The National tribune., 1896-09-24
AN OPEN LETTER
To a Number of Complain
ing Veterans.

OF mass OF letters from our TeaucIS III
all parts of the country commenting
upon the course we took when the
Chicago Convention flung out the red
banner of hate and defiance to nearly
everything that patriotic men have been
taught to revere. Much the larger por-
ton of these letters contain unstinted and
most gratifying praise for our utterances,
and thanks that we have voiced the
writer's sentiments so we'll.
But there are also number-mainly
from west of the Mississippi-who find
grave fault, and their tone runs all the
way from mild expostulation to rabld
denunciation. To these we now address
ourselves.
You at once divide yourself into two
classes. One is class that we have
ALWAYS had to contend with ever since
the G.A.S was organized, ever since
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE was started.
There are a few of you everywhere
making loud pretenses of having been
soldiers, who are and always have been
out of all touch and sympathy with the
great mass of the veterans, and you
have made use of the fact of your hav-
ing been in the army to oppose, annoy,
illustrate and discredit the men who
rendered real service to the country
MANY of the most vicious and insulting
letters come from men whom we re-
member to have written us periodically
and in the same strain, whenever we
have been advocating any measure Of
real benefit to the comrades. You are
the men who have been giving aid and
comfort to the soldier-hating papers; you
have always backed up the men who
| were striking at us and the comrades
generally. You know just enough about
the war to remember that there were
some deserters, shirks, boilers, and
bountyjumpers among a host of deserv'
ing men, and you always want to har
rangue about the five worthless men in
a company and ignore the 50 good and
true men who did their whole duty
For you we have only contempt, and
viii not waste argument on you. Every
comrade knows some of you, and t.
know you is enough.
With you of the other and much thu
larger class, we have the most profound
sympathy. We know you are good
faithful comrades, and honest citizens
who went out West, and have laboret
hard to build up homes and farms ant
businesses. You have been visited b,
many misfortunes and hardships, SOM
| common to all of us, and some which
have set with particular hardship Oh
your several localities. You have hat
to bear all that the rest of us have, ant
In ADDITION have had drouths, grass
hoppers, billiards, and other tribula
tons, Joined to an abnormally low pric
for the products of your labor. 1t
not SO surprising that some of you fee
almost desperate, and become an cas-
prey to specious demagogs, who promis
radical relief. You are like sick mer
who are tempted to turn away from tn
regular, trusted physician to accept th
nostrums of the loud-talking, everything
promising quack. You, we feel SUR
are amenable to reason, and we woul
reason with you, as We have done a
these years, in the spirit of the true
Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty. Cha
acter must count for something, an
every one of you must know that in tt
Is years in which THE NATIONAL TRI
UNE has been the recognized champion
advocate, and representative of IL
| men who bore the heat and burden
the battle for the Union, it has been trl
. to you in every word and line. 1t HI
always counseled you wisely, it HI
always told you the exact truth, as Il
r event proved it has unfinchingly fougl
your battles, and encountered in your b
e half the strongest papers in the countr
1 and the most powerful officials, fro
= President downward. Such record
= this, We submit, has earned us the rig
|" to be considered more of friend tn,
.