Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1897-03-03
KANSAS AND PopuL1sM.

Last week we made local mention of a
few clippings sent to Commissioner II.
CIV aiker, by a brother inKentucky and
this week we publish them to show how
prejudiced, misguided and misinformed
some people are. The following is in
the form of letter written TO the Ma
tlonal Tribune. a paper which assumes
that it is published in the interest of
the old soldiers. but which is, in fact, AN
adjunct to the republican party. As
the signature shows. 1t was written by
| an old soldier of this state for whose
service we have most profound respect,
but whose political ignorance we can
not commend. The letter:
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: The
battle is over: the victory won Nation
| ally but we poor republicans of Kansas
had no part in it. We feel 1t, aud feel
it deeply, that our grand state should
be SO disgraced. Today it is placed in
the same line with Arkansas and Mis-
sissippl.
Just think of the Seventh Congress,
ional District sending that Jerry Simp
son back to Congress instead of that
noble yong statesman, Chester L. Long;
and Comrade Blue beaten for Con
gresham large by man who laid
| down his ministry of the gospel and
joined the most corrupt political party
that ever disgraGed this earth! This is
the sameold batch that we fought from
81 to '65. have been in Kansas 20
years, and | have fought them ever
since | came here. We had everything
to contend with this year; even the
Prohibition party went back on us,
their friends.
Il fought IN The Army of the Cum
berland three yeas, and l, for one. Will
| fight these fellows while l live.-W. Nj.
Locke, Sergeant, Co. T, 39th Ind, or
Sth Ind. Cav
! This man, Locke, either through ig-
norance or malice is styling thousands
OF his comrades as 1.-The same old batch
that we fought from 81 to '65p How
a man who has gone through the woes
and conflicts of the civil war can do
such an injustice to those who shared
the hardships with him is more than we
can understand. There is Jerry Simp.
son, veteran in the Unions behalf
! himself, man who stood side by side
with Mr.. Locke in defending his coun-
try While Chester [. Long was IN swad-
ding clothes,ca hardly be called one of
the 'Old BATCH whom Mr.. Locke fought
from 81 to co. Then his reference to
"Comrade Blue" is very amusing to say
the least, when Mr.. Blues official record
IS considered. 1t is simply continued
story of hostility to the old soldiers.
HIS entire energies in Congress were
devoted in an endeavor to do an MUS
tlce to a fellow comrade while Congress
man elect Botkin has frequently ex-
pressed his friendship to these noble
and true hearted men.
We do not believe the war is an issue.
neither does the Peoples party, but we
cannot withhold our indignation when
an old soldier Will charge other equally
gallant veterans with diSloyalty. The
Peoples party is proud Of its numerous
OLD soldier members, it is proud of the
tact that so many of the old soldiers of
this country are awake to the fact that
the republican party has Disseminated
against them in favor of the bondhold.
ers OF this country. These men feel
the lnJustice of a government which
has allowed capitalists to amass enor-
nous fortunes at their expense and
they nave allowed reason to prevail to
such all extent as to cast off the party
which was once the nations blessing but
which now is its curse. The question
is not so much as to what good a party
has been in the past but rather what Is
1t at the present time and what does it
promise for the future. So we say that
while the civil war is not an issue, the
republican party is the worst enemy the
Old soldiers have today. In pension
matters the republican party favors
outrageously high pensions to distin
guished generals and men of high rank
and their widows, while the private sol
der and his widow gets mere beggar-
iy plttance: indeed, Ire is fortunate in
getting anything at all. The Peoples
party and its congressman stand pledg-
ed 20 a service pension law and we need
only cite the records of Populist sena-
tors and representatives to prove this
statement to be true Sc much for
that; here is rot number 2, evidently
taken from demo-republican '.sound
money" organ:
Republicans whose memory reaches
back to 1860 never expected to see the
day when Kansas and Nebraska, then
Territories, would be the political part
ners of South Carolina, and the minor
members of the firm at that"
This is only little more belching
from a sour stomach such as we have
often seen and heard before. 1t is, of
course, an indirect slap at the election
of Hon. Wa Harris to The U. s. SEN
ate from this Slate and the casting of
the electoral vote of the states of Kan
sas aud Nebraska for W. j. Bryan for
president. How the gold standard
fellows do like to talk about 1860! Not
five per cent Of the republicans of to-
day who are doing so much talking
about the trials of the civilswar ever ex-
/ perienced any of its priyatlons; they
are fighting with thQir rauths