The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1893-10-27
THE OLD MAN TALKS.
The Man Who Wrote About Camp Fol-
lowers and Bummers."

Mrs. FairbrOther, is In Omaha. colonel
Fairbrother, it will be remembered, is the
editor whose newspaper has been so ex-
tensively quoted in regard to its attitude
on the pension question. One of the
things Fairbrother said, referring to
Cleveland, was that "the brave Buffalo
boy had slapped the dirty pension beg
gars in the face"
But a great many Of the friends of "the
brave Buffalo boy began to fear that
Colonel Fairbrother was not much Of a
vote maker. In fact the clammY suspi-
cion spread abroad that his Durham paper
was really run directly in the interests of
the republican party, and purposelY so.
"Twenty.four hours in town and not
hanged yet" said Colonel Fairbrother to
a World-Hcrald reporter.
did you expect to be hanged? Or do
you think you deserve it" the North
CarOlinian was asked.
"Well, you see," he said, when | left
Nebraska and took my pen in hand in
North Carolina, the favored state of all
Gods handiwork, it was but a year be.
fore the presidential campaign. Being
independent in politics, but trying to be
honest in politics, l knew that Harrison
was in favor Of any and all kinds of pen
sions, and | knew that Grover Cleveland
had opposed the raid upon the national
treasury by the bilks and bummers, and
camp fOllOwers-men who never had
drawn a sword, unless at a lottery, and
who had never drank from a canteen, IN.
less it was on a fishing excursion years
after the war. So l commenced a fight
for Cleveland. North Carolina was for
Hill-but Cleveland was right on pen
sions, and I yelled. Double leads and
quad lines fairly glistened in THE GLOBE.
The republican press all over the country
jumped on me with both feet; republi-
can barn stormers roasted me at school
houses, while the old soldiers wrote me
thousands of anonymous insulting letters.
But l kept on. Then the republican ma
tional committee took my stuff and gar.
bled in and set it up in Clydesdale type
and printed it on sheets Of paper large
as a barn door. l saw in New York city
during the campaign posters fully six
feet long and three feet wide, posted
everywhere, reading: old soldiers, think
of this Let the vets ponder on this
And then followed garbled extracts from
my great North American self repeating
newspaper.
"Of course the soldies were incensed.
| have with me letters from men in Ne
braska, and the original grammar and
photography convince me that they are
genuine, threatening me with personal,
violence if l return to the state-a state
where l labored for years to assist in its
upbuilding. The fact Of the business is
that on three metropolitan newspapers
in Nebraska, as an editorial writer, | said
no less concerning pension frauds han |
have said in Durham, N. G. 1t is true
that | did not open a new barrel of cpl
thets every time | wanted to hit them
but it is the sacred and solemn truth
that this child always insisted that to the
deserving wounded soldier-the man
who fought and was brave, and was dis
abled because he fought-a liberal pen
sion should be paid. But it is equally
true that the hummer and camp follower,
who followed in the wake of war, and
who to-day receive pensions in the names
Of the fallen dead, should be stricken
from the rolls. The democratic platform
demands it-Grover Cleveland is in favor
Of it-and the honest people will wildly
applaud those who soon and
early cOnsummate the good work. The
honest pensioner will endorse every word
ever printed in THE GLOBE. SO when
you hear a fellow cursing me out on this
score look up his war record and it will
be a good clew to detect a camp follower"
The police have been notified that Colo
mel Fairbrother is in town and an extra
detail of detectives have been instructed
to keep an eye on every movable article.
The court house and other valuable things
will be nailed down during the colonies
stay in the city.
Hoods ~SarSaparilla has cured many
afflicted with rheumatism, and we urge