The Saint Paul globe., 1897-09-20
PENSIONS AND PROTECTION

The G O b e has very stiff copvic-
tions on the subject Of pensions, and
the expression of them has Of
Tended certain class Of ex-soldiers;
fellows, for the most part, who never
got to be "old" soldiers for the reason
that they deferred making a display
of their patriotism until after towns
and cities and states and the federal
government had piled up a handsome
inducement in the way of bounties.
For them or their opinions we have
very little respect; no more than the
boys had who did not wait for such
an inducement before offering them
selves to the defense of the Union But
this class are not all who are on the
pension list, although they form the
larger part, because, naturally. having
made traffic of their patriotism, they
continue to trade on their services. For
the others who are receiving merito-
rious pensions we have the highest re-
gard, and when one of them puts the
case to US, as one did the other day.
we have to admit the force of mis- rea-
soning. while yielding nothing of our
position; that no soldier should ask for
pension who can support himself and
that, when that time passes, he should
have a generous support from the gov
ernment
Said this veteran of 81 to '65, in sub
stance: If the general policy of the
government were different, I would
agree with you in your idea of pen
sions; but when I see the government
compels me to contribute to protecting
everybody, [ cannot see why l should
net get MY share, or as l1uch of it as
can. Now have to pay something,
for instance, by compUlsion Of law. on
every pound of sugar my family con-
sunles to help the sugar trust get rich
er and pay its annual II per cent divi-
derds and make its stock worth l50
have just had to pay a dollar more
a thousand feet to some lumberman
for the lumber 1 bought to build an
addition to my house because the gov
ernment gave him power to say [ must
Ny dealer told me, when L bought the
glass for the windows, that the price
was higher on account of the tariff
which means that the government has
let the glass men make me pay them
more for their glass. A friend of nine
who is the manager of one of our
| large wholesale houses dealing in dry
goods. told me the other day that his
house had marked up woolens four
times since the Dingley act passed,
which means that the government has
given some one permission to make me
pay more for my woolens.
Now, why shouldn't I have some
thing out of the government, too? I
gave four years to my country of the
very best years Of a mans life. I am
! drawing a pension now for a lump of
lead that is lying somewhere inside me
that a Johnny sent with his compli-
ments 1t gets a move on itself every
now and then to let me know it is
there. and I don't feel like doing any
thing else but watch it. I got S13 a
month for while and Sic later for be-
ing shot at, and hit. 1t wasn't pay
then 1 was after; if it >had been, the
| inducement would not have bean
enough. If enough of US fellows had
not done as we did, [ reckon that there
wouldn't be "a congress now passing
Dingley bills to make me chip in to help
lot Of fellows who don't need help.
But I can't get out Of it; [ have to put
up. Now, why shouldn't I and all the
good, bad and Indifferent soldiers try
to even up what the government makes
lis pay the other fellows by getting
something back from the government?
Even with what we get we don't get
even. Pensions should be larger, and
every one who carried a musket for a
day should have one. You're too sem
timental. This is business age, and