The Indianapolis journal., 1893-10-23
SPECIAL PENSIONS.
Protest Against Granting Large Sums
to Widows of officers.

To the Editor Of the Indianapolis Journal
In your issue Of the 18th inst. appeared an
article headed Justice to the Widow OF
General Corse" wherein it was stated that
Congress would be asked and would no
doubt reward the widow of this hero with
pension of 800 per month; that it would
be a great injustice to the memory Of Gen.
Corse and his worthy widow, who is left
in poor circumstances, to refuses this small
pitance How much longer must the rank
and file stand this insult to their loyalty,
their service and their intelligence? We
were told when General Grant died that his
widow was left in poor circumstances, and
nothing less than $1,000 year would re-
leve her distress; then followed General
Sheridan, General Hancock General Sher-
man and a host of others who. unfortunate
ly, left their widows destitute, and our
generous and patriotic people were
called upon, through Congress, to
grant them life pension of
from $1,000 to $1,000 a year in order that
they might be enabled to keep the wolf
from the door. Now we told that Gen.
Ccrse held Allatoona Pass, and that he tele-
graphed Sherman that he minus
ear and part of a jawbone, but could whip
all hell yet" What about the brave men
who stood to their guns on that bloody DAY,
lips parching for water, exhausted and sur
rounded by untold numbers of tho enemy?
We're they ao the
upon which General Corse relied to whip all
h-ll? Suppose that some Of these heroes
| privates though they were-having now
grown old from hardships and disease,
shall now be in want; suppose that the
Great Master has called some of them to
| answer the last roll call, leaving a poor
widow and orphan children destitute, cast
upon the cold charities of the world to
the people in the County aimshouse c.
Are they not entitled to some considera-
| The writer Of this happens to know some
tf1ng about the death struggle at Allatoona
| Pass, having belonged to the advance of
the troops sent to the relief of the men who
were there surrounded by ten times their
| number. Well had the handful of patriots
| there on that day immortalized himself as
| hero, and deserves the full praise and
| honor of patriotic people. But what we
| poor privates object to is that the praise
| for great deeds done in defense of the stars
and stripes shall all go to those who
through political or other Influences were
placed in high positions, and be left with
| only the remembrance that we were the
| instruments used to add these stars to the
epaulette Of the hero who commanded us.
| We were told in 1861 that the war was in de-
| fense of one common country, in defense of
the Old flag. and that every one VINO labored
in it's defense had common interest.
| We had been taught in our childhood that
our glorious Republic, handed down to our
fathers, accorded to all alike. rich and
poor, high and low born, free and equal
rights; but row, at this late day, over a
quarter of a century after the war for the
| the efforts of the poor private as by those
| Of the heroes who led them, II We poor
| privates make an effort to secure the mere
pittance of a pension which is our right
| under the laws upon the statute books of
our country Gaot by special legislation). we
towards" sneak thieves" treasury loot
ers' and "bummers" by the press of the
country; yea, even in the halls of our loyal
cry, stop these looters from further de-
| pleting the treasury or the country is
| great party now in power, who in their
| platform professed great love for the sol
dier. who declared that they were in ia
diers. has deliberately set to work
! with every means In their power to de-
| prive those who had received pensions of
their mere pittance, and by every techni-
cality and device known to the sharp law
| yer and statesman have made 1t next to i'm
able to- complete their " Claims to now do SO
under the present rulings, and this they
tell us is in the interest of economy; that
is depleted: that retrenchment must be the
| battle cry, and as the millionaire. the
5ne to hep hea the the
| alive and moving it is not safe to disturb
them, SO the saving must come from lop-
L
dier, the plebeian herd, and no one shall say
them nay. Now. these same newspapers,
these same Congressman who have, both
early and late Spat out their vituperatiOn
| against the coffee cooler and camp fol-
| lower are earnestly advocating the al
| of General Corse for valiant deeds done on
| the field of battle by the brave old general.
| No one has or can have more reverence for
| the rank and file of the great army who
| fought for the preservation OF the Union,
but we are becoming very much disgusted
leaders passes away, merely for the pur-
pose of paving the way for munificent al
| lowance to the widow, while the cry is as
| cending to the heavens to stop the looters
and buns from putting their hands in the
treasury and robbtng the people of their
earnings. Did 1t ever occur to the minds
of those gentlemen in Congress who are
now misunderstanding the people who placed
soldier is given him under and pursuant
! to laws that have been the statute books
for years, and that every pension granted
through special legislation to an amount be
SiGH Without 'Has any warrant Of {aw.,anpatri,
oG and of tse nes
ph9 pe's money? If If it has not, they had bet
ter take time to consider the matter. for
| the handwriting is upon the wall We have
stood silently by long enough. and have
| never demanded more rhan justice. We &C.
cord all honor to our leaders that is I, due
| ations believing that our great and glorious
| country would do equal justice to all alike;
| but now that find that we have been de-
| ceived, even maligned, by. those who have
| professed to be our friends; now that we
| have been attacked from front and ar,
we will rally our forces in solid column
| land the numbers are not smalD and we
| shall demand that common justice shall
| be meted out, and those that oppose viii,
| in all probability, hear something drop
| should they get in the way of our guns at
| the ballot box. Give every deserving SOL
| dier his rights; drop every fraudulent claim
| from the rolls (and that will include all
| these high-rated special clairns), give equal
| Justice to all alike, is what we ask, what
| we demand. and what we will have if there
| is justice in the land.
| ]. T. KNOWLAND.
| Anderson, Ind, Oct. %.