Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1893-10-12

! its bondholders. We had tie right to
ask for our money at any time during
the past Is years. but we said. No, let
the Nations honor be kept unsullied
and inviolater But now, after the
debt to the ondholders has been near
ly all paid, pay US our arrears. We -ere
entitled to them, we have proven up
our cases, common justice demands
that we should be paid
The Arrears Act.
The Republican pa ty, true to its rec
ord of the previous Is years, bent an
attentive ear to the veterans. and thus
came about the Arrears Act of Jan. 10,
1879. Congress finally passed the act,
after long fight, and it was quickly
signed by President Hayes. 1t granted
arrears of pensions to all claimants
whose cases Were filed prior to July l,
1880. Not one Republican vote was
cast against it in congress, while 81
Democratic votes were cast against it.
The Democratic party by vote, by reso-
luton, by party platform, by its press,
by its speeches on the stump, and by
every other means possible denounced
the Republicans in Congress and Pres
ident Hayes. for this wise law, which
they declared was infamous, unfair
and dishonest, plundering the Treasury
and robbing the taxpayer" Not only
that, they carried their abuse SO far as
to assail the good name and character
of the Union soldiers, or their widows
and orphans. without stint or limit in
the heated political campaigns of 1879
and 1880. For the first time in
the history of the Republic, pen
sion laws became political issues be-
tween the two great parties. For the
first time disabled Union soldiers were
branded by vile and opprobious epi.
thets, such as ''coffee-coolers, desert.
ers." frauds. bacon eaters" ''camr
followers" liars" ''sneaks." sharks y
robbers" ''swindlers," '.bummers,r
'bloats," ''wife- -beaters" and "nameless
scoundrels." These and similar cpl
thets were applied to Union soldiers, tc
the men who had saved the Union, by
the same Copperheads, Confederate.
and Democrats who years be
AoAO hdU uCliSutou W Cdil Iuch LII
coin hirelings" and Grant butch
ers.' They were vilifed and brand
ed from one end of the land tc
the other by vituperative and vindict
i've Democratic speakers as the lowest
criminals then living. These speakers
stopped at nothing. Their weapon:
then as now were slander and black.
rnoi1 Tha,- ko1
neither justice nor humanity to bach
them. But they did not care; with
good many of these Copperheads it was
simply the payment of an old grudge
that urged them on. 1t was a strange
spectacle, but the country has wit
messed the same fury periodically every
since every time new pension law was
passed.
Publishing the Roll.
Finding that they could not disturb
the Arrears Act, and the country hav-
ing sustained that legislation by the
election of President Garfield, they
took another tack The Democracy
now cried: publish the Roll! Lei
US know who draws pensions. We will
purge the lists. Let US see how many
frauds there are. Let US put in Jail all
their wicked men who never went
to the war, but are now tax.
ing the Nations money" To this
the old soldiers, conscious of their own
integrity, made no objection, SO the
pension roll was published Jan. l. 1888.
Several hundred detectives were turned
loose upon the country, and many OF
them operated aS if they were true Cop
perheads indeed. They would come tc
soldiers widows house, turn every
one out, and then take a deposition
fused woman, scarcely knowing
what was said or done, but al
last when all these contempt
BILE contrivances of the Democratic
leaders were carried out what was the
result? How many thousand pension
ers, do you suppose, were dropped
Not one. What did the officials find !?
Simply aLd solely, that there was No
fraud They found that the Union
soldier was not only the soul of valor,
but of honor and uprightness also.
Though he had been vilifed and ira.
duced, yet the DEGREES of justice vindi.
Gated and sustained him, proving him
far above the foul asperSions of h
Copperhead enemies. So much of til;
record now; in other issues the subse-
quent treatment of the pensioners will
be fully considered.
The Practical Question.
Union soldiers, and the sons, grand |
sons. relatives and friends of Union
soldiers, do you now propose. here in
Ohio, to vote for Democratic candi- |
date for Go yernor who was a Copper
head, Liding and skulking at home dur
ing the war, when the Government was
in danger? Do you propose to vote for
a man who despised hi. sid companions
that became Union sNLiers? Do Jvu
honor a man who refused to recognize |
or to speak to them when they wore
the Union uniform? Do you propose to
vote for man who was not only not
friend of the Union soldier, but always
his secret enemy? Do you intend to
honor him for in effect firing at Union
soldiers from the rear? Why was not
Lawrence L. Neal in the Union army
like our other recent governors, Joseph
B. Foraker James E. Campbell and
William Mckinley? All were young
men, or boys, together when the Rebel
lion broke out. Campbell was IS July
:, 1861, Mckinley was II January 30,
1851, Foraker was only Is July 5, 1861,
while Neal was II September %, 1861.
The first three brave young patriots en-
listed in defense of their country; why
didn't Neal enlist? He was as healthy |