The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-02-04
FOR THE VETERANS.

EMPLOYMENT FOR THE VETERANS.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: You have
done grand work towards aiding the pen
sions, and /. like many others, believe your
whole soul is in the work you started out to
accomplish. But do you not think If You
would take different tact that better and
more successful work can be done? For in
stance, make a bold stand for work for every
ex-soldier or sailor This would put things
on base of so much patronage from each
and every Senator and Representative, and
others, who are generally in command when
the party is in power. If you want to take
all the grit out of man, take away his
rations. both from him and his family.
If YOU want to defeat an army take from
the commander his soldiers and how quick
he will show the white flag. So it is with
the politician, if he has no pap for his sa-
loon and back-door henchmen, you Will get
him to do Just what you wantof him other
wise you can plead, beg, and cry, but all In
vain. The trouble is, and has been. we nave
not attacked the stronghold of the men VINO
have had our destinies, as 1t were, ID their
hands, and they have poo pooed at us, laugh
ing in their sleeves Now let us make q
long and strong pull for labor for each and
every one, and Just see the effect. L snail
at our next regular meeting present mo-
ton to appoint a committee to look after
labor for each and every ex-soldier or sailor
who served in the late unpleasantness.
This committee shall have power to advise
with others of a like order and secure con-
vention for q permanent organization IOr
future.
Again let me thank you for what you have
already done, hoping you will continue the
fght-WM. L. JARVIS, New Orleans, La.
In past years we have tried from time
to time to get the comrades aroused to
a united effort to make the preference OF
veterans in public employment COM
pulsory upon officials. But we have
never succeeded in getting sufficient
comrades interested to give hopes OF
success. The trouble is that only very
small proportion of them care for public
employment, or are acquainted with
those who do. The matter is, therefore,
not living issue with them.
We have urged that there be gen.
eral movement to have Section 1874,
Revised Statutes, which recommends
preference in public employment for all
those discharged by reason of wounds or
disabilities amended so as to include all
honorably-discharged soldiers or sailors,
and made mandatory with penal clause
affixed. But this has never been done.
The matter took shape before the Ma
tional Encampment at Louisville, and a
Committee on Legislation was appointed,
which has since been trying to get the
matter before Congress.
Some of the comrades in the different
States have taken the matter up. Those
of New York worked the thing SO well
that they secured provision in the
Constitution, and they have since been
watchful that officials should pay due
| attention to it.
The comrades of Massachusetts, were
less successful. They secured the pas
sage of Veterans Preference law, but
the Supreme Court decided it uncon'
stitutional.
Kansas has had such law on bel
statute books for many years, but We
understand that it has been treated as q
dead letter by all Administrations =
Republican. Democratic and Populist.
There has never been any doubt in
our minds that veterans have the frs
right to all public employment, and
that this should long ago have been con
firned to them by a strict law, but thu
veterans themselves not having united
in demanding it, nothing could be done
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