Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1896-10-15
TWO VIEWS OF THE OLD SOLDIER,

Those who love their country and adj
mire and revere tho brave men who
saved it from disunion and disintegra-
ton in the long years Of the civil war
will DO interested to know what the at
ttude OF the two leading candidates
may be towards the union veterans.
Fortunately both Mckinley and Bryan
are on record in this particular. We
quote from the Omaha World Herald OF
November IS, 80, then edited by w. j.
Bryan to show his appreciation of the
services Of the Union soldiers in saving
the Nation. He wrote:
THE next session OF congress will
have to wrestle with one deficiency OF
$36,000,000. This is on account of pen
SONS. The appropriation for pensions
for the next fiscal year must not be less
than $150,000,000. 1t is, therefore, easy
arithmetic to perceive that the appro-
priation that congress must make for
pensions next session must aggregate
not less than &lSG,000,000.
This tremendous sum would in itself
| be enough to run a reasonable govern
ment. One would not complain il it
were an honest debt, but large proper
tion is not debt because it was never
canned by any act Of patriotism or heroic
service. The government IL held mp aud
despoiled OF no mean portion OF this, and
it seems helpless to defend itself One
cannot help being curious to know how
many more years it will take to exhaust
the generation which feels iteelf injured
by the war. 1t is safe to say that never
did a generation display such remarka-
BILE longevity"
William Mckinley is also on record.
Last week he delivered special address
to delegation Of old soldiers who called
on him and so beautiful and appropriate
is it that we give it in full Mr.. NIcKin-
ley said:
"MY COMRADES: | wish | might be
able to make fitting and suitable re-
spouse to the gracious words Of congrat-
ulation and good will which have been
spoken in your behalf by Sergeant Hop
kins and Mr.. Hull. 1t is indeed kind
and generous act OF comradeship that
brings on this unpleasant day the mem
bers OF the Ohio soldiers and sailors
home of SandusBy to this city to pay me
visit. My comrades, fully and heart
lily appreciate it. No body OF men who
have visited me in the last three months
have given me more pleasure or touched
me more deeply than my old comrades
OF the Sandusky home. When you en-
tered the service you were younger than
you are now. Thirty-tive years ago most
OF you enlisted and thirty years ago
most OF you were mustered out OF the
service. You were then fresh and
young, with the red wine OF early man
hood mantling your cheeks. You are
older now, but your hearts warm to the
country and the old flag just as they
did in 1861. When you entered the SER
vice you entered not for fame; you en-
tered not for the pittance that was paid
you; you entered not for glory or for pop
ular applause, but you entered the SER
vice from the purest and highest mo-
tives OF patriotism, that no harm should
come to our country.
And so nearly 100000 OF men, when
duty called, no matter what the exac-
tions, were ready to answer to the call OF
country and defend their country's free
institutions. There are now on the pen
sion roll OF the government more men
than were enlisted in the war OF tho re-
vclution, the war OF 1872 and the war
with Mexico. Within about $4,000 as
many men are on the pension roll OF the
United States today as were in all the
wars in which this government was en-.
gagged from the revolution to the civil
war. / have always been in favor or
pensioning the deserving and disabled
soldiers OF the republic, and favoring
their pensions, am now in favor OF hav-
ing their pensions paid In money
whose value does not depend upon mere
fiat and which cannot be deprecated. /
am opposed TO cutting down pensions in
that way. / want the pensioners, who
are among the largest creditors of the
government today, as want oil the cred
itors OF the government, great or small,
to be paid in the best money in the
world-dcllars worth 100 cents every
day and everywhere. / am glad to have
you here today, am glad to have this
large body Of veteran soldiers declare, as
your spokesman has declared, that they
are still In favor OF the country and the
country's honor.
A color bearer during the war, while
in front OF the enemy, in his anxiety to
accomplish something, with two or three
hundred men, marched in front OF the
lines and on toward the enemy's works.
When the general commanding from the
rear called out: bring those colors
back to the line" the sergeant answered
promptly with the voice of command
that went back to the general quicker
than mimic ball; "Bring the line up
to the colors" We are carrying the
same old colors today that we carried
35 years ago. Boys bring the line up to
the colors- My comrades, thank you;
| l appreciate this call Other delegations
oro oo,,;no, L kan tbot Won canvau M