The National tribune., 1888-04-19
NATIONAL TRIBUNE WAsHEGToN c. THURSDAY.

that in preceding paragraph he has made
a claim of sympathy with this desire of the
veterans to spare their disabled comrades
the shame of pauperism, and used it as a
pretext for eviscerating the bin as it came
from the Senate.
We go further and beyond that asked by
the Grand Army of the Republic" says Col
Matson, with an admiration for his own gem
erosity, that he cannot conceal and does not
try to, and provide the same kind of pen
sion to all who are now 81 years of age, and
to all who shall become 81 years Of age, from
and after that period during their natural
liyes.n
How viii this parade of giving more than
is asked stand examination? Let us see;
The GAR ask for S12 a month for all dis
abled veterans. Col. Matson responds by offer
ing the disabled veteran one cent a month
for every day that he served in the army,
and claims that this viii be more just as
well as generous provision, because it is
greatly in favor of the long-term soldier as
against the short service. Now one cent a
day is 1856 year, and the man who served
his full three years will only get S1095 or
$105 month less than the GAR demand.
The talk about giving more to the men who
served through the entire war is catchy
buncombe. As matter of fact, compare
lively few men served more than three
years, and vastly fewer of them are alive to-
day The majority of these were so used up
by their long service that they are doubtless
already on the rolls at higher rates than Col.
Matson offers
In order to make his per diem pension
equal to or exceed $12 month, man would
have had to enlist early in 1861, veteranize
in 1864, and serve through till nearly the
end of the war. If he enlisted, as most of
the volunteers of 1861 did, late in that year,
and served until Lee surrendered, still under
the per diem plan, his pension would only
be in the neighborh0od of $12 month. OF
the entire number of men enlisting in the
army not one-ffth came out under the call
Of 1861 for three years, aud of this one-ffth
not one-fifth served long enough to entitle
them to $12 month under the per diem
plan.
They were either killed, died of disease, or
were disabled and discharged.
The great mass of the volunteers came out
after August, 1862, and served less than
three years, being discharged in the Spring
and Summer of 1865. None of these would
in consequence get anywhere near S12 a
month under Col Matson's plan.
To all these men and to their widows the
scheme of Col. Matson and his colleagues of
the majority viii work injustice All that
man could do for his country was to break
himself down or die in its service, and he OF
his widow should not be made to suffer be-
cause this happened to him earlier than it
did to some other men.
The worst injustice is done to large class
of short term men, who rendered most valu-
able service at great crises. The broken
down survivors of those who, under the lead
of Blair and Lyon, held the Missouri Seces-
sionists at bay all that troubled Winter Of
1860-61, finally saved the st. Louis arsenal
and the State Of Missouri, drove Sterling
Prices horde across the State, and virtually
defeated them in the sanguinary battle o.
Wilson's Greek, are put off with petty 81
cents a month. The same is true of the meI
who cleared West Virginia of the rebels, and
carried through the brilliant campaign
which ended with the death of Gen. Garnett
at Carnifex Ferry, and of the men who Tough
CALAMITY at the first battle of Bull Run. TIL,
survivors of Stannard's magnificent brigade
of nine months men, which volunteered Il
remain beyond their time to aid in the bat
tie of Gettysburg and which did such in
comparable service by throwing itself on tn
flank of Pickett, and completing the de
struction of his division, would be put Of
with miserable S270 month.
This, too, in face of the fact that the sur
vivors of the war of 1912 were given s.
month for service SO brief as IA days or on
hours experience under fire, and last yea
Col. Matson urged the passage of bill t
give the men who served 60 days durin
the war with Mexico pension of So
! month.