The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1892-09-29
WASHINGTON LETTER
HOW THE OLD SOLDIERS FELT
AND TALKED WHILE THERE.

TNC lAIkEO WHILE iHEh6.
Regret at the Bitterness Still Visible in the
south-Northwesternv Visitors Favor Re-
publicanism-They See That the Third
Party Is Mere Aid to Democracy.
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26.-One of the
interesting features of the gathering of
old soldiers which Washington has en-
joyed In the past few days has been the
opportunity to test the political feeling
of the various sections of the country.
Every part of the United States has
been represented. Of course the south
ern states have had few representatives
here IN the way of old soldiers, but they
have been heard from in other ways.
There have been publications here of
articles from southern papers which
have haG a marked effect in showing the
political feeling in that section.
And it may be added, that the old
soldiers found to their great regret that
the feeling of bitterness in the south
which they hoped had died out is still
very apparent, especially when it comes
to the question of pensions and recogni-
ton of the soldier element. This is the
first time that many of the old soldiers
have been this far south since the war.
And they are panied to find the evident
truth of the report of great bitterness
toward them in the minds of many
southern people. When it comes to con-
slant reference to them in prominent
southern newspapers as "barroom loaf
ers," common beggers for pensions"
"bottle SCARED veterans" "bounty
jumpers" and other epithets which they
supposed were things of the distant past,
the effect is distressing to them.
Cleveland's Record Discussed.
Perhaps the most marked feature of
tho occasion was the effort made by
Democrats to smooth out President
Cleveland's record on the pension ques-
ton with these old soldiers. Incident
ally there was an effort, too, to try to
strengthen the standing of the Demo.
cratic party at large with the old SOL
dicrs on the pension question. The oft
repeated assertion that Mr.. Cleveland
signed more pension bills than any other
president had signed, and that the DEM
ocratic party was responsible for large
share Of the important pension legisla-
ton, was repeated with variations, but
without much success. 1t became known
early in the gathering that men We're
here employed by the Democratic
party to distribute documents and
labor in behalf of the party. It
need scarcely be said that these gen.
tlemen met with very cold reception.
Sentiment Among the Western Visitors.
Another important feature of the
gathering was the opportunity it offered
to learn the sentiment of the "plain
people" of the country, especially the
north and the west, on the political sit
uation. Talks with the visitors from all
sections show that there is deep feel
ing over the important issues of this
campaign. The efforts of the third
party, the proposition to return to state
bank currency, the effort to bring about
the use of deprecated coin through
free coinage without an international
ratio, and the attempt to destroy the
tariff system under which the country
has attained such unparalleled pros
perity are all being discussed with great
earnestness everywhere.
How They View the Peoples Party.
One strongly marked characteristic of
the situation appears in the develop
ment of feeling with refsronca to the
third party in tho northwest. There is
rapidly developing feeling among the
few Republicans in the western states
who have been inclined to cooperate
with the third party that this organi-
zation is a trap set by the Democrats to
take their votes away from the party
with which they have formerly CO.
operated. They are coming to the con-
clnsion that the third party is nothing
more than branch of the Democracy,
and that to cooperate with it would
mean to put the Democrats in power in
every branch of the government.
Men who have been inclined to CO.
operate with the third party are now
frankly saying that they realize that
vote with that party Is really vote to
put the Democrats in control Of house,
senate and presidency. This they are
not willing to do. They find the De-
mocracy less favorable to reasonable
increase in the amount Of silver, under
such restrictions as would mako it's in-
CREASED use safe, than are the Republic
ans. They find unparalleled prosperity
in agricultural pursuits through the
new markets which reciprocity is open
ing. And when they see that the Demo-
CRATIC party is pledged to destroy reel.
procity, which its platform denounces
as humbug, they are not willing to
contribute to Democratic success by
voting with the third party.
No Wildcat Money for Them.
Another feature which seems to be
having very strong influence ia the
minds Of men from all sections is the
Democratic proposition to return to the
use of state bank currency. This is
strongly marked with the farmers and
with people employed either as work
men or engaged in individual occupa-
tions. These old soldiers, all of them,
are old enough to remember the great
losses and general unsatisfactory condi-
tians which attended the use of state
bank currency. And they sec that
both the Democratic party and the Peo-
ple's party are pledged to return to
the loose and unsatisfactory financial
methods which caused them great losses
before the establishment of the present
satisfactory system of national currency.
The Terih Suits Them.
Fhose hailing from the manufacture
ing sections are thoroughly alive on the
tariff situation. They say frankly that
the increased employment, the increased
wages and the reduced cost of living
since the enactment Of the present tariff
are so satisfactory to them that they are
not willing to aid in the destruction of
the system which has proved so salts
factory, but which the foreign manu-
facturers and cheap labor of Europe de-
lire to see destroyed.
As to Pannora Name ouI