The National tribune., 1909-11-18


in enabling the country to emerge VIC
toriously from the crisis and pay OIL It's
debts. Undiscouraged by the gloomy
predictions from the rear, they went
forward and crushed Early at the ope-
quan and captured Atlanta. These two
victories alone raised the value OF the
greenback and all that depended upon
it 10 cents on every dollar. That is,
October, 1864, saw the value of the
greenback raised from less than 3S
cents TO an average valuation OF 4S.j
cents. In other words, if we assume
that there were $4,000, 100000 of valua-
ton ,pivoted upon that of the green
back. the victories of the Opequan and
Atlanta gave the bondholders of the
country and the money owners gener-
ally at least 100000, 900. Every man
who had S10O note in his pocket found
it suddenly increased in value from $SS
to $4S, and every holder of Govern
ment bond found his wealth similarly
increased by the valor and sacrifice of
the men who were fighting the battles
of the Nation. The veterans went on
in their work of striking at the enemies
Of the country wherever they found
them. until the crowning victories Of
Franklin, Nashville, the march to the
sea, the capture of Richmond and the
surrender at Appomattox brought the
war to triumphant conclusion, and
the greenback, which IL months before
had fallen to less than So cents, was in
NAV. 1865, worth 1871 cents, or nearly
double what it had been on the 11th
of July, 1864. Thus in those momentous
II months. by what they actually did
in the field, the veterans directly earned
for the moneyed men of the country ap-
proXinlateIy the inconceivable sum of
$1,000, ,0O0,0 We might go still far
thcr, and say that if they had not
fought on to victory all this vast
amount of paper and other repre-
sentative wealth would have been
as thoroly destroyed as those
based upon the Confederate money
were. If the men of the Union army
had not been the braYest and most
persistent that the world ever saw, if
they had wearied, as well they might,
of the terrible slaughters in the Wilder
ness. at Cold Harbor, in front of Peters,
burg and at kenesaw, and simply de-
lined to go any farther, the vast wealth
resting upon the Governments prom
ises to pay would have become as
worthless as those Confederate bonds
l1 W N nc
rooms and print advertisements upon.
During the darkest period the soldiers
who were fighting the battles were car
rying this whole fabric of wealth upon
their bayonetS. While they Were win
ming such inestimable values for the
moneyed men they ere themselves re-
ceiving the meagerest possible allow
ances from the Government. When the
bondholders became SO discouraged that
they refused to lend the Government
any more money the Secretary of the
Treasury appealed directly to the SOL
diers, and out of their slender pay they
actually sent the Treasury $4,000, 900
to help it tide over the crisis.
These facts, which are incontestable,
should be taks:. into consideration when
the size of the pension bill is considered
to-day. They should have important
bearing in every mans mind upon the
amount of money that is being paid out
to the men to whom the country owes
everything, and they form the strongest
reason why such a measure of justice
as The National Tribune pension bill
should be passed by Congress as a