The National tribune., 1892-09-15
4 VETERANS VIEWS.
The Difference Between Benjamin
Harrison and Grover Cleveland.

| osSVEN. E. o. BEERS. of EImira, ". T.,
~ has written the following open
/ NGE letter, which has produced an i'm
| ~ mense sensation among the Demo-
! cratic veterans of New York:
COMRADES: Again We are upon the eve Of
| Presidential campaign, aud viii soon be called
upon to decide by our ballots who shall
occupy the Executive chair for tie next
| four years Under ordinary circumstances is
would Dc Of little consequences 20 the most Of
us which of the Presidential nominees should
be called upon TO fill the exalted position, bus
under existing circumstances it becomes a mat
| ter of almost vital Importance to each and
every one of u.s. We left eur homes and famf-
lies, sacrificed our business. and endangered
our health soldiers and sailors TO maintain
the union of the States and the supremacy OF
this Stars and Stripes Comrades how many re-
turned to their homes with health umimpaircd?
How many to-day are physically able 10 perform
the manual labor necessary TO procure a COM
| Portable living for ourselves and those depend
sns upon us7 venture to assert that not 10 usr
cent OF all those who returned from tho war
are free from the effects Of the campaign The
exposure and hardships there incurred have
/ made sad havoc on our constitutions and our
health. Each succeeding year finds US more
| broken down In health and less able to meet
the struggle to procurs the Becsssaries of life.
certain laws have from time TO time been
passed by Congress granting to disabled soldiers
pension TO aid as in the battle of life With
q Chief Executive that is opposed TO granting
pensions the labor Of procuring that which
righsGully belongs to Us will become an almost
insurmountabls barrier Party affiliations
under certain conditions and circumstances are
all right, but when the result is of such vital
| Importance to u.s. 10 is no less privilege than
duty We owe ourselves and those dependents
| upon us to use every honorable means to
II rT,a 81 Al
that will the most faithfully carry out the
promises made, and stand by us Ia our hour of
need.
"Wa have no better way of judging the
future than by the past. On the one side we
have Gen. Harrison as a candidate for our
Suffrage. In him wo have one who was .
soldier with Us, whose sympathies always have
been and still are with and for u.s. whose
every act we have confidence to believe will
be TO insure 20 us that which By right 70
ours. When our country's safety was threat
ened aud our flag assaulted Gen. Harrison
voluntarily buckled on the sword, and, leav-
ing home, friends, and the peaceful pursuits
OF life, offered his services and il need be
| his life, to preserve the Union and perpetuats
the grsHdsst Government the world has ever
known. Already he has occupied the Presf-
Dental chair for more than three years, and
his view5. as expressed by his official action
on matters relating TO pensions, are matters Of
record and too well known TO require explain
alton. / venture the assertion that there has
not during that time been single instance
where he has not been in hearty sympathy
with every valid and Legitimate application
for q pension.
Contrast this with ths actions of Mr.. Clevs-
land. When eur country was sorely in need
of men did Dir. Cleveland hasten to buckle
on the sword and offer his services to pus
down that gigantic reoellionf History says
no. Although bound by no stronger home ties
than Gen. Harrison and thousands of others
lin fact, not IS strong, for be had no wife or
children dependent upon him), still he did not
offer his services except through substitute.
He was like that celebrated humorist who
was willing to sacrifice all his Tife's relations
to put down the rebellion.
"Mr. Cleveland, too. occupied the Presi-
Dental chair for four years, bat / have yet
to learn of an instance where he interested
himself in ths procurement Of single PEN
sion, no matter how worthy Or needy the
applicant. On the contrary, his almost uni
| Tersal uss Of the veto on pension bills is .
convincing argument of his hostility to grant,
ing pensions.
stitute sent by Mr. Cleveland was from want
compelled to spend the latter part of mis- days
at the Soldiers and Sailors Home as Bath,
". Y. and supported by that State. While
the Home Is all the name implies and the
boys are well cared for, it does not lessen the
moral obligation of Mr.. Cleveland to himself
provide for the comforts of the man who
faced danger and death in his stead. It in
currently reported, and no doubt entirely
true, that Mr.. Cleveland procured his substf-
tute ian Italian) for the paltry sum of $50,
and that when too i'll TO relish the substantial
food furnished by the Home ne wrote Dir. Clevs-
land asking for q small pittanee that hs
might procure some delicaey in the way Of
food that he could relish. The request was
entirely ignored by him.
at is true that the President has but littls
to say with reference TO granting pensions, yes
remember, comrades, that as the Chief ExecU-
tive he would surround himself with those
who would be ready and willing to carry out
his views and wishes in this as in other re-
spects. What encouragement have we, then,
comrades, to aid in placing man in the Presi-
Dental chair that we feel assured will be- 40
cold and Indifferent to our rights as he was to
the ,one who faced danger and death in his
stead. No, comrades, let Us not put our trust
either in prophets or known enemy to Us and
our cause, but stand by the old soldier who Ia
tried and true. Mr.. Clsyelands well-known
attitude on the pension questions should Do
sufficient to prevent him from receiving any
support from the soldiers and sailors OF 1861 To
1866.
81 am aware that this viii be- criticised az
an electioneering letter written by Repub-
Hcan. j assure you, comrades, that this is nob
80 / have arrived at the age of fully three
score years, was brought up in the Democratic
faith, and have been lifelong Democrat. Bub
I am more than other way interested in the
coming election as affecting the interests Of all
old soldiers, and I am fully satisfied that Mr..
Cleveland is not the friend Of the soldier boys
of 1561I65, and is not entitled to and should
not receive our support. Il seems very plain
to me that with the past record OF Grover
Cleveland, If any veteran casts his ballot for
him hs not only stultifes himself, but gees
back upon every comrade of the Union army.
ave must not let General Apathy run this
campaign; lss Us all enlist under General
Activity and carry on one more vigorous CAM
paign in the maintenance Of cur rights.
az o. BEERS.
"Elmira, n. T., July 1892"
Gen. Beers entered the army in 1861, in the
5Oth N. Y, which afterwards became the 50th
N. Y. Engineers. He was discharged at the
expiration Of his term of service in 1861 a.
Major and Breyst Lieutenant Colonel for dis
tinguished services in battle. He commanded
the Thirtieth Separate Company, N. G. s. N.
Y, and made it very distinguished organiza-
tioa until he was promoted Brigader- General
of the New York National Guard. The EImirA
Advertiser says of him editorielly:
"Ths Advertiser wishes to say to sill its con-
temporaries, Republican and Democratic, thss
the important letter to Union veterans, which