Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-07-25
A VETERANS VIEW.
What Real Soldier Thinks OF the
Way Offices Are Being
Parcelled Out.
Interview with a Prominent Illinois
an who Has visited Peoria---Many
Broken Promises.
PrOria Herald.

Illinois Central train yesterday cores
pendent met gentleman who has lately
been visiting friends in Peoria. He is
one of the foremost members OF the
Grand Army of the Republic in this state,
and is also quite prominent in republican
politics in his section. He brings re-
markable hi of bad faith ana general
cussedness against the republican party.
with which he declared with emphasis he
would no Longer affiliate.
II was infhe war from the opening to
the finish and have received several
wounds/hst would enttle me to pen
sion tiat would support me. he said. "but
| can earn my living and will do IT, Ii is
the loafers, the suffers and the skulkers
in the rear who are doing all this fighting
10 the newspapers, and they have done
more To bring the organization INTO dis.
repute than anything else. They how
FOR pauper pension, cry aloud for the
offices. and in some localities as with one
voice they seem to he demanding the
earth. | am not that kind of veter-
an, and know many others like me.
confess that | am disappointed in the
way President Harrison and Gov. Fife
are treating the veterans, and yes. l will
add the negroes, because that party ha.
always in the past claimed to he the es
pecial champion Of both these classes.
never asked An Office IN my life; dom
need one, and | have too often seen The
result of holding political Office to care
for its allurements. But what ! want t.
say is that the president. the governor
and. SO far AS know. all the republican
congressman. have been false To theil
pledges To the old soldier. Tanner is
scooping out the peoples money by the
ton to fellows, many of whom am sure
are not entitled 10 a cent of government
aid. The veteran who. was where the
bullets sang requiem over the hastily
made grave Is getting nothing. He is not
intelligent enough to hold political Of
fee. Really, | expected some recogni-
ton of the soldier from the men | have
mentioned. | am disappointed, MS is
many another veteran.
Take lllinOis-snd | am surprised that
the democratic papers have not showed
up the record TO date. The republican
party is to blame for electing Culom and
Farwell United States senators. for elect
ing Cannon and Smith. and Alb TAYLOR
and Mason, Hit, Hill. Payson and Gest
to the lower house They wouldn't nom.
mate n Union soldier-he isn't good
enough. And how have the offices Teen
distributed in Illinois? Carr. of Gales
burg, formerly postmaster there. who
would not appoint soldier. soldiers
widow or orphan to anything. gets n
secOndclass appointment IN the consular
service, | believe 10 Denmark. Gen. Mar
tin, Who wanted to be railroad and ware
house commissioner, is thrown over for a
sore-eyed preacher from an Egyptian
Jungle. Starr and Hogan are appointed
collectors; the one remained at home and
made fortune and the other was a tele>
graph operator in the army. Wilcox, the
other collector appointed. never smelt
hostile powder. Neither did Hatch. the
United States marshal, nor the post
masters in a majority of the rst-clsss
offices filled by the present administers
ton. Will Clark. of Peoria, was an APP
plicant for the canal commissionership,
and was backed by tremendous in
huence, q. A. X. and citizens. A fellow
by the name of Snively, of Canton. got
it. Starr was opposed for the Office of
collector in the Peoria district by Col
Ike Taylor, a veteran of many battles
And Cullom could have recommended
capable soldiers for every place, if he had
cared to.
Regarding STAIRS appointment, have
Just left Peoria and | never saw party
in such demOralized condition as is the
republican party in that district. Starr
has had 10 publish a card declaring he
would consider applicants on their merits,
and their status IN the late friendly con,
test for the collectOrship' would he for
gotten. In this connection it might be
well to quote the exact words of our
senior senator, CullOm. when he intro>
duced David :. Brown TO President Har.
rison in Washington. Brown was a
three months man in the war and never
rose above private, but is commander of
the Peoria post, and is to have a place
under Starr Said Culom:
''Mr. President-AllOw me 10 introduce
TO you Col. Brown, commander of the
Grand Army post of Peoria, one of the
largest in the state, mastering over 500
members. 1t has been reported by Mr.
STAIRS opponents that the old soldiers
are not in favor of his appointment as
collector for the Peoria district. Col.
Brown is here to speak for the Grand
Armv post of Peoria on that point.
I'm substance Brown declared that the
appointment Of Starr would be perfectly
satisfactory TO the old soldier element;
that he possessed their confidence as fully
AS one of their own number. Col ca
Brown spoke for the short term men, the
100 dayers and three months men, the
men in favor Of hiking the government
for all they can, and for those
who want office. | deny that he spoke
for the real soldiers, the men who
fought at the front for four years.
And / want TO repeat that / never
asked an Office and would not take one
under any circumstances. | have al.
ways voted the republican ticket have
been too radical republican, that is
what is the matter with too many of the
veterans. The leaders of the party feel
as if they own us. and can vote us any,
how. ! predict that they will discover
their mistake next year. am not
a Texas steer that can be driven. am
my own master, and / will vote hereafter
for men. and will always give the man
who fought for his country the prefer
ence. / feel that we have been shame
fully treated by the president, by the
governor, and by the congressman, so
far as | know of their appointments
And so far as | can influence them the
old soldiers will remember the treatment
at the next election"
How has Department Commander
Martin acted2"
Gen. Martin is chairman of the re-
publican state committee, and | was not
for him for commander for that reason.
But he has taken no part in recommend
ing anybody for Office under this admin
istration, state or national. i know this
to be fact. He has been very conser-
vative and honest. Politics and G.. A.
X. business have been completely di.
vorced undar his adn;n;s,rot;o. n.