Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-05-31
GEN. RAUM SPEAKS.

NJ
and master of ceremonies, made
neat little address i'm calling
upon him. in which ne said that
the pension office was to-day
doing an 30 could for the old soldiers.
and NO man had deeper sympathy with
them than Gen. Raum, who had been u
gallant soldier himself. Following this
exceedingly happy recommendation to
the good will Of the most interested
part OF his audience, Gen. Raum spoke.
lie paid "a high tribute 20 the diStin-
guished services of Gen. Kelley, and told
how the news of the battle OF Philippi
and the dangerous wOunding of theU Mon
leader had filled him with awe. To-day,
he said. came into this State, which
is child OF the war and 20 meet the
men who took up arms 10 defend the
Union ln an ages there has existed a
profound reverence Tor the dead, but
particularly reverence for those who
died for their country. as alluded 10 by
Gen. Kelley, 10 was a distinguished citi-
zen of my State. Gen. John \. Logan,
who as Grand Commander of the G.. a.
R., issued au order setting apart May 30
ol each year for covering the graves OF
departed heroes with sweet blossoms.
Hence it is important 10 those
who come after us here and To those who
will follow them for many years TO come
90 understand clearly the events OF the
war, 50 that political liberty is secured
and government properly sustained.
THE COUNTRY ONE.
Civilized man requires government.
We believe that We have the best on the
face of the earth. Our forefatherS
brought with them To this land the tree
of religious and political liberty
and planted il firmly. They eS-
tabliShcd government and forms
and laws which were designed 10 be
perpetual Under it We went ON TO
prosperity such as no people ever had
before. I'm an evil hour certain people
saw tt 90 attack this fair work. The
people of West Virginia and the loyal
North Sprang forward as one man, for
I MISREPRESENTATION of the Government and
the old flag The question is whether
I the struggle was entered on from the
/ proper motives
WAS Ir THE PROPER rHING
90 perpetuatc this country and
make il one. The Almighty had
already made this country one. Our
mountains and our streams made IL one.
Search the broad eXpanse Of land over
and find a line anywhere ON which II
could Doe said that the government ON
one side should be different from the
other. To-day We could look a
. Confederate i'm the face and say you
I fought nobly for your cause. do not
wish 90 diSparage the courage of the
men who fought against us, for II II
/ took % 800, 900 men 20 preserve the | mon,
we had a pretty lively job. Applause. ]
l We could say 10 the Confederate sol
/ dicr: You fought we'll for your cause,
\ but YOU had a mighty bad cause. The
men who fought 10 preserve the Gov
ernmcut were right. The men whe
/ fought for the stars and bars were
wrong. and today there was no brave, true
I Confederate who could not say from the
bottom of his heart that he was glad
that the Union had been saved.
TIE TENSION QUESTION.
look over this audience to-day. They
are not an old soldiers. They are not
all the sons of old soldiers. Aye, many
millions of men to-day throug 10 do you
veterans honor. / undertake 20 say
that the debt of gratitude due the old
soldiers is to De measured by what they
have done. We saved the Republic. not
for ourselves. nor for our children or our
children'S children. but for all time.
More than that. we fought the battle OF
civil government, and solved 10 forever
]. Haa af
government was ON trial. and they
triumphed together. Now l have
said that the measure OF gratitude due
the soldiers. their widows, orphans, and
dependents is seen ina the value of their
services. Fellow citizens, when il
comes 90 measure that, human mind Is
incapable and weak. But II You well
study the pension laws. YOU will find
that mo- country has ever done with So
/ liberal and So willing "a hand toward its
soldiers ! made a visit 20 the old Sol
dicrs' Home no Dayton. Ohio, recently.
There 5000 veterans are clothed
and fed with tcndcrcSt care.
/ Those 5000 are more than all the ma
tions of Europe thus care for to-day.
When the war ceased the maximum
pension was - per month. That pitiful
sum was paid man totally disabled.
/ To-day he is paid 500 a month. \ man
who lost both legs receives So per
month. Those pensions are based on
I the proposition that claimant must
prove that his disability resulted from
I injury received In direct Zine OF service.
/ This indeed many Of them are
unable 20 do, but Congress has un-
I der consideration a bill. which l think
| will soon pass. and will remove this dis
advantage. have said tony SubOrdin-
ates. that When am old soldier proves
/ that he was early in and late out, that
/ he stood bv the hag; that he was never
on the hospital list, 10 will take very lit
/ tie proof % show that that man got his
disability In the strict line of service.
| Applause.
have made statistics which show
that of the 3.7jO.OOO who went into the
war. 100000 only were living when II
closed. When Investigated the death
rate among pensioners, | was able to
point out 10 the Congress of the United
States that disabled men who survived
the war were dying twice aS fast as other
men of the same age, and OF that total
/ zoo. 600 40 least 500, 600 are cut OF from
ten years of their natural hope OF
life. 80 10 was: the men who saved the
country did it at a great sacrifice, Il
sacrifice so great that no compenSaticn
can bc made for it
A TOUCH OF TIE RED RAG.
Now i'm lighting the Union We fought
against men who refused TO acquieSce IN
am honest election. There were four
Democratic candidates. and the Demo-
cratic party of the South said elect
Abraham Lincoln and We will
DISRUPT this union. The North was
willing 20 acquieSce I'm any result IL
asked only fair election. The South
was beaten and it ought TO have acqul-
esced fairly Fair elections triumphed.
Now why does not the South acQuieSce
fairly I'm them? That is what the old
soldiers demand to-day. say the
question Of honest elections Is the ques-
tion Of vital Importance in national pol
itics. say that the old soldiers have
the right TO insist on honest elections.
Now they had in Richmond the other
day an wycilng Of q monument to
great leader of the South. Well, l
don't very much care what they did,
but say that the ''loSt cause aS cause
representative of freedom and good gov
ernment is doomed 10 be pushed aside
as a back number. The cause OF the
Union. the cause of civil government
will grow brighter every day. And
like the mountain peak, as We recede
from the foothills which have hidden it,