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

Enc G L e mas very StlH C0nVIc-
tions OH the subject of pensions, and
the expression Of them has Of
Tended a certain class Of ex-soldiers;
fellows, for the most part, who never
got to be "old" soldiers for the reason
that they deferred making 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
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,
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
sions: but when 1 see the government
compels me to contribute to protecting
/ everybody, 1 cannot see why 1 should
| net get my share, or as lauch of it as
I can Now I have to pay something,
for instance, by compU1sion of law, on
| every pound of sugar my family con-
sur1ies to help the sugar trust get rich
er and pay its annual II per cent divi-
| dends and make it's stock worth $50.
I have just had to pay dollar more
a thousand feet to some lumbernlan
for the lumber 1 bought to build an
addition to my house because the gov
ernment gave him power to say must.
My dealer told me, when 1 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 mine
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 woolers.
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 pension now for lump of
lead that is lying somewhere inside me
that a Johnny sent with his compli-
ments It 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 SIG a
month for a while and SIG later for be-
ing shot at, and hit. 1t wasn't pay
then l 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 1 can't get out of it; L 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
us pay the other fellows by getting
something back from the government?
Even with what Wesset we don't get
even. Pensions should be larger, and
every one who carried a musket for a
day should have veaones5nYou're too SEN
ttmental. This is a business age, and