The Republican journal., 1898-01-27

eve of that battle he begged to be allowed
to report for duty. Much against his
will the surgeon allowed him to do SO. In
the thickest of the fight his nerve desert
ed him, and left alone in a belt of woods
by the side of his dying horse, he fled,
never to return, and forever after was
branded as coward. Which was the
greater coward, he, or the man who
sought a hospital record and sought no
higher glory than to belong to the ''diar
rhea corpse And yet the latter has no
difficulty in securing a pension, his hos
pital record being in his favor, while
many soldier who shirked no duty, who
stood at his post in snow and rain and
Virginia mud, even if he then contracted
the fatal disease which did not manifest
itself in acute form until later years, can
not secure a pension because he has no
hospital record.
1t is an intimate knowledge of these
cases, an insight into the hidden inner
life of many veterans, which causes such
intensity of feeling on the part of those
familiar with the cases of patient and
heroic suffering resulting from war SER
vice.
1t is common sight, once year, to see
the veterans in line, carrying flowers to
deck the sunkeu graves of their comrades,
and a curious, and in the main, respect
full crowd, will watch them, but there is
scarcely more significance to them in the
array than there is in the blue coated mill
tia. They represent past era, and the
present sneers at pensions cannot instil
into the minds of youth any more respect
for the veterans than the careless feeling
they already possess. From long obser-
vation of Memorial day exercises, should
say that the foreign population: those
born and reared under another flag, were
the most sympathetic observers of the
exercises. OF course, they look on the
parade from merely emotional point of
view; they have not been educated up to
take the critical view of the veterans that
our native born population have. They
have not arrived at the point of culture
when they can exclaim, ''d-n the Grand
Army" as did the son of one of our good
deacons, when a veteran interrupted him
in his business to try and sell him a copy
of war book. We can only expect those
things from our pure New England stock
If a score of survivors from Sebastopol
were to parade our streets, the people
would go wild over them, and every hat
would be dotted, but these men who took
part in the greatest battles ever fought,
some of whom led forlorn hopes, scaled
redoubts, and captured flags from VIC
torious foe, are begrudged the pittance
allowed them for wounds and disease.
Springfield finds it easy to raise thou
sands and thousands of dollars for art
buildings and additions thereto, but it
has not yet found it possible to build the
most modest of edifices where the veter-
ans in his declining years can find COM
Portable quarters. II a tritle of the sur
plus energy devoted to ''pension frauds
by the newspapers was utilized in plea
for a decent memorial hall for our old
soldiers to meet in, it strikes me it would
be a more practical charity.
1t was my fortune to meet, number of
years ago, a man rendered totally blind
by bullet which passed directly through
one eye, coming out behind the ear, but
destroying the sight of both eyes. The
terrible distigurement was partly conceal
ed by pair of immense goggles. For
this atfiiction he received S72 month,
which sum must support himself, family
and an attendant. He had never looked
in his wife's face, and those sightless orbs
had never frightened at tine merry laugh
of his two little children. In addition to
Ills, his StLeIdi H6dilll WdS very pOOI dul
his hearing imperfect. We have not in
these days a blessed Jesus to stoop down
and bring instantaneous sight to this pa
tient ''blnd Bartimeus'' by his miracul-
Gus healing, but we ought to have laws to
provide a suitable maintenance for such
cases, and the widow Of such should, at
his death, receive a pension ad, quate for
her entire support. What, except the
of 5tltV we'll
can compensate the manwho carries for 40
OF 30 years heavy wooden leg or bears
his failing weight upon crutch? God
pity them as old age creeps on with its
own burden of weakness which it always
brings.
The very Youngest of the veterans who
fought from 81 to '65 have reached the
bridge o 'er the middle of life,'' and are
now on the home stretch. The seeds of
disease were sown many years ago, and |
why should the country murmur if now
the harvest is great? Before long the last
salute will peal and their colors be dipped |
for the last time in the rays of the setting
sun. Let the pension statistician rest |
from his labors for while, and the prob !
abilities are that ere another decade has |
slipped away he can indulge his ghoulish |
with a good deal of satisfac-
ton, and in the meanwhile, the honest |
will be glad to see Congress cut
off the prospective widows, amend the
dependent pension law so it shall benefit |
only the class for which it was intended,
issue fiat that all durable diseases shall |
be treated free of charge, and correct sew
eral other abuses. Then weshall survive,
even if a part of the remaining veterans
do receive the munificent sum of Sl2
month
am not pessimistic in regard to the
final issue. | am not sore headed, and I
have no old scores to settle and no debts
OF vengeance to repay.
A SOLDIERS WIDOW.
Spring field, January II, 1898.
For the Entire Family.
81, IL, II, G To-,