The Washington times., 1910-05-08
Answers General Adams.

To the Editor Of The Washington Tines
Ny attention is called 20 the protest
OF Gen Charles Francis Adams. OF
washington and Boston, against the
pass lge OF the volunteer officers re-
tired bill
You state that General Adams feels
called upon to represent the soldiers
of the civil war because he started in
the service as a Lieutenant and ended as
brevet brigadier general 1 am the
author of Section OF this biII, which
/ General Adams calls a pension Aiu,
which puts on the retired list all tot-lly
disabled soldiers at SO per month. and
/ have fun authority 10 speak for the
rank and file = have received during
I the past three years more letters and
/ petitions from soldiers Of the civil war
/ than any man who has ever served In
Congress since the war closed.
on the 26th day OF February, 1898.
[ presented seven immense rolls Of petit
/ tons from soIdiers-the largest array Of
/ soldier petitions ever seen on the floor
Of Congress. All voluntary not one so
I Iicited; all prepared by the soldiers;
none on printed heads And In the past
year I have received over 900 letters
! from soldiers, not officers who have out
/ grown all soldier feeling and all sympa-
! thetic- couradeship since the war. but
I real veterans, all praying Tor the dollar
[ a-day pension
/ 7 served I'm the ranks the first four
months at SlI a month hence am better
/ prepared TO speak for the old veterans
l thar General Adams. VINO started in the
war as an officer. and was never in the
firing Iine-neveT touched elbows with
Z the men who stood behind the guns in
battle.
/ General Adams. however, did vaiua-
I bIe and valiant service in the
! horseback brigade am alsC N
I favor Of the entire bill, which
retires ali officers who saw meri-
torious service at one-third pay
after reaching the age Of seventy
/ years Justice 10 these officers who
/ fought the fercest, the bioodiest, and
+ the longest enduring war Of modern
/ times demands that the Government
/ show some subst tanrial appreciation
I Of their services. And there IS not
FouIy Justice and patriotism involved
I in this duty. bus there is precedent
/ for q. which originated In lIassachu-
[ setts. by patriotic men. who had a
better and broader and deeper appTe-
I citation OF the value Of heroic sacrifice
I than seems % animate at least one
I OF the best pedigreed sons Of the Mas
/ sschusetts Of today ] refer to the
( law passed by the Twentieth Con
/ Cress. [orty-nve years after the war
+ Of the Revolution, that peusiOned all
I officers OF the continental lire 10 the
+ fun pay Of a captain Again, IN 1893,
a like pension was enacted for ali
I militia or volunteer omicers who
1 served for a perior Of two years
/ Again. officers of the regular army
/ (not more than 3 per cent OF whom
I see any battle servlceD are now re-
I tired at sixty-f0ur on thres-fourths
! pay for life, and those regular officers
/ who served in the civil war Cif for a
/ Gay ouIyE are paid the salary OF one
I rank above their rank at retirement
I They receive three-fourths pay, which
{ after five years. ranges from $1,000
, F0r a second lieutenant 10 s4.50o for
I a bTiEadicr general
/ Now. IL strikes ue-snd it strikes
/ al other soldiers who saw service
/ that # a soldier Of the regular army
I CqS per cent Of whom see NJ battle
! serviceJ Is retired at sixty-Eour on
itHree-fourths pay, the volunteer of
/ fcers. all Of whom saw battle service
/ tsome OF them In forty battIes), are
not asking too much when they ask
! 20 be retired at seventy on one-third
( pay Of a captain, especially as the en-
tire period OF this law. IL passed. xii,
not be over seven years. IN the esti-
nation Of the Pension office. Nearly
all viii be on "the other shore" in
1917.
In my humble judgment It does not
become an officer -of the civil war
who is weIl-tO-dO and evidently out Oi
/ all sympathy with the tens Of thou
sands of old soldiers who are totally
disabled and in distress and poverty
to use his commanding influence 70
defeat legislation demanded by JUS
tiCe, charity, and patriotism
ISAAC r. SHERWOOD.