The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-12-19

The Harrisburg Pa.) Patriot is in
curably mean. 1t was one of the most
detestable of the Copperhead papers
during the war, and has not improved
a particle since. In a recent issue it
says: sf
Is the country aware that it has any SOL
diers except those who fought in the late
rebellion?
If is. why doesn't il treat one as well as
another? In other words, why is not the
soldier who has seen service since 1866
worthy as much attention as let us say, the
camp-follower or Surgeons assistant of the
civil war?
All sorts of laws have been passed for the
relief or profit of soldiers of the rebellion.
They have been given pensions for trivial
wounds received in service, these pensions
have been increased from time to time, they
have had disability pensions thrust at
them-even had cumulative" disability
pensions forced upon them or fraudulently
obtained for them-but the soldier of the
Regular Army since 1866, who has seen hard
service without chance to evade, gets
little, if anything.
There have been no harder campaigns
than those against the Indians. In the
midst of the widest storms campaigns have
been undertaken, when men and beasts were
cut to the marrow with chilly blasts In
mountain defiles and plains. The soldiers
OF the West have travelled across alkalI
deserts, ch0ked with the irritating dust that
hid them in parching clouds, almost dying
for wafer and compelled to do without it or
die, or both. They have trayersed hundreds
of miles of the widest country, where sup
plies could not reach them if there had been
any supplies, always exposed to the attack
of savage foe, at last compelled to kill
horses and mules for subsistence, fearing to
use springs that were probably poisoned,
forced, after beasts were killed, to walk
until shoes were cut to pieces, growing faint
with hunger and constant vigil and unceas-
ing toll, and dropping by the way to die.
And these men fought, and fought for their
country as creditably as any man in the pay
Of his country.
After serving couple of terms of enlist
ment one would suppose they would be well
cared for by the Government. They are not.
The suffer in the civil war, whose eyes fail
him for reasons he would not care to tell the
truth about gets disability pension. The
man who is in robust health, but applied for
and got pension because the rest of the boys
did, was in one battle, and then he did not
shoot at the enemy. All these men had easy
times of it, so far as clothing and food and
rest are concerned. They always had plenty
to eat>and to drink. But the present-day
soldier, who Gen. Miles says saves the coun-
try from anarchy, gets nothing for real dis
ability.
We do not advocate any enlargement of
the pension list, but we do say the deserv-
ing soldier should be pensioned if it be at
the expense of the undeserving, who now
get pensions they should not have.
Now, the Patriot does not care fig
for the soldiers of the Regular Army.
1t merely uses them as a peg on which
to hang caiumnies of the Union soldier.
No one can be more in favor of liberality
and justice to the Regulars than THE
NATIONAL TRIBUNE, but such an adj
vocate as the Patriot does them endless
harm. 1t is likely, too, tomorrow to turn
around and abuse them as the scum of
the earth.
aEF