Sunday Washington globe., 1902-02-02

Edii0r SHjidaV Globe,
The Treasury Department has issued a
$40 coupon bond Of the per cent loan of
IooSI9IS Spanish war loan, and shipped
il to lady resident at Lowell, Mass. This
lady, with her husband made two subscrip-
tiOns to the loan in the summer of 1898 of
$500 each, Iemitting at the time of the sub
scripuon per cent of the face value.
The subsequent payments were received
from time 10 time in accordance with the
terms Of the subscription, and when final
payment was made the department through
an error. shipped $50 less than the amount
Of bonds to which the subscribers we're en-
titled This discrepancy in the accounts of
the government was discovered in the win
ter Of 1899, but.owing to the enormous num-
Der Of items in the subscription account of
the loan of 1898, the error was not definitely
located until few days ago.
The department wrote to the lady asking
for her statement of the transaction, and
she responded with a very clear account,
and stated that she had been aware all
along that she had not received all the bonds
to which she was entitled. but had preferred
not to contest the matter with the govern
ment Il is needless to say that the gov
ernment never knowingly withhOlds any
thing due a creditor and it has now made
good this error Of long standing" "
From the above il appears that those that
run the government are very solicitous that
their friends shall not getleft. Its refresh.
ing TO see that the government" never
knowingly withholds anything due cred
itor, that is a bondholder, Of course that
supplied the dollar for profit. But how
about the fool that gave his health, blood
and life in the army and navy that there
might be a government for the other fellows
to run that the continental fool hasn't sense
enough to take a hand in the running him
self?
How many thousands upon thousands Of
dollars does the Government knowingly"
owe the old veteran. but did you ever hear
of hunting them up and squaring the ac.
counts? Not much They had nothing to
give but their lives while the other fellows
gave dollars, precious dollars, on big in
terest, while human life is cheap as dirt
How can they expect anything else after
fighting the battles of wars that others ma.
nipulated for boodle7 They have not sense
enough to reap the fruits of their own valor.
but let the other fellow run it for himself
They ought to get il in the neck hard and
learn a lesson, and that is to let those that
want war do the fighting and there would
be no war.
When ] enlisted in S6I my pay was based
on coin. Coin was the standard of value of
the land and all government contracts were
based on coin. How was it with the other
fellows that furnished the money for the
bonds and made their bids for Contracts?
They we're based on the value Of the green
backs Our pay was based on coin and paid
in deprecated greenbacks. There were
times when a months pay would not buy a
barrel of -four for those that had left fami-
lies at home, while the bonds bought with
greenbacks, interest and principal, were
paid in gold. When gold ranup as high as
285 we received the greenback dollar for
our pay and the other fellow received al.
mostthree times as much for his pay, where
he had only risked his greenback dollars,
while we had risked our lives. have never
seen a case yet where the Government under
took to square the accounts according TO
the hrst contract, Notwithstanding the fact
if my memory nerves me right that there
was an order read, issued think by Gen
Scott the FIRST time we were paid with the
greenbacks asking the troops to accept
them, that the Government would make
them good, etc. Have they done so? If they