The herald., 1898-09-30
Another Old Soldier


To the Editor of the Los Angeles Herald:
An alleged Republican Old Soldier" has
communication in this mornings Her
aid which challenges alike the fair fame
Of the old soldier and the Republican
party. The crux Of his plant IS that "the
push" of his party failed to nominate GER
tain ex-soldiers for official positions they
coveted. Notwithstanding the fact that the
aforesaid old soldier Is confidently relied on
TO furnish his contingent Of ballots, that
he stands by ard supports the ticket The
whole tenor of his article is to the effect
that the old soldier is factor in party
politics for what he can get cut Of It, from
the top down 10 justice Of the peace. He
AYERS that 1.-The push" of his party knocked
out pushed aside, some eX-soldier candi-
dates before the recent county conven-
ton. He would resent this afront put upon
the soldier contingent by organizing a
counter push within the periphery Of the
g. o. p. He would do this by refusing to de-
liver ballots election day as a pointer for
future conventions-a 'coign of vantage"
for the incubating soldier push. The right
or the wrong of It is not in question; the
patriotic equities are not considered, but
the party is to be disciplined by the voting
fuse to accept it's candidates. The other
push must yield to the soldier push.
There Is also within the Republican party
the railroad push, which must be reckoned
with, though its "sphere of influence"
scarcely reaches down to petty county Of
fic.als, which alone come within the horo-
scope Of the anonymous writer in review
What I am moved to protest against is
IkI,1 ,f <I,4
which Republican Old Soldier" trains II
the Republican party is a theater for the
exploitation of the push, as he more than
ins.nuates, it is quite time honest Repub-
lican old soldiers should abandon it, in
stead of Joining in the push and scramble
for spoils.
Honor and American manhood should and
do mean something to the worthy, re-
spected and self-respectng old soldier. If
the Republican party has fallen into devil
GUS ways, has become machine for ad-
vanc.ng the interests Of contriving men
and corporations at the expense Of the gen.
erai welfare, the gangrene Is too pervading
to be cured by the remedy proposed.
But a cure may not be just what men
Ike Republican Old Soldier are aiming
at, If 1t Is only a division Of swag they
are after they may get It. for the Repub-
lican party of today knows how to do
practical politics; understands addition
division and silence. But there are so
many open hands. There are the railroad
push, the push of the ins, Of the outs, the
push oe the whisky, gamblers and other
rings; and now comes the old soldier push.
But the latter Is not formidable and may
be safely ignored, as it Is said to have
been at the late convention.
Reputable Republicans Of the home are
measuring party pretenslons. practices and
aspirations with quite different yard
stick. What they want in the way of
politics Is the advancement of the general
welfare-the greatest good to the greatest
number. If the ex-soldiers gathered here
did their country good turn when they
fought Its battles, they but did their duty.
Their best thought now Is to give the
weight Of their influence and votes to the
party most strenuously endeavoring to
achieve the upliftment of humanity-the
masses.
Our general laws appear to have been
framed to produce Astors, Belmonts. Van
derbilts Pullmans, Rockefellers, Algers
and the like at the one end with an army
of vicious, thieving, numbering tramps at
the other This IS a relic Of old world
feudal and monarchical methods of law
making. We would have an American sys-
tenn of legislation; one that will rectfy
the inequalities that prevail under the old
regime.
All, no; voting against three or four can
didates whose places old soldiers wanted
does not fill the measure of our aspira-
tions. The vital question at issue is man.
hood VS.. money. A more formidable con-
fiict Is on than that we successfully met
in the cos Stand steady at the guns. Mr.
Herald, Mcguire and the captains. Cali
fornia first, then the whole country.
POPULIST
Snldiers' Home Sent 27 1898