after Lee when the latter invaded !
Pennsylvania as deliberately as Col Matson
and the present Congress have gone about |
passing pension legislation.
The cost to the country would have been
q thousandfold all that has been paid out |
for pensions.
Lees errand into Pennsylvania was to
destroy and strike terror. His principal OBJ
iectives were Philadelphia, Baltimore and |
Washington. Had he got into one of those
cities his mere presence would have cost !
more than all that has been paid out for pen
sions 1t would also in all probability have
been deemed sufficient reason by the En-
peror of France-who was only waiting for
a decent pretext-fOr recognizing the South |
ern Confederacy.
All these direful results were only pre-
vented by the strenuous efforts of the men
of the Army of the Potomac to place them
selves in Lees front. The world has rarely
seen such marching as they did on those
torrid days, . years ago, to head him off.
The panie-stricllen people clamored for haste
and nobly did they respond. Such pre-
viously-unheard-o marches as 80 miles
day under a broiling sun were made with an
enthusiasm that prohibited struggling. They
would have been justified by all military
precedent in taking a week to do what they
frequently did in day and night By
this alacrity they reduced the evils of Lees
invasion to a minimum. Even if he had
done no farther harm than remain in Penn
sylvania a week longer than he was allowed
to, the resulting damage would have been
incalculable. The rapid march of the Army
of the Potomac from Fredericksburg to Get
tysburg was alone worth more to the
country than all that it has paid or is likely
to pay for pensions.
This is a fact which should be constantly
borne in mind when considering the extreme
deliberation exercised by Col Matson and
Congress in passing a bill which the whole
body of the ex-soldiery Of the country asked
for to relieve the needs Of their disabled
comrades thousands Of whom had their
health irretrievabIy ruined by the enormous
exertions Of that march.
I
II Is a duty yop ore to yosr comrades to get at
least one neu subscriber for THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE
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OUR FAITH IN COL. MATsON.
Shall we say we still have faith in Col.
Matson?
The weather is very hot, and has tend
ency to wilt all fresh green things which
are not firmly rooted Is our faith in Col.
Matson of this delicate growth
Like some sapIing chance sown by the fountain,
Born in a moment, and soon to decay?
Perish the thought!
We viii confess that in these hot, piping
days, when it is difficult to have faith in
anything but a palm-Ieaf fan and a we'll
filed soda fountain, we have still had faith
that Col. Matson would wake up the drowsy
echoes Of the House of Representatives by
an electrifying little speech something like
this:
Mr. Speaker, as Chairman of the Com
mittee on Invalid Pensions, move that -
days Of July be set apart for the considera-
) ton of the Disability Pension Bill, the Ar
rears Of Pension Bill, and other pension leg
islation"
: We know how hot the weather has been
, and how difficult any exertion, but this
would not have required much. He need
not have spoken very loud The Speaker
is always ready to see and recognize" Col
Matson, and only very low tone would
have been needed for words that would
have at once rung gladly in the ears Of
wearily-expectant widows, veterans and or.
1 phans from ocean TO ocean.
TWAS grand opportunity FOR Col. Matson