The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1891-10-21
ABOUT THE 0LDGUARD"
A Veteran Criticises the Proposed
New Military Organization.
SERVICE IN FRONT AND REAR.
A Long Enlistment Does Not Mean Hard
Service and Other Wounds than Gum
shot are Honorable.

A correspondent OF the NEWS sends the
following letter concerning the purposes
and aims of the proposed Old Guards"
organization:
To the Editor Of the Ne,cs
SIR: Will you kindly allow an old vet
eran space for little friendly criticism of
the new veteran association called "The
Old Guard" as set forth in your issue of
the 10th inst 1t is organized for the pur-
pose of drawing a line between those
members of the q. A. X. who saw service
In the late war and those who did not. 1t
is well, for ii is fact, that neither the
Grand Army button nor the Grand Army
badge is any criterion of the wearers SER
vice to his country We have In mind
quite number who never left the bounds
OF their native state, and yet are as much
entitled to wear either of these badges as
the broken down veteran OF four years
hard service.
IL has been stated that fully two-thirds
of the G.. A. X. never saw over one years
service. II this statement seems too
strong let the comrade who doubts it
connt up the list in his own post.
The number of those who enlisted in
that war in the Union armies, and who are
still living, is computed at ], 100000. or
this number but about one-third are en-
rolled in the G.. A. II. The other two
thirds of the surviving veterans of the
late war hold aloof from joining the G. A.
X. on account partly OF there being no
discrimination made therein between
those who saw active service and those
who did not, and because honor Is thus
given to whom honor is not due An en-
listed man, serving three months 1t q
Northern post, going to his home nearby
twice week for fresh rations and clean,
white shirts and collars, is, in the g. A.
r., entitled to be called, and is called, I" an
old veteran of the war;, "a savior of his
country" and receives as much credit as
he who served faithfully four years at the
front in the presence of his country's foes.
So il is well that the comrades, the
veterans" of the G.. A. r., propose to so
draw the line that the rising generation
may know to whom they are indebted for
the peace and prosperity they now enjoy,
but vet the way is left open for many a
man To join the "Old Guard' who never
heard shot fired in anger, though his
term of service covered more than period
OF thirty months.
Do we not all know of men who served
three years at some soft snap In the reary
Let the "Old Guard" make as condition
of membership a service of so many days
under fire, like the veteran order called
the Comrades of the. Battlefield That
do, but what he did do for his country's
sake. And they who have stood longest
between the enemy's shot and shell and
the life of the nation may truly call them
selves "The Old Guard" " for unless the
new association adopt some such restric-
tion to their membership, even the proud
name of the "Old Guard" will be no cri-
terion of the sacrifices they made for our
beloved country, though their enlistment
period extended ten times thirty months
1t is also kindly suggested that receiv-
ing members who are " pensioners by rea-
son of gun-shot wounds only" is most un-
just and unworthy Of true comradeship
The battery driver, thrown in action an
der his dying horse, and suffering ampu-
tation of his crushed leg or arm, the man
who is knocked down, over ridden and
mutilated by the headlong rush of the
cavalry charge, the multitude who suffer
by reason of sabre cuts, and thousand
other disabilities, are just as fully enti-
tied to membership in any veteran organi-
zation as he who had his finger shot off in
the first and only battle he was
ever engaged in, and yet this
latter is, according to your article, enti-
tied to membership In 'The Old Guard"
while the other pensioner Is not. This
state of things is not healthy for any vet
eran society.
The main object of the Old Guard
seems to be ito oppose the fraudulent
granting of pensions and to expose those
who are now drawing unearned pensions
from the Government. While this pic
ture is praiseworthy, yet there is already
an organization in existence for that very
purpose. It is called "The Society Of
Loyal Volunteers" organized, j believe,
by Maj. Allen r. Foote of the Michigan
Infantry" 1t is composed of Soldiers of
the late war of the rebellion, though not
strictly confined TO those who have served
in the field in its membership" and
would doubtless welcome our comrades of
the Old Guard as very material help to
its endeavors to cleanse the pension sys-
tenn of fraudulent pensioners; there is no
doubt, there are quite number, as in the
nature of the case there must be-
We only wish some such society had
been organized during the war or soon
after, to expose the fraudulent army con-
tractors and money lenders, to whom
Uncle Sam has paid in interest alone over
twice as much money as he has paid his
pensioners altogether.
Perhaps IL is too late now IA the debt
has nearly been paid. The soldiers of the
war have their innings now, and we
ought TO be charitable toward them and
as quick to detect fraud as we were in
the case of the bondholder.
Nevertheless. we wish the Old Guard
success, but under the present condition
of membership therein, as set forth i'm
your article above referred TO. when we
see them parade we shall always be i'm
doubt if they are all entitled to the proud
and honorable name they bear
Respectfully,
VETERAN