The National tribune., 1893-11-23
Am OPEN LETTER.
To the COMMISSIONERS OF PENSIONS.

soiucNhclo eoioHnui4 toiliuk int uSpai tuiS
| from earth of some gallant soul that once
nobly encountered the storm that beat upon
the people.
Could anyone see the whole country al
| once, there would not be a moment from the
time the sun rises out of the Atlantic until
be sinks in the Pacific that he would not sec
graves opened to close over soldiers Of the
Union; that he would not see sad professions
Of iimping veterans following the flag-draped
collins Of comrades to church and grave
yard. Could be hear everything, he would
hear neyer-ceasing vail of sad hymning
| an endless succession of funeral sermons
| extolling the patriotism and courage of the
| newly dead
When the night came he would know that
since dawn full, strong company of once
| stalwart men had been laid beneath the sod
at the end of the week many more than the
average strength of a good fighting regiment;
at the end of the month what would have
once been a splendid brigade, and at the
end of year more men than Grant had at
Shiloh, or RosecTans at s one River.
One hundred day, 700 a week, $500 a
month, $4,000 a year, is a fair estimate OF
the mortality among the men who, 29, years
ago, were marching, invincible in courage
and strength, with Sherman through Georgia,
or with Grant, Meade, Sheridan, and Ham
cock over the war-swept plains Of Virginia.
Preceding these tens Of thousands of
deaths what an infnity of mental and physi-
cal suffering! What incessant reminders
in the wrecked bodies of the physical strains
Of by-gone years, which must now be paid
for by unbelievable pain. What disabling
legacies from the terrific forced marches
under the broiling sun; of days of marching
through pelting sleet and fathomless mud !;
of nights Of bedding in miasmatic swamps.
What weeks and months of wretched need
of the necessaries of mere existence that
failing strength prevented earning the means
to provide, and which the delayed pension
wss relied ON to furnish.
Death is the comnaon lot of man. 1t must
come 10 all. That it must come many years
earlier to the men who fought for the Union
than to those who remained at home in feiy
and comfort is TO be expected. 1t is part
of the sacrifices made by the men who saved
the Government from destruction That it
must so come is to be deplored, but ii can
not be helped. 1t is one of the inevitable
laws of human life and being.
But surely the Government, for which
these men gave so much, owes them the COM
mon deesncy of promptly fulfilling its obii-
cations 10 them, that they may at least have
something with which to buy food, clothing,
and medicines to comfort and support them
through the years that they Iinger on in
painful decrepitude.
Looking On the picture that We have pre-
sented, what a bitter shame it is that there
are over 100000 claims lying unsettled in
the Pension Bureau, where tens of thousands
have lain more than score of years. and
hundreds of thousands for decade! Think
of the spail-like pscc with which the Pension
Bureau crawis not through but around the
edges of this mass, with an allowance of
rem 700 10 2 900 Gases week.
Ccn,rade Loehren, we ask yon in sorrowful
earnestness: Shall this wicked H.aItreasment
Of the Nations hravest and best continue9
Shall this csnfsdersting of the Pension Bu-
reau with Disease. Want, and Death against
the veterans Of the Union be suffered to go
sn until these enemies Of The soldiers gain
a complete triumEh, aud the grsvessones
rise as white Signals Of dsfeat ever the last
one OF tlsem2
A soldier Of gallant service yourself Com
rade Lochren, you know Of your own per-
sonal knowledge Of the services and the sac
rifces of the men with when you marched
and fought from the Potomac to the James;
from the james back to the Potomac; from
the Potomac to the Rappahannock from
the Rappahannock to the GROWING victory
Of Gettysburg, and from those blood stained
nights back 10 the even more sanguinary
plains Of the Rappahannock. No man
knows better than you the deservings OF
the men who with unfailiDg courage and
devotion followed the Flag through all try
ing yicissitudes Of victory and defeat, of
hopeful advance and depressing retreat.
Only the most exalted courage. and a de-
yotion that reached subl!mity, could have
successfully endured the ordeal as you and
they did.
What You and they did on the battle
scourged country between the Susquehanna
aud the James, other soldiers were doing on
other fields, in the far-reaching line-of-battle
for the Union.
Think for a moment Of the cruel ingrati-
tude of delaying and denying by delay the
pensions Of these men. Think of what all