The National tribune., 1908-12-31
PARTIsANsHIP IN THE NATIONAL
ii rRfBlJNE.

Il
| Editor National Tribune: AS
reader of =. the National Tribune
ask little space fer comment ON an
article published in your paper OF NOV;
~. In speaking of the election OF
Hughes, of New York. and Hadiey, OF
Missouri. you used this unwarranted
language: e an
They were distinctly and pointedly
victories of the decent, iaw-abiding ele-
ments over hthe dissolute, law-defying
ones" B. -si
Will your criticism also lie against
the States of Ohio; Indiana, Nebraska,
Colorado, Minnesota and North Dakota,
where Democratic Governors were
elected in the face of large Republican
majorities Did the same elements
you ascribe the New York and Missouri
results to assist i'm the overthrow of the
dominant parties in the latter states!
Or did you purposely refrain from men
tioning those States because or their
| former rockribbed Republicanism?
Thousands of loyal Democratic soldiers
take your paper, but often you insult
them with exhibitions of partisan poll
tics that should have no pace IN pa
per that Is published almost soieiy Ior
| them. Your criticism on missouri poll
tics shows that either you are ignorant
of what you talk about or wilfully mis-
represent the real situation. In the
first place, no frauds were committed
| by or with the knowledge or consent
of any Gubernatorial candidate. 1t Is
true that frauds were committed in the
city Of st. Louis, but they were COM
mitted in the interests of local eandi-
dates, which incidentally Injured to the
benefit of Gubernatorial candidates on
| both the Democratic and the Repub-
lican ticket Now, let us look at what
you term the claw defying ones" What
was the Gubernatoria1 issue? VIM. S.
1 aruf fia ranr ina
pledged himself to the strict enforce
ment of the liquor laws in the larger
| cities of the State, which meant an OBJ
servance of the Sunday closing law
Herbert Hadley. the Republican nom1-
nee, pledged himself to home rule for
the larger cities, which means a liberal
policy towards the saloons. The brew
ers and liquor men all over the state
supported Mr.. Hadley, because he rep
! resented their interests. Is tins your
conception of what constitutes decent,
| law-abiding elementS? missouri mas
about $4,000 pensioners within its bor-
| ders and it is entirely safe to say that
of this number from one-fourth to one
third are stanch Democrats. They sup
ported Cowherd for Governor. because
| they believed he represented the best
interests of the State from a moral
standpoint. 1t is these brave men who
stood for the flag in the country's dark
lutte, law-defyirg Ones; protest
against such an aspersioh on my COM
rades, and particularly when 1t comes
from one who is comrade in name, IL
not in sympathy. We Democratic sol
diers, who take your paper for its MS
toricaI value and its "reminiscences OF
the war in which we were engaged, do
not think it proper to inject partisan
politics into its columns that are some
times more offensive than the fulmfna-
tions Of the regulation organs. L know
comrades whoi Will not take 1t on that
account I have written this In protest
to your Misrepresentation OF MISSOURI
politics and your gratuitous insult to
thousands of old soldiers who voted Tor
VIM. s. Cowherd for Governor on law
enforcement platform--Henry cram
dali, 10th NJ Y, Excelsior Regiment,
Grant City, Mo. .
In reply to the above The National
Tribune would say that it is carrying
out as best It Knows how the principles
to which all Veterans of the Union army
heartily subscribe, that of obtaining the
highest idealsiof goad government. With
the ordinary political campaigns in the
various States we, have nothing to do,
and do not mix into them. It is only
where we see some principle Of good
government strongly involved and
| where men are candidates of rings and
organizations that We believe inimical
that we take an interest. For example,
we have believed right along that the
dominant Republicans in New York
were not of the grade of political moral
ity that we desire, that Gov. Hughes
represented a still higher plane of
thought and conduct, and we have sup
ported him in opposition to the Repub-
Iican machinery. No man in the coun-
| try was more bitterly hated by the
governing politicians in New York than
Gov. Hughes. "All of the lewd fellows
of the baser sort" in both parties were
strongly opposed to him, and the ma
chine politicians among the Republi-
cans looked to their support rather than
to that of the better element. The re-
suit showed that the better elements in
both parties voted for Gov Hughes and
elected him, in spite of the opposition
Of the men in his own party. 1t was
exactly the same in Missouri No mat
ter what our correspondent may say
about the veterans in Missouri support
| IHS lit DcHioSiotAN Ndhdiudtcp tiC ieiSL
still remains that his nomination was
secured by the ring which has made
Missouri politics about as bad a stencil
in the nostrils of the people as can be
found in the Nation. 1t seemed that
the corruption in Missouri was worse
even than in some of the other States,
and undoubtedly Gov. Hadley secured
his victory thru the votes of the Demo-
Gratis who were disgusted with the ring
behind Mr.. Cowherd. For proof of this
we need only cite the Missouri papers
themselves, the singing utterances of
Judges on the bench and the we'll
known history of Missouri politics and
politicians for the past few years, all
of which are quite fresh in the memo
ry of every man in the State.
CHANGES IN THE PENSION ROLL.
The following statement shows the
changes in the pension roll during the
month of November, 1908:
Number pensioners Oct. 81,
| 1908 954, 4,671
Gains to roll nti
Originals ....S...... 4,420
| RestorationS .......... IL
| Renewals .....H-...... ~
Agency transfers 8