Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1898-02-02
THE PENSION SYSTEM.
A plea for Fair Treatment of the
Soldiers.

=
old comrades and myself. | desire
to refer briefly to the question Of
pensions for the soldiers Of the late
war. and to give You my views in
reference to the rights Of the men
who saved and perpetuated the gov
ernment.
We find many reasons for this
hatred and opposition of what is
known as the pension system.
First, we have the element that try
to destroy the government oppo>-
ing it. We find the banking and
commercial interests of this coHn-
try opposing it. We find all of the
,tay-at- homes and those that were
not patriotic enough to cnlis, and
help to defend their country oppos-
ing it. We find these all arrayed
against the old soldier. 1t is not
strange that those who had TO he
compelled to submit to the laws of
this government oppose the pension
system. In this connection | will
say that the great opposition to
PENSIONS does not come from the
true Confederate soldier. but. As |
say, comes from the stay at homes,
| who were too cowardly to enter the
army, and are now kicking them
selves because they were not patri-
otto enough to be paced on the
pension rolls. Hence, they envy
every old soldier that receives a
! pension.
1t does seem to me that the boEd-
holders of this country should he
the last class of men in the world
! to interpose and object to pension
ing the men who made every dollar
that they had contributed in defense
Of the country as good as gold, and
| have yet to know of a single sol
der that has ever opposed c"iry-
ing out to the letter with the 'Jond-
holders the agreement that was
made bctwcenthen andtheir govern
ment. Hence l say they are the last
class of people that should raise up
now and cry halt on the pension
system.
! Let us review the pcn>ion list
from the beginning tcf the govern
mcnt up to the present time. Pen
sioning old soldiers was OF liyinally Il
Democratic measure, and there
never was any sin or wrong in this
system up to the time of pensl"nine
the soldiers of the late war. Review
the whole list of pensioners in the
wars of 1176 up to 1861, and you
never heard Il human cry, such as
has been raised against the mer
who fought the greatest war o1
ancient or modern times. They arc
branded with all the epi,he,s "no
,terogatory dcnunciations that coult
he heard against any set of men
} Is it possible that the defenders o:
this government in the late wal
were pcrilres. liars and thieves
Every impediment is thrown il
their WAY to prevent the govern
l ment from carrying out its SACRED
. promise, Il promise as sacred Il
: was ever made. to the bondholdcrs
1t will he remembered that thes
old soldiers were paid off durin:
their service in money 80 and s
+ per cent discount, while the bond
i holder was paid in gold or its equiv
alent. Take another view Of this
| assert that there has been nor
y money paid out in interest t" bone
holders of the late war than wa
. ever paid in pensions from the bt
ginning of the government down
. . the present time. These old SO
g diers are not objects of CHART
begging for the crumbs that fl,
from the government.
1t is not strange that out of i,
u army of 2.So0,OOO men, the,
r. would he some black sheep in tn;
a vast army. 1t is net strange III;
4 frauds have crept in and have d
'd velopcd themselves, but | do 50
II II that when You look over that va
tn army. it compares favorable
n honesty aud integrity will, an cqn
y number of men that ever filed pos
y. tions in this government.
~ futherm 're assert that tho
e. opposed to pension legislation, al
i'll the great public Journals of tn
'g country, in dealing with these pc
~ ~ plc. should he fair, and that til
nd wholesale charge of fraud and CO
tn ruption is not, in my "p1ni"
IL honest or right. If fraud has he'
nc nd committed, take NY the men wi
~ have committed it and punish the