The New York herald., 1922-06-21

in comparison with the intimidation
being exercised by the propaganda of
those who want to make money out
of their past patriotism?
II am not going to say anything
that l ought not to say, l hope.
am not going to say all that feel.
/ am going TO try, on the contrary, to
say all that / feel
II remember once when William Nc
Kinley. in a burst of magnanimity and
a worldwide sort of patriotism, said
that he would be willing to pension
the ex-Confederate soldiers. 1t was
beautiful sentiment from him, from
hiA standpoint, because he was speak
ing as a man who fought for the
Union while our people fought against
II. but what was the response on the
other side?
"There were no Confederate soldiers
that wanted 10 be pensioned by the
Federal Government, and voiced my
objection to 1t at that time, and voic-
ing it I voiced the objection OF Robert
r. Lee and hundreds of the bravest
and truest ard the highest of the
South, with the rank and file behind
them.
II said: The ex-Union soldier wher-
ever he was needy and even where he
has not been may claim that there is
something of compensation in PEN
sion 10 him; but man who has fought
TO overthrow his Government, who
would accept from that Government
mere charity, a nero largess, without
even a pretext of compensation about
it anywhere, was not worthy of hav-
ing followed Stonewall Jackson, Rob-
ert Z. Lee or Sidney Johnston.
Did Not Fight for Money.
IL remember another thing. re-
member that a man came to my own
stepmother-an honest, good Scotch
Irishwoman-and said: Mrs. Sharp,
you can get a pension as the widow of
Capt Sharp. d Mexican war pension
The old lady almost shed her little
slippers as she came to her feet and
said: Major Pickett, I'll have you to
understand, sir, that Capt Sharp did
not fight for money.
Major Pickett told me about it
afterward and said: John, never was
so completely ponplussed and reduced
to subsection in my life as ! was when
the old lady walked out of the room
in her parlor and left me sitting there
= Il did not give any boys to this war.
They gave themselves. / had nothing
! in Gods world to do with it, except
that thanked God they were worthy
of their grandfather who had fought
under the Stars and Bars, and of their
1 n Got ba ho<
| the fields of Mexico under the Stars
and Stripes, and of their great-great-
grandfathers, who hs 4 fought against
| tyranny in America as one of Conti-
mental line.
Il did not give them, l would no
more have attempted to encourage one
of them to 60 thar ] would have at
tempted to restrai.. him; but I was
proud that tney had the old blood in
them, and as far as / know them I
believe that they fought for ideals and
not for money.
"Mr. President, l dc not want to go
over the history of the Grand Army
of the Republic, and how patriotism
was commercialize,f and capitalized
until even at his day we are paying
about s140o0o,G00 year for pensions
to Union soldiers for the civil war. So
called, the war between the States; but
these boys have begun earlier The
Grand Army Of the Republic, even, did
not begin in earnes. until about twenty
years after the war. / believe-quite
long while, at any rate--and their
first request was to take care of the
disabled, the sick and the. needy.
These boys are beginning with the
very first request to take care of the
healthy and the able bodied and the
venturesome and the brave that ought
| to be able to take care of themselves;
and if history repeats itself, as history
sometimes does, how will the history
of commercializing patriotism to such
an extent that even to-day it amounts
| to S140,000,000 year half century
after the war between the States-how
will this thing be viewed half CEN
| tury from now?
Progressive Demands Forecast.
"Ttis first demand Is for about
/ three and a quarter to four billion dol
lars, on the plea that we saved civili-
zation.' The next demand win be
something else. Do you imagine it is
going to stop? Why, Mr.. President, I
stood right over there when / was
advocating TIE war bill to make allow
ances to widows and children, insur-
ance for the soldiers and the balance
of it, and made an ever memorable ass
of myself when ! said that my chief
object in advocating it was that it
would stop raids on the Treasury for
pensions: and here is TIE first effort
and where is it going to stop when it
once begins?
IF there stands behind il from
two to four million votes, and If the
instrumentalities through which it
shall be accomplished are politicians in
the House and Senate here-and all of
us are politicians, the best of us; with
a power that can be brought to bear
when a man is engaged in fight and
wants to whip his antagonist and stay
| in office, even the best of us-if il
starts with three billions and half,
where is it going to end?
"If the civil wal still leaves is. a
half century after the event, with
$140,000,000 a year to be paid, where
will this leave us in another fifty
years?
"Mr. President, whenever a boy goes
to fight for an ideal, to save the Union,
| to save his country to save civiliza-