The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-07-31
THE UNION SOLDIERS WERE NOT
HAMMERS NOR DEsERTERS.

entered upon career of great prosperity
by the publication of series of articles
by Gen. Grant, followed by a large num-
Der by northern and southern soldiers
upon the battles of the Civil War. These,
coupled with the admirable history OF
Lincoln, pushed the magazine to the first
place. Within the last year the same
publication has been most persistently
and ingeniously at work undermining
the reputation which it had so fortu-
nately gained. First it anpounced aseries
of articles to be written by southern sol
diers concerning their experience in
northern prisons. Two were published,
and these were so palpably false and
atrociously libelous that they called forth
a storm of protests and denials. Since
then the articles have ceased to appear.
The Century has proved by practice that
a ''seriesn consists of two terms.
Now in the June number appears pa
per by a certain Mr.. Sloane on pensions
and Socialism, The association of terms
is significant Evidently, the writer be-
lieves in argument by epithet. The arti-
Gle in question is more exasperating than
those about the northern prisons. 1t is
not strange that a southern soldier should
wish to divide the shame of those prisons
which were the nightmare of the Civil
War, but this attack upon the honor and
service of the loyal soldier has no posi-
BILE excuse. Mr.. Sloane has not so much
as a fig leaf wherewith to cover his shame.
In the first place the writer enters into
dreary argument with the conclusion
''the citizen soldier is neither legally nor
morally right in demanding pension for
disability, much less for service" Still
he admits that it is well enough to PEN
sion those totally disabled and who can
not care for themselves. But, as a mat
ter of fact, he argues that the stay-at-
homes are as deserving as those who
went to the front. Read his words: The
soldier pays no tax ON his income, and is
not subject to forced contributions. By
the enforcement of war contributions
upon the capital of all, and upon the la
Dor of non-combatants the State equal
ICES, in a measure, their burden with the
service of those who fight" 1t is diff
cult to treat such argument as honest.
Is it not known to an absolute certainty
that never was there such time to make
money as during our Civil War? Is 1T
not known that multitudes awaited them
selves of the opportunity, while men OF
the best social standing fought in the
ranks from the Potomac to the surrender?
And will Mr.. Sloan stand before the pub
lie and tell us that the man who paid a
heavy tax out of heavy income suffered
with those who fought through the most
bloody war in history? Did not one hour
at Cold HarDor mean more than all the
war taxes levied from 1861 to the present
day, so far as suffering is concerned?
But the writer is anxious for the honor
of the soldiers who did their duty. THE
hero covered with honorable wounds is
now no better than the deserter, the
straggler, the bounty jumper and the
! coward" The fact is, the great mass of
those who receive pensions are good and
true men. That some who are undeserv-
ing receive aid from the Government has
nothing to do with the case. We did not
fight our battles with dsserters. Nor can
we hope IN the near future for that equa-
BILE distribution of rewards that will give
every man just what he deserves. To APP
ply tie drgumentlLm Gd hOminem doubt
| less Mr.. Sloane will receive more COM
pensation for this ibelous article than
| thousands of soldiers got for fighting a
dozen battles which decided ohe fate of
the Union. AS another example of the
reckless manner in which this writer
deals with the truth take the following:
'We bemoan the sad fate and oppressive
burdens under which the men, women
and children of old Europe grown, yet
this democratic land is to be taxed for
war reasons far beyond the dreams of the
most ardent war-lOrd of Europe" Mr..
Sloane must lack mental ability, or as
sumo that his readers do. The tax of the
vast standing armies of European ma
| tions does not consist in the pittance
paid the soldiers, either as salary or pen
sion, but in taking so large number of
| the able-bodied men out of the produc-
ing class, forcing them into a service as
| irksome as convict's life, and throwing
| the labor of men upon women and girls.
| Not only so, but the tax abroad is per-
petual, or rather grows larger, while with
us it must, in a few years, decrease to
almost nothing, even though every sol
der should receive pension. Compare
sons with foreign countries are useless.
| The veteran knows that what would be
unreasonable or impossible, if we kept a
vast standing army and had frequent
wars, is now both possible and easy OF
| fulfillment.
Mr.. Sloane bases his argument on two
assumptions: one, that the loyal soldier
is immortal, and the other that we are to
wage mighty wars at least once in gen.
| GThUlOHs
and the second almost certainly so. To
give a true idea of the logical calibre of
this writer. take the following: He APP
peals to the "hitherto unheard sane
majority of the Grand Army" The
question naturally arises where he is to
find this majority" when he has already
asserted that much more than half of the
soldiers have applied for pensions.
Again, "the giving and taking of money
where service has been rendered are hon
orable acts" If this is so, then there is
no dishOnor in taking pension unless
the soldier rendered no service to his
country, or else that service was richly
paid at S13 month in deprecated cur
rency. But it happens that there is a
general belief in this country that service
was rendered, and that the best reward
the nation can give is poor return at the
most. Pensions are a part of socialism,
because it is the distribution of money
without value received Could anything
be more monstrously absurd ?
But the brazen affrontery of this writer
reaches its climax in the following state
ment: "Already the decline of the sol
diers' influence has begun. Veterans OF
the army wonder why they often fail to
arose enthusiasm where once they were
received with rapture" Venture to as.
sert that not one citizen in thousand
believes this statement to be true. Not
one soldier in 10000 ever had such
thought enter his dreams. The enthus
asm over the soldier has gained in direct
proportions as time has passed on. Has
this man eyes and ears? Is not every en-.
campment of the G. A. r. of the nature
of an ovation That the writer can see
how the pension system is socialism pure
and simple and cannot see that the vet