St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-20

here, Paul and Minnie. We boys who
have lived here, feel that they, are
father and brother. We helped to build
them. We have captured and brought
into this mighty nation more territory
than was to have seeded. l refer to
the large territories captureti from the
savages. Because when we came here
we found our places filled, and we had
to find new places. and these states
just brought into the union were cap
tured by the soldier boys"
Miss May Carter sang pleasing
Scotch ballad that took we'll with the
audience. Miss Tina Burns followed
with the song ''Sheriuan's Ride" which
appealed strongly to feelings of the as
sembled warriors.
Rev. s. w. Sample delivered an adj
dress filled with flowery climaXes that
threw the audience into the widest APP
plauSe. He took occasion to eulOgiZe
the common soldier, and stated that he
believed with Plato, that the grandeSt
of ali is the common man, doing COM
mon labor for a common cause. He
said that the noblest epitaph that could
be devised was: Here lies a common
soldier who died unknown on the field
Of battle"
Gen. Ayers Address.
Gen. Alger took the floor and was
greeted with tumultuous cheers and
waving of handkerchiefs that lasted for
several moments. He said:
Ladies, Comrades and Fellow Citizens
of Minneapolis-l assure you that APP
preciate this meeting tonight. Not in
t1attery to myself, but in the name of
of |
thank you for this meeting. We are
grateful, indeed, for the announcement
you give US. and we feel that every
time we hear upon the street
complimentary remark to the
Grand Army we feel complimented. 1t
is no political body. The man who wore
the chevrons and the stripes is only
equal to the man who wore the blue.
AS charitable organization. we have
no equal on earth. As we hear of the
SutferingS and privationS of our COM
radeS, we put them aside, and bear them
as we did the sorrows of the field. We
talk of the battles we fought, and those
we guess we fought. We hearof rumors
of battles that we foughtin. and wonder
If we were III it, the next day
we believe it. and the next
day we would affiX our signatures
u
pleases us. so we jog along and have
our fun when we can, for, though you
can read of the battles for the Union:
though you can see it printed upon can
vass, no pen nor brush can depict the
dying moan of the soldier upon the bat
tie field. We have to thank the ladies,
who, during the great struggle, tended
to our wants, and nurSed us in the hos
pitfalls with the tenderness that only
woman has. For this. and for what
they have done since, they are making
for themselves passport straight to
heaven.
And now | will speak of the allah
sorbing topic of pensions. about which
| receive hundreds of letters daily. A
committee was appointed 10y myself,
that went to Washington to urge the
passage of the two bills, the service and
the disability, and they nave reported
that the bill prepared by your own SEN
ator, Mr.. Davis, would probably be
passed, but that the service bill was an
impossibility. | went myself to Wash
ington, and found, upon inquiry, that
it was impossible at the present state Of
affairs, to have bill passed that shall
give to every soldier pension.
81 do not like to dIsappOint you, COM
rades, if it is disappointment, but l
will give you some figures which | have
lately collected which will show you the
trial balances Of the business of the
government. Approximately for the
current fiscal year ending June 80, 1889,
the revenues of the government were
1887, 000 600 and the disbursements $685.
100000, leaving a surplus of S49,000,000.
This expenditure includes the $S7.O00,-
600 paid for pensions. An approximate
estimate for the present year in pen
sions is sos, 900. If we have thesame
revenues as last year, s11,0O0,000 being
added to the pensions, it would leave
a surplus of S3S,OO0,OO0. The report of
the committee on ways and means,
based on the proposed reduction in the
revenue laws, shows that the receipts
will be reduced by some S60.000.000,
which will leave deficit at the end of
the present year, after deducting the
pensions, of S22, 100000. The report of
the war department, taken from the
best data obtainable, shows that 1854
600 veterans are still living,
and upon the lowest basis of av-
erages of pensions the service bill
would take from the treasury the first
year S154, 100000, which, added to the
sos, 100000 would make total deficit of
SIG, 900, 900, which would result, if the
proposed service bill should go through.
and they tell me that at the present
time the country can not stand it. |
am reporting to you not my own opin-
ions, but facts that are lndlsputable,
and while it may be diStaSteful to you,
as was the long roll or the bugIe call in
war times, still you must meet the dis
tasteful part to-day as you did in the
glorious past.
Il receive letters every day some mails
bringing me as high as $50 of them, say
ing. give US the service bill or none at
all. Cries of No! Nor] Some letters
asking me, for Gods sake, if | cannot
devise some means to alleviate the suf-
fering of some poor soldier or his
widow. and dark cloud seems to hover
over me, that would Cypress me quite
were it not for the brightness of my
own home. Standing as do now, feel
ing as do now, should you ask me to put
one block under the wheel of the Davis
pension bill, and beg me to ask that
the service bill or none be passed,
l hope that am serving your interests
when | say | would not do it. And if |
am in the wrong, then tear this badge
from my breast and appoint better
man in my place. In the name of God
and humanity, comrades, you who are
able-bodied men, stand back in the
ranks, as you did in the crisis of the
darkest days of the war, and let the
suffering be called for first. Staud up
shoulder to shoulder, and let US help