Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-09-26
1Hr uNloN VETERANS.
Ghy Most of Them Support the Prinoi-
piles of the Republican Party.


The veterans of the Federal army
who were holding their annual re-
union at Milwaukee recently certainly
have the best OF claims upon the re-
spect and gratitude of their country.
They stand for that idea of duty and
self-sacrifce by which the Union was
saved and slavery abolished. At the
time of their going forth to fight the
battles of the rebellion they were the
! flower of the land in health, energy
and patriotic devotion. They do not
make as handsome an appearance
now as they did then, dressed in their
new uniforms and marching briskly
behind clean, unruff1ed flags 1t is as
much as they can do in these days to
hobble along in a fashion that would
once have shamed their martial pride;
and the flags that they follow are only
soiled and tattered remnants of those
that they carried away at the begin
ming of the war. But in the best
sense both they and their flags are
more worthy of honor in this their last
state than they were in their first
They are the lingering reminders of a
period of peril and sorrow that put
our Government to the severest test
of all its history, and it is to their
courage and fidelity that we are in
debted for the fact that the test
proved to be a success instead of dis
aster.
1t is not possible to do too much for
men who rendered such a service to
liberty and civilization; and yet.it is a
lamentable fact that constant COM
plant is heard with regard to the
pensions granted to these SCARED and
disabled survivors of that great con-
flict. We have a political party which
Systematically disparages their claims
and antagonizes their interests.
Only a short time ago Presi-
dent elected by that party amused
himself by deriding the stories of their
misfortune and vetoing bills designed
to keep them out of the poor-houses.
1t seems incredible that such oppo-
sition should be made where the issue
is 80 clearly one of National justice
and decency; but the discreditable
truth exists, nevertheless. They tell
US, these DIRECTORS to fair and proper
pensions, that the Grand Army of the
Republic is political institution. To
a certain extent this is true, I'M
dOubtedly. That is to say, in
so far as the matter of dealing
honorably with the wounded and
disabled is concerned, the Grand Army
is necessarily hostile to the Democrat
ic party. 1t would be unworthy of its
sacred origin and its exalted purposes
If it were otherwise. The obligations
by which its members are united do
not permit them to give their votes
where their virtues are denied and
their motives assaulted. Their organ
ization was not intended to serve a
political purpose, and it has never
been so employed. But the Democrat
ic policy on the pension question has
practically made the order Republic
an in the sense of causing the veter-
ans as class to support the party that
favors liberal appropriations for the
relief of the needy and dependent.
They can not be blamed for thus doing
as citizens what they feel as veterans
to be right and just 1t is not a mat
ter of taste or prejudice, but of con-
science, and no amount of uncandid
and malicious criticism can make any
difference in that respect. st. Louis