The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-12-09
Hoke Smith AS a Soldier.

Our -partisan(2) contemporary, the
Amerieaa Sentinel, whose zeal never leads
it into error or into extravagant speech,
last week did. come very near showing in
dignation at the action of the Pension
Office in suspending the pension of Mr..
Chllcote, an ex.soldier, of New Windsor,
renewing it and again suspending it, be-
cause the medical evidence on file in the
Office did not show total disability.
We do not know anything of the facts
in the case, but we do know that the pay
ment OF pensions is u very heavy drain
upon the people, and very many who re-
ceive government bounty DO not need it.
And We know further, that, while the
Pension Office is under the jurisdiction of
the Secretary Of the Interior, that official
leaves the administration of it to the Com
missioner. The present Commissioner was
a gallant Federal soldier and may be relied
upon to do no injustice TO his comrades.
But, we did not set out TO speak par
licularly of Mr.. Chilcotes case o. the adj
ministration of the Pension office, which
should be transferred to the War Depart
nient, but to ask our esteemed and mild
contemporary 10 give us some information
on the military record of Hon. Hoke Smith,
tho Sacrat,r,, &C IL
After stating the facts, or alleged facts,
in the Chilcote case, the Seafiaelremarks-
Naturally, Mr.. Chlcote is annoyed by this
vacIlation on the part of the pension officials.
1t is II singular proceeding, 10 say the least of
il, but seems to have no better basis than
prejudice against the soldier who fought to
save the Union, while Mr. Hoke Smith, who
has been placed in authority MS head of the
department To which the soldier must look |
for Just recognition of his services, lcas SER.
ing the cause Of secession an the field.
As IIoke Smith was born on the ID Of
September, 1853, he was about five and
half years old when the war began and nine
and half when it closed, and the general
impression has been that he did not enter
the Confederate service at ALL But the
Sentinel has dispclled this delusion by di-
rect assertion that he did serve ''the cause
of secession in the field" Some persons
may think that intense zeal to discredit the
of the Pension Office, and a
desire to array the soldiers into hostility
toward the Cleveland Administration, had
caused the Sentinel to become reckless as
to the facts. But they are mistaken. The
Sentinel is always fair, always temperate,
and always accurate. 1t said, and said
that Mr.. Hoke Smith served
The cause of secession in the field, and
here can be no mistake about it, 1t is
rue, or at least his biography in the Con
gressional Directory states it, Mr. Smith
was only five and a half years old when the
war began and under ten when it closed,
md he was probably the youngest soldier
n the field in The service OF secession
And he must have rendered distinguished I
ervice, or the Sentinel would not have !
llluded to the fact that he served ''the y
ause of secession in the field The pub
ic would like to know something of the ]
military record of Mr. Smith, and it is !
oped that our over-fair and temperate +
contemporary will set it out in its columns \
t an early date. 1t is possible that Mr.. b
mith may have planned the battle of Bull VI
Iun or Gettysburg and was not given Il
redit for it, because he was only a little C
oy six or seven years old; and if So it is 4
me justice was done him. Let the Sen Q
mel be quick to give the military record :,
the Secretary of the Interior, and give it
, the public additional evidence that it is y
liable in all its statements.