The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-02-04
A woRp FOR THE VETERAN.

Cleveiand's famous order to return the
battle hags wrote that ''the usual legacy
of war is with us. The camp has re-
turned 20 Us chiefly drunkards and
demagogues. This view OF the vet
eran has been recently revived
by the publication OF the TACT
that the annual pension bill will
soon be $50 10000. II is true that some
iniudicious and extravaganza pension Iegls-
lation has been at various times il4tro-
duced in congress, but the only absolutely
indefensible pension legislation, utterly
vicious in principle, was enacted under
President Cleveland in shape Of the Next
can war pension act, which placed on the
pension roll every man who ever enlisted
for the Mexican war, whether he ever
reached the seat Of war or even LETT his
recruiting depot in the states; pensioned
every man whether he Is SICK or well
today, rich or poor, Union or Confederate,
self-supporting or INDECENT.
These Mexican war veterans were given
government lands at a time when their To-
cation was sure 10 make them rich If they
retained them. 1t is safe to say that 80
per cent. of the surviving veterans OF the
Mexican war are well-to-do today, and
this Democratic legislation, signed by
Grover Cleveland promptly because it in
volved the veterans of Democratic war
waged TO enlarge the domain OF slavery,
an utterly unjust war as General
Grant always defined it-this Demo-
cratic legislation is used today as
a precedent tor the introduction
of universal pension bill, measure that
is not advocated by the leading men OF
the G. A. r., but by greedy cormorant
claim agents. To oppose unwise and e1-
travagant pension legislation Is patriotic,
but it is not patriotic TO oppose it by SUI
perficial and fagrantly unjust structures on
the Union veterans that are worthy only
of some "tinhorn" journalist or politician,
who, if not drunkard, is certain to be
demagogue. Those who were drunkards
and demagogues before the war doubtless
returned very much such men as they went,
hardly worse, for the stern realities of
camp and battle were entirely opposed in
influence to demagogy, and certainly
of those who went 10 war sober, steady
men no appreciable number returned that
did not bring back more capacious mind
and manlier soul than they first gave to
the cause that called them to do and dare.
Those who really made war came home
ennobled and enlarged by the discipline of
common perils, tolls and sacrifices that,
met and endured, inevitably and invariably
develop sturdy manhood. Those who
played war, seeking the bubble repu-
tation but never at the cam
mons mouth, who wore the garb
OF a soldier, and played the part of
politician, of course went out demagogues
and came back as they went, but the great
wave of rehuent soldiery was not made up
of such as these. but were fellows in the
first glow of youth and glory of manhood,
who went out with the horns of their
promising courage just budding or sin the
velvet" and they came back with that in
cipient valor grown into the hard antlers
of crest of heroism. Union or Confed-
crate, the veterans of the civil war have
in the mass been the very salt, SAVIOR and
safety of their sections.
4 Union veteran is president of the
United States. His original secretaries of
war, interior, navy and agriculture were
Union veterans. The register of the treas
ury, the commissioner of pensions, the as
sistant secretary Of war, the assistant Sec
rotary of the interior, and two members
of the interstate commerce commission
are Union veterans. Since the war three
| Union veterans Harlan, Woods and Stan
ley Mathews, have been called TO the su-
! preme bench, and General Gresham is
! United States circuit court judge and Gen.
eral Goff on the United States district
| bench. The late Chief Justice Devens, of
! Massachusetts, was a Union veteran. In
| the United States Senate Hawley, Palmer,
| Shoup, Davis, Sanders, Henderson,
( Squire and Allen were all soldiers
of the Union. The governors of
| Alaska, Illinois, the lamented Gov
ernor Hovey. of Indiana; Governor Nc
/ kinley, of Ohio, and Ex-Governor Foraker
! all wore army blue in the front of the fight.
! Since the war Oglesby, Porter,
/ Gray, Sherman. Stone, Thayer, Os-
/ borne, Geary, Cox, Hayes. Hartranft.
! Chamberlain, Noyes, Crittenden, Conner,
! Plaisted, Beaver, Alger, Hubbard, Harri-
/ man, Stoneman, Mcclellan, Burnside,
| Barstow, Proctor. Ormsbee, Farnham,
| Solomon, FairchiId, Washburn, Rusk,
| have all been governors of their various
| states. Conspicuous for ability and inliu-
| ence since the war in civil life may be
named Generals Slocum, Lew Wallace.
! Grosvenor, Webb, Ames. Force. Banning.
Barlow, Beatty. Bingham. Bragg, Leg
gett, Carr, Clayton, Corse, Donohue, Ew-
| ing, Gregg, Bristow, keIfer, Meredith,
| Ripley. Sewell, Swayne, Warner Weaver,
| Wells. Winkler. These are the names of
veterans who are today from 80 to to
| years of age, and who have survived the
war twenty-seyen years
Ii We should quote from the large list of
| the Union dead, who after the war became
winners Of the victories of peace and the
| staunch pillars of their various states, We
should find ample proof to support the as
| sertion that the vast majority Of the Union
soldiers who survived the war became
| excellent citizens; that they have relatively
| furnished but a small proportion Of the
| drunkards and demagogUes that are
| always the cankers of a calm world
and q long peace. Now if it be true that
the conspicuous Union veterans. living Q ?
dead, became IS upright aud valuable citi-
| gems N peace as they had been faithful
soldiers in war. it is fair TO presume that
the inconsricuous, illustrious obscure
rank and Tile have made an equally god
l.