The National tribune., 1903-05-21
.oLD SOLDIERS"
Protest of the Department Commander OF
Colorado Against Terms Used.

Circular Letter No. l.
COMRADES: For many years in has been
the custom of Union veterans Of the civil
war to speak of and to refer to their COM
rades as "old soldiers term that never
should have obtained any countenance or
recognition by the veterans. The use OF
the term has very greatly detracted from
the honor of the service and often sub
jects the veteran to the further indignity
of being called an 'old sojer," coffee
cooler" and sometimes an 'old stiff
all of which for time was accepted in
a passive and jocular way, until now the
people at large and more especially the
young men have come to speak and think
Of the Union veterans of the civil war
with considerable less respect than they
otherwise would if we had been more cir
cumspeet ourselves in the matter of recog-
milton and reference. To-day the Union
veteran is being rapidly, and sometimes
cruelty, made to understand that he is old
too old in fact for any service or work
of any kind. This may be true in many
instances, but it is not true of the great
ma jOrity of the survivors of the great con-
fiict There are Union veterans to-day
who are robust, hale and strong, both
mentally and physically, and fully quail
fed in al! respects to compete with young
fr men, vet they are all classed as Old
Etoo OLA saying that has become al
together too common. The NatiUaal Gov
ernment and many of the more patriotic
States have provided by statute that. all
things being equal. the Union veteran shall
be preferred. A few cities have also tax
en- this patriotic view of the matter, but
they are the exception. The more gen.
eral rule is to crowd and elbow the Union
veteran out of the line and back to the
rear. 1t is unfair and unjust, but it may
be that we are somewhat at fault our
selves by our repeated reference to each
other for the past % years as "old sol
diers" etc. 1t is time. it was stopped.
We should stop it among ourselves if for no
other reason than that it implies growing
indifference to and lack of respect for the
service and the cause. We hear the sol
dier of the Spanish war spoken Of and re-
ferred to as a Spanish War veteran. and
there is little doubt it will continue that
way The South always refers to her sol
diers as Confederate veterans and never
as old soldiers. There is nothing dignltied
associated with the term "old soldier" it
is too often interpreted to mean the fel-
low that Jagged behind, who sought the
hospital upon the slightest pretext; who
was always deaf to the call for volunteer
duty after long and hard days march.
1t is too often considered akin to the say
ing HE sojered." Let us drop the term
if we can; let US recognize each other and
endeavor to make others recognize us as
Union veterans who volunteered in great
cause to preserve these United States in
one indissoluble Union for the benefit of
humanity and all liberty-loving people.
The term veteran implies honorable ser
vice. 1t implies the soldier in the best
and most honorable sense. 1t is more re-
spectful.
Therefore as Commander of this De-
partment 1 most earnestly request Of the
comrades their assistance in the remedial
of this evil, and urge upon ali comrades
hereafter to speak and refer to each other
as Union veterans or comrades.
]. W. HUFF, Commanding Department.
w. w. FERGUSON. Assistant Adjutant-
General