The National tribune., 1892-08-25
BaD PREMISES AND FALSE CONCLU-
GvnNS

tAtu icr your Coil>iuBfaltOI.
In the first place, hold THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE
and papers who take similar positions responsible
for the conditions complained OF. If the G.A.R Is
a Republican political organization, then your fre-
quent attacks on Democratic ideas perhaps are
fairly well taken. bat If the GAR. is non-parti-
san fraternity, then your political utieranees
must necessarily annoy veterans OF opposite point
ica views
Men do not feel very deeply impressed with
society whose organs devote their columns to abuse
oftheir honest opinions Take. for instance, poem
addressed TO Mr. Cleveland insulting him because
he did not serve In the war of IS6l-65 Facts show
that while he and his associate. Mr.. Stevenson,
were members of the stay-at-home brigade, there
were enrolled on the roster Of the same corps the
names of James G. Blaine, Thomas j. Reed, w m
NJ. Evars, Chauncey Depew, George f. Edmunds
Why not make the poem a column in length, ana
devote a verse or two to each of the above-named
gentlemen?
Possibly YOU do not concede that Democrat
could have good war record-bigoted people
frequently take such stands--but if you do allow
such TO be the case, need you look beyond your
own columns for great reason why good SOL
diers do not enter the ranks of the G.A.R.o " Re-
pent and be converted" the Master said and he
tried TO bring repentance by acts of love, mercy
and charity, not by pillifyinG pronouncing the
unbellever completely absorbed In total de-
pravity. Try, for a change, 10 render inohenslve
the idea of membership in the Grand Army and
If the result will not be favorable 10 your cause
Another why good soldiers remain out
side the ranks of the GAR is because there is an
element of veterans who did not risk their lives
and limbs to save the Union in order to open It's
arteries and suck its life blood after the danger
of disruption was over. BY this mean they went
into battle ready to die for their country without
hope or wish for reward, save the salvation oil
their country. Patriotism, however, seems TO have
been lost sight OF, and the Cry now Is PENSIONS,
give US pensios,'' and there is natural impiica-
tion that a majority of The army went into the war
in order reap financial benefit if they maiiaged
10 escape the hostile bullet. Men of deep patriotic
instincts object to The chance of money compcn-
saiiom being made standing slogan by their COM
rades-in-arns and the fact of such being the case
keeps many of them from joining organization
whose representatives, by pen and voice. are con-
inualIy demanding that the faucet of the National
Treasury barrel shall be kept wide open for their
benefit ali the time
Ihave been told by several with whom / have
talked that THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE would re-
fuse to publish this letter. thrust such is not the case
You asked a fair question; i have suggested fair
replies | am not "sodcr-hater," and believe
The injured. disabled sick soldier, his widow-chl-
dren and dependent parents, should bevery tenderly
cared for; but when you ask why soldiers remain
outside the GAR. reply that if that body will
show little more respect for peoples opinions
and little less mercenary greed there will be a
growth in its membership and standing Yours
truly, w. i. STEVENS.
Island Pond VT.
As our correspondent does not give his
regiment, we must assume that he was not
in the army, or that his stay there was so
short that he does not care to have the serv-
ice he did exposed to criticism.
This, however, does not bear on the matter,
nor does the "cute trick " he works in of
limiting that we are afraid TO publish his
letter, since we cannot meet his unanswer-
able arguments.
The letter is an example of very bad logic.
1t starts with false premises aud arrives at
false conclusions Few Of what are stated
as facts are reallyso, and those that are facts
are put in false light
In the first place, nothing can be farther
from the truth than that the GAR. is Re-
publican organization There is no organiza-
ton in the country in which politics and
partizanship are more vigorously tahooed
than in the Grand Army Of the Republic.
In the Post or in the Department and Ma
tional Encampments the slightest men
lion of anything of political nature would
not fail to raise storm Of indignation, and
subject the offender to severe discipline. A
large proportion of the comrades are Demo-
crats, another large proportion are Green
hackers, Prohibitionists, Farmers Alliance
men, etc. If there is any one thing that the
old veteran feels that he has fully earned,
it is the right to have his own political
opinions, and he does not propose to sur
render this for an instant to any Order,
Church, or other organization whatever
The GAR. has no more business with his
political opinions than it has with his re-
ligious views, or his ideas of baptism and
infant damnation.
Nor has there ever been any assault on
Democratic ideas" either in THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE or in the GAR. Condemnation
of the wickedness of the rebellion is not an
assault on a Democratic principle, because
Democrats united with all other good citi-
zens during the war in declaring the rebel
lion to be wrong and doing all they could
TO put it down. Tens of thousands Of con-
sistent, straightforward Democrats fought
valiantly all along in the Union army to
suppress the rebellion.
Supporting Protection and opposing Free
Trade is not an attack on a Democratic
principle, because Free Trade is not prop
erly Democratic principle. The founders
of the party-such men as Jackson, Benton,
and many others-were strong Protection
lists. The ablest Democratic paper in the
country to-day-the New York SUMS a
strong Protection paper, and three -fourths of
The Democrats in public life are Protection
lists when it comes to things in which their
localities are interested
The South Carolinians and Louisanians
are strenuous for protection on rice, the