The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-08-19
God grant that my suspicious may prove

groundless''
Lincoln was prophet. and who are the
anarchists now? For years we have read
your great soldier paper, and we liked It:
In reading the history you have published
and in fighting our battles over again.
But when you assume to dictate to us how
we should vote, and because we differ
from you we are lot Of rebel populists,
malignant charlatans. hoboes, and fools.
we protest. And when you generally in
form US (the fools), that there are four
hundred million silver dollars in the treas
ury for which there is no demand, we are
amazed either at your ignorance or down.
right untruthfulnesS. From the door OF
your palatial National Tribune building.
which was paid for by the veteran PEN
sioner, but which you now own, the United
States treasury building Is in plain sight.
Had you inquired there Mr.. Carlisle would
have Informed you that he had no silver
dollars to exchange for gold dollars; for
all the silver dollars are in circulation
among the people in the shape of treasury
notes or silver certificates.
You say nothing Of the $84 600. 900 Of gold
in the treasury for which there Is no de-
mand although it is circulating In the
shape of gold certificates. There is no ex-
cuse for your Ignorance, neither does 1t
pay to lie. - rf~
The great public in reading your paper
and accepting it as the accredited organ
that the sole aim and business of the old
soldier is frs to apply to you to get him
pension then get that pension increased as
often as possible and to always vote the
Republican ticket straight. You come out
squarely and say there is no honesty or
decency in any party, but in the poor old
corporation ridden, trust and monopoly,
gold standard Republican party. the party
which stands for wage slavery now as the
Democratic party stood for chattel sla-
very in 1860.
No, Mr.. Editor, we utterly repudiate
your teaching. We demand, and we will
have the money Of the constitution, the
gold and silver dollar. The 100-cent dol
lar. The 200-cent single gold standard dol
lar must CO.
The pensioner, If he is selfish like you
and your gold bug friends, will work and
vote for the dishonest 200-cent gold dollar.
In the 81 years since the war we have
been citizens of the great nation working
to build up and make this the greatest ma
ton on earth. We have fully obeyed the
scriptural injunction to multiply and in
crease the inha bitants of the earth, and
as result witness the great army Of stall
wart sons Of veterans, worthy sons of their
veteran sires. God bless them, we are
proud of them. We want them to pros
per; we want them to be, and we know
they will be, as patriotic as their sires.
We denOunce your editorial in this issue
in regard to the Sons Of Veterans. You
are sowing the seed of dissension and
dissolution in their ranks in this attempt
to bring this order to support your gold
bug schemes.
We demand in their name, and in the
name of all the people, that this blighting,
whitening, pauper-producing gold stand
ard experiment, which, by a conspiracy
of the gold bugs of the world. has been
forced upon our country % years ago be
Immediately abandoned by our govern
ment. And that we return to the use of
the money of the constitution, gold and
silver and paper in sufficient amount to
start the wheels Of industry and COM
merce; to give our sons employment and
give the farmer and producer living
wages.
You will find that an immense majority
of the veterans and their sons will fall In
as soldiers again in this political conflict
and they will not be found on the side OF
monopoly and wage slavery. In your al
fusion to dreadful war; which, you say
| may be near, we, the old veterans of the
| late war, can only pray, pray as we never
| prayed before to the God of battle that our
sons may never have to go through the
| scenes of blood and carnage that we have
passed through. But you allude to genu-
| inc war as If it were picnic and assume
| that all these gold bugs have to do is te
call on our Sons of Veterans and they
would flock to the standard and help them
| to forever fasten upon themselves and
the people this damnable system Of wage
| slavery.
| No. our Sons Of Veterans are not slaves
| neither will they assist to enslave theil
| fellow men. The rule and regulations OF
| the Grand Army of the Republic, as you
well know, do not allow politics in oul
grand order You assume to be the mouth.
piece and spokesman of our order. By
| the arrogance, ignorance, and malicious
! Misrepresentation in your columns you
are insulting hundreds Of thousands OF
| our members, for the crime Of voting as
| we please.
| In the name of the grand organization
| to which we belong we protest against
| your assumed leadership, and in thus
trailing our proud Grand Army flag in the
! pollution of political campaign. In ou1
| G. A. r. post we recognize no Republican
and we denounce you and the assumed
leadership of your National Tribune as
traitor in our camp, dangerous enemy
| to our organization and to our very ex.
| istence. And we call upon our officers
| who will meet in national encampment
| soon to see to it that all publications which
| tend to disrupt and destroy our Crane
| Army shall be utterly repudiated by oul
| order.
| By your arrogance, insolence, and stu
| pidity you remind us Of the End lieutenan'
| in colored regiment who was, in his owr
| estimation, a bigger man than Uncle Billie
| Sherman, puffed up with his gold lace ant
shoulder straps big as a pay roll
| OLD SOLDIER.