The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-09-17
a VIVID REMINDER,

It is an unusually clever cartoon which
the current number. of Puck contains. 1t
is a reprint of cut which appeared in
Frank LeSlie'S OF March ~, 1864, when the
war was most active and government was
making great efforts to get enough men in
the field to 'crush'' the confederacy with
out more ado The picture represents
scene in front of q recruiting office in New
York city. Bounties had kept on in
creasing from 500 until S677 per man
was offered for recruits. In the car
toon appear the newly ARRIVED immi-
grant, the drunkard, the tramp, the bum
mer and the refuse of society generally, and
in the crowd are agents who received S15
for every man they took to the recruiting
officers desk.
OF course the cartoon, like all cartoons,
is somewhat eXtravagant in its representa-
ton, the true situation being more or less
overdrawn; but the reprint is timely and
should haveits influence now. 1t brings to
mind forcibly what was well known fact
twenty-five years ago, but which good
many men have, forgotten, judging from
their present utterances and conduct. That
fact is that the Union army was not made
up entirely of unselfish, self-sacrificing
patriots who seized their arms. at their
country's call and cheerfully marched to
the front 1t is true that many noble me n
went into the army through patriotism, and
they fought like heroes for the preserva-
ton of the republic, There were as heroic
men in the Union army as ever
wore uniforms, and their patriot
ism will never be called in question.
There were also hundreds and thousands
who were then and are now popularity de-
signatcd as the rabble. The fellow who
stood back year after year when the
nation was pleading for volunteers, and
then went into the army because he was
caught by the draft and could not hire
substitute should not boast of his patriot
ism, nor should the hired substitute swell
out with pride over his heroic devotion to
country The bounty seekers, of whom
there were thousauds-an and it, grieyes. us to
say a good many OF them We're bounty
jumpers as well, selling themselves in this
place at the highest market price and, fail
ing to stand by the bargain, going to an
other city, county or state, and taking an
other bounty-are not entitled to much
Qualification; nor are the foreigners who
came to this country for the sole purpose
of enlisting because Of the large bounties
and excellent pay. How many of the men
who are to-day Boosting of the nations in
gratitude were soldiers from purely
patriotic motives! What percentage
of the claimants for pensions
did not have the hountics in mind when
they entered the service OF the nation!
Were any of these loud-mouthed, blatant
fellows who are now berating those who
suggest that possibly the pension business
is being run into the ground, aliens when
they enlisted, entering the Union army be-
cause service therein was better paid and
promised more than was the case with re
gard to the confederacy? 1t would be in
teresting to know how many members of
the Grand Army of the Republic were
drafted men, and equally so to know the
number vino were induced to inlist by the
tempting bounties which were offered.
We honor the brave soldier, and hope
that the country will never neglect to pro
perly provide for the noble patriots who
saved the Union and preserved the life of
the republic; but who is not growing weary
of the impudence and audacity OF many
of the fellows who are now posing
as heroes Of the war but who
were in fact the most mercenary of
wretches, caring nothing for principle and
loving only money! The war was not so
long ago that all have forgotten everything
concerning the makeup of the army and if
ali had forgotten the reprint referred 10
above would bring the matter back to
mind