The Republican journal., 1892-09-29
A Veterans Views.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BENJAMIN
HARRISON AND GROVER CLEVELAND.

"iiiNh h"S Plooiceu d1l llnllellSe StuSdllou
among the Democratic veterans of New
York:
'CoMEADEs: Again we are upon the eve
OF PRESIDENTIAL campaign, and will soon
be called upon to decide by our ballots
who shall occupy the Executive chair for
the next four years. Under ordinary cir
cumstances it would be of little conse-
Yuence to the most of us which of the
Presidential nominees should be called up
on to Till the exalted position, but under
existing circumstances it becomes a mat
Ter OF almost vital Importance to each
and every one of us. We left our homes
and families, sacrificed our business, and
endangered our health as soldiers and
sailors to maintain the union Of the States
and the supremacy of the Stars and
stripes. Comrades, how many returned
to their homes with health unimpaired?
How many to-day alt physically able to
| perform the manual labor necessary to
procure comfortable living for ourselves
and those dependent upon us9 | venture
10 assert that not 10 per cent. of all those
who returned from the war are free from
the effects of the campaign. The exposure
and hartlships there incurred have made
SAD havoc ON our constitutions and our
health. Each succeeding year finds us
more broken down i'll health and less able
t" meet the struggle to procure the nee
essaries of life
Certain laws have from time to time
been passed by Congress granting to dis
apled soldiers a pension to aid us in the
battle of life. With a Chief Executive
that is opposed to granting pensions the
labor of procuring that which rightfully
belongs to us will become an almost in
surmountable barrier. Party affiliations
under certain conditions and circum-
stances are all right, but when the result
Is of such vital Importance to us, it is no
less a privilege than duty we owe our
selves and those dependent upon us, to
use every honorable means to place the
man at the lead of the Government tuat
will the most faithfully carry out the
promise, made and stand by us in our
hour of need
''We have no better way OF judging the
future than 10y the past. On the one side
we have Gen. Harrison as IA candidate for
our suffrage. In him we have one who
was soldier with us, whose Sympathies
always have been and still are with and
for us, whose every act we have confidence
to believe will be to insure to us that
which by right is ours When our coun-
trys safety was threatened and our flag
assailed Gen. Harrison voluntarily buckled
on the sword, and, leaving home, friends,
and the peaceful pursuits of life, offered
his services, and if need be his life, to
preserve the Union and perpetuate the
grandest Government the world has ever
known. Already he has occupied the
Presidential chair for more than three
wears, and his views. as expressed by his
,,tfi, al ,ati lot; r..
sions, are matters of record and too well
known to require explanation. | 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
a pension
"Contrast this with the actions of Mr..
Cleveland. When our country was sorely
in need of men did Mr.. Cleveland hasten
to buckle on the sword and offer his ser
vice to put down that gigantic rebellion?
History says no. Although bound by no
stronger home ties than Gen. Harrison
and thousands of others Gin fact. not as
strong. for he had no wife On children de
pendent upon him}. still he did not offer
his services except through a substitute.
He WAS like that celebrated humoriSt who
was willing to sacrifice all his wife rea-
lions to put down the rebellion.
Nh. Cleveland too. occupied the Pres
idential chair for four years. but | have
vet to learn of an instance where he inter
ested himself in the procurement of sin
gle pension. no matter how worthy OF
needy the applicant On the contrary,
his almost universal use OF the veto on
pension bills is a convincing argument of
his hostility to granting pensions.
II am informed and believe that the
substitute sent hy Mr.. Cleveland was from
want compelled to spend the latter part
OF his days at the soldiers and Sailors
Home at 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. 1t is currently re-
ported. and no doubt entirely true. that
Mr.. Cleveland procured his substitute IAN
Italian) for the patry sum of $50, and
that when too i'll to relish the substantial
food furnished by the Home he wrote Mr..
Cleveland asking for a small pittance that
might procure some delicacy in the way
of food that he could relish. The request
was entirely ignored by him.
1T is true that the President has but
little to say with reference to granting
pensions: vet remember, comrades. that
as the Chief Executive he would surround
himself with those who would be ready
and willing to carry out his views and
. wishes in this as in other respects What
. encouragement have we, then, comrades,
to aid i'll placing a man in the Presidential
chair we feel assured will be as cold and
Indifferent to our rights us he was to the
one who faced danger and death in his
stead. No, comrades, let us not put our
trust either i'll prophets OF a known enc
my to us and our cause, but stand by the
old soldier who is tried and true. MI.
. Clevelands well-known attitude on the
, pension questions should be sufficient to
prevent him from receiving any support
from the soldiers and sailors of 1861 tic
1865.
| IL am aware that this Will be criticised
as an electioneering letter written by d
Republican. | assure you, comrades, that
this is not SO. | have arrived at the age
of fully threescore years, was brought
up in the Democratic faith, and haze beer
Il lifelong Democrat But | am more
interested i'll the coming election as af-
fecting the interests of all old sol
diers, and | am fully satisfied that Mr..
, Cleveland is not the friend Of the
soldier boys of 1861 '65, and is not en-
titled to and should not receive our sup