Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-23
HAD TO BE AGENERAL
Private Dalzell's Opinion Concerning
the New Commissioner.
CONGRESS WILL HAVE TO FIX 1T.
Candidate Campbell is Doing Some Very
Lively Hustling.
ALL THE NEWS FROM NEARBY TOWNS

ESPECIAL TELKeRAM TO THE DIsPATcH.I
NEWARK, O., October 22.-Private Dal.
zell passed through here to-day en- route fol
Columbus, and your correspondent mad quite
a chat with him at the depot about pension
matters. He expressed great satisfaction
with the appointment of General Green B.
Raum to succeed Corporal Tanner, but added
in his peppery way:
''It had to be a General, you know, be-
cause said so all along, and 1 would as lief
see General Raum there as any other Gen
eral, but pause for moment, simply to in
quire: What's the matter with the privates?
There are at least 500, 900 of them as good
men as Raum or Harrison, either, were it
not for their Misfortune in having worn the
infamous blouse!
But suppose poor Corporal Tanner is the
last of the Mohlcans-the last as be was the
first of our rank-who ever did or will hold
Federal office. No use talking, young man;
sneer as you may,
NO PRIVATE NEED APPLY.
"Privates and yellow dogs are the same in
the glorious union of our faJhersi A private
may do to vote or draw 81 pension, but when
it comes to 500 pension or big Office, it takes
General to reach that. Our pole Is too short
to reach such persimmons. 1 may have said
this before-no matter-l shall have many an
occasion to repeat it, but mark you, no man
Will ever call its truth in question, and you bet
will never modify or retract il"
But is not General Raum good soldier and
an able lawyer ?' inquired the reporter.
''Oh, yes" laughed the Private, land the
same is true of half million of us-just as good
every way as any General It's all the same to
have been private, don't you know, or to have
served in the pententiary so far as Office is con-
cerned in the land of the free and the home of
the brave"
What policy will General Raum pursue?'
But one policy is possible to any Commis
sioner of Pensions after Congress meets" said
the Private with his usual emphasis and direct
ness, ''and that liberal one. Very liberal, sir;
even more SO than the CorporaPs was We
must have no more 81 or 81 insults of pensions.
That day has gone by. We will tolerate it no
longer, sir"
"And what, pray, has Congress to do with itY''
inquired the scribe.
CONGRESS WILL FIX II.
much, every way" returned the Private
More than half a million of the boys, almost
on their deathbed, have filed their claims, and
are waiting and have waited too, these many
years. These claims sleep on the files of the
Pension Office, as 1 lately explained in THE
DISPATCH, and Congress will snatch them out
bald-headed this winter-hustle them through
double quick by overhauling the Pension
Of1ce and codifYing the pension laws so as to
knock all The technical nonsense out of them
or else not a Republican Congressman will
ever hnd his way back 10 " ashington. The
boys have given Congress its orders, and it will
hustle the Pension Office You bet! Congress
Is boss yet Il will keep General Raum o. K"
will Congress pass the service pension bill
this winter?"
Not by jugful," smiled the Private. st
will have its hands full shaking up the Pension
Ofhce and rattling it up. 1t will pass no pen
SION bills. 1t cannot, and should not. II it
takes hold of the Pension Office in dead |
earnest, and forces these old dead and buried |
claims through. it will have its hands full, |
and that is its orders, and don't you forget it. |
1t dare not fail, or its goose is cooked?r'