Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1896-03-25
KEEP THIS BEFORE THE PEOPLE.

With a certain candidate for Congress
and his following, the supreme effort Of
the canvass is to catch the soldier vote.
They rest his claim to the nomination
mainly on the fact that he was a soldier,
and upon the declaration that he has
performed an immense service for the
soldiers in the prosecution of their
claims against the Government.
We have no desire or inclination to
discredit or depreciate the value Of Mil
burns services to the country in her
hour of need. There is no occasion to
do so Every soldier ought to have his
need Of honor and praise for this dis
play of valor and patriotism. Brown
low would have been a soldier too, if he
could have carried out his own purpose
and desire. Upon offering his services
to the country in the capacity of an arms
bearer, he was rejected solely on account
of his extreme youthfulness. What more
could Brownlow do? And now in his
case the will must be taken for the deed.
This settles the soldier custom, or at
least ought to. In the opinion of all
right thinking persons this issue is en-
tirely out of the struggle.
Now, as to Milburn's immense service
to the soldiers in the way of prosecuting
claims for pensions, Milburn says he
has prosecuted over 1900 claims of this
character. We do not challenge the
truthfulness Of this statement. We adj
nit il. Now, in the prosecution of these
claims Brownlow was the standing at
torney at Washington. Milburn called
upon him for his assistance and he per-
formed the service freely, willingly,
promptly, and without charge. When it
came to a division of the fees of the attor-
ney, which are always taken out of the
pension allowances to the soldiers, there
was no division at all-Milburn got them
all and Brownlow got nothing. Brown
low expected and demanded nothing. If
Miiburn did the immense pension bust
ness that he claims, he must have made
a fortune Of from $4,000 to 100000, and
sllOllu bC dDlC W DtdI tut huhllCldl
burdens OF several Congressional cam
paigns. So grateful was Milburn to
Brownlow for his aid and so highly did
he appreciate his services for the soldiers,
that in 1913 he wrote letters all over this
Congressional District, in urgent and
persistent appeal to pleading Republicans
to support Brownlow for Congress, be-
cause Of his supereminent merits as a
party worker, his love and solicitude for
the soldier, his political training and
education, his brilliant and unlimited
capacities and his commanding infiu-
ence at Washington.
Brownlow did the very same work for
all Of the pension attorneys of the Dis
trict that he did for Milburn and on the
very same terms. They got all the usu-
fruct and he got nothing whatever.
Nor was Brownlow's efforts for the
soldiers confined to this Departmental
work.
AS shown from our leader of last week,
which was taken from the record, Brown
low was instrumental in securing the
appointment of medical boards in each
county of the Congressional District,
thereby relieving the soldiers of the
harassments, hardships and sacrifices
that had formerly deferred a very large
proportion of them from prosecuting
their claims, as the cost of the prosecu-
ton in travelling expenses, exceeded the
small pittance they would have received.
Had Brownlow received only very
moderate compensation for all the Ia
Dor he has gratuitiously performed for
the soldiers, to say nothing of his servi-
ces for all other citizens, he would now
be by far the wealthiest citizen of the
district and a seat in Congress would