Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-03
AN ORGANIZED ARMY
Of Old Soldiers to Work Effectively
for the Needy Veterans,
AND TO TAKE A HAND IN POLITICS.
They Mean Business, as DR.. Seip, Theil
Representative, Explains.
NO HALFWAY OR DODGING SCHEMES

The community will be surprised to learn
to what a thorough extent the Union vet
Grams of this vicinity have organized-with
Sergeants in every section of the great
cities, and everything in shape for effective
work. For some time past there have been
rumors of an e~xistant soldiers organization,
with which neither the Union Veteran Legion
nor the Grand Army of the Republic, has
any connection. The new organization
not only scans the record of applicants, but
all who enter distinctly know that the MEM
bers will take a hand in politics. Meetings
were held in the Old City Hall, in the
Grand Central Rink and other places, where
exchanges of opinion took place and organi-
cation was apparently made to benefit,
through legislation, the old soldier.
Who called these meetings? This ques-
ton has been asked hundreds of times by
men who attended them. They came and
met their old friends whom they had before
met in the Army OF the Potomac, met while
fighting inch by inch the bloody ground OF
Fredericksburg; met while crossing the
R~appahannock; met at Gettysburg in the
wheatfeld and while repelling Pickett's
charge; met in the saddle while sending j.
E. B. Stuart back discounted. The meet
ing was far pleasanter in Pittsburg than 1t
was on the other occasions mentioned, or in
the West where the country celebrated the
fall of Vicksburg in July, 1868, almost the
same day in which the backbone of the Re
bellion was broken at Gettysburg. But it
is needless to recall the places where they
met and marched shoulder to shoulder, or
rode hip to hip, they met again in
Pittsburg, soldiers from Ohio, Pennsyl-
vania, New York, Wisconsin, Minnesota,
Kentucky, all over the country met, and
the great question was who called the meet
ings? The result of these meetings, in the
favorable consideration of bill No. 6 by the
House, caused an inquiry to be made and a
DISPATCH reporter, who has seen DR.. Seip,
formerly of the Fourth Pennsylvania
Cavalry, preside at these gatherings of
soldiers, practised a little himself last night
and made the doctor give up under the in
fuences of the mustard Emetic generally
administered. The first question asked
was:
DETAILS IN AN INTERVIEW.
"Who called these meetings."
meetings were caIieu V tne
deliberations of a secret organization of
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.o15iar - orranizat;ens Nv me fnmvIo6ia to
DO wort and wiiI;na 10 do If in 1os,t;ons
which were filed bv a~ble-bodiad men who
have crown nm or been imported since the
war that we felt II ABSOLUTELY necessary
something sbould be done for those who de-
tended the country When II came To ethe
point that a veteran had to get 2 cents from
a brother soldier and pay hat over to a
po;1 b;s offciaI record IN tbe Pension Office
wat bnngbt; Il was nrettv ton oh ON tbe men wbo
wore the blue, and we took measures accord
inolv.
f'There is no political p~artisanship in the
matter; we wish to remind the leaders of
both political parties that they seem to have
forgotten the soldier. Under Arthur's ad-
ministration FIVE soldiers were dismissed
from position right in this city. Even the
present administration dismissed five old
Union soldiers from office Tin one instance
appointing a rebel in place., in direct vio-
lation of the statutes of the United States,
but as no penalty was attached to the statute
it was practically imperative. These meet,
ings were hrst called to obtain organized
assistance for INDECENT comrades"
What course do you Intend to adopt?'
las we have some 6O,OO soldier votes In
the State OF pennsylvania we THINK that
with those who can and Will be influenced
by those who made 1t possible Tor Leglsla-
ture to exist IN this commonwealth, nghting
on Its W soil, we can assert ana MAINTAIN
the rights OF the soldier to at least a molety
OF the grand things promised him In the
lark years OF the rebellion and those lmme-
dIately succeeding the surrender OF Lee.
FOR INSTANCE,
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svlvania and signed by Governor Beaver