The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1889-10-10
PRIVATE DALZELl.
He Sounds Sundry Death Knells an
Curses Of the Fairchild Order.

He Sounds Sundry Death KneIls and
Curses of the Fairchild Order.
Though too indignant and exasper-
ated to write concisely, my humble
opinion of the dismissal OF Corporal
Tanner. requested by you, is of little
worth, but here it is: 1t is the old story
OF II find no fault in this man, but
cruelty him. If Tanner had been
found guilty Of drunkenness, stealing
or other crime the soldiers would be
satisfied. II his crime is that he is
not an aristocrat with a pedigree, a
martinez with title, or millionaire
with a million, a million men who
wore like him the private's blouse
will condemn and avenge this decapi-
tation. If his fault is that he was too
liberal toward the soldiers it will and
should destroy the Republican party,
for it obtained power alone by promise
OF increased and unmeasured liberality
in pensions. My own opinion is that
any man, no matter who, had better
been dismissed than Corporal Tanner,
and am confirmed in this opinion by
the universal voice of all soldiers
here. whose indignation is simply in
describable.
The proposition to raise a quarter
million dollars for legless Corporal
Tanner is gaining ground daily among
the indignant soldiers. They raised
such funds for Grant and Garfield.
They can do as much for Tanner, to
show their appreciation of his liberal
ity as Commissioner. their sympathy
with him in his distress, and their con-
tempt and hatred of his prosecutors.
In his degradation they see their
own. In his fall they see theirs. They
see all privates are despised and
scorned and ostracized. They hurl
back their indignant defiance in the
faces OF the plutocrats who degrade
Tanner and in degrading him show
their contempt for us all.
A curse "a blighting. whitening,
damning, lasting. blasting curse
seize them one and all; the blistering,
blasting curse of the rank and file who
won the victories of war and whose
ballots achieved all the victories of
peace.
We are betrayed in the house of our
friends, and this fund shall be our sig
nifcant reply to be reckoned by
avenging ballots at the polls.
/ never saw them so angry before
since Lincoln was assassinated, for
their best friend has been stabbed to
death in the house of his friends. 1t
may all be explained and made salts
factory yet, but nothing so far seems
to Justify this monstrous crime against
| the rank and file. We all know and
admire and indorse Corporal Tanner
and had expected great things of his
administration in carrying out the
pledges whereby the Republicans
gained power.
No matter what Tanner said in
words, he left two more legs on the
! field than any man did who forced his
decapitation. The soldiers don't know
that mans name and thousand-fold
better had it been that that man had
been forced out. 1t sounds the death
knell OF the Republican party unless it
can be explained. 1t destroys the man
who instigated it. anyhow. standing
though he be behind the President
urging on this outrage. have also
| felt that mans venom.
If the rank and file are not fit to
hold Office they are not fit to vote
Corporal Tanner was the first private
ever yet appointed to any office-he
will be the last. One might as well be
niger as private under any adj
ministration. for all despise him and
seek to humiliate him. Private Dali
zell, in N. Y Herald.