Year: 1863

bOOl. Ou VIII 1eel assured tnat L dld nc
such thing.


But there is still better way even than
this to try my feelings toward the soldier


Many appropriations of large sums of mon
ey have been made to pay you, and clothe
you while in the service of your country
They have been made while I was Rep
reseDtative in Congress, from a District
which has always been foremost in every
requirement of the law for the raising of
troops. What has been my course on this
subject You have been told that / have
voted against appropriations in your behalf.
On the contrary, | now say TO you, in the
presence of the record, that if any man
can find one vote | ever gave against an
appropriation of money for the benefit of
the soldier, 1 will resign the seat which l
now hold, and agree to go out of political
life altogether and forever. Whatever
may have been or is now my opinion as to
the origin and necessity of this war, what.
ever may be my opinion of its management
and the political issues which the party in
power seek to carry out in connection with
it, still have never considered the stary-
ing of our soldiers in the field, or the stop
ping of their pay, as the proper means of
bringing il to a close. Mr. Corwin and
others who now hold high positions under
the present administration, voted against
supplies to our troops in Mexico, but this
is no precedent for Democrats. | have,
therefore, in every instance where an ap-
preparation has been made in which the
soldier was interested voted for it, There
is but one exception to this, and that was
when | was confined to my bed by sick
ness and could not be present to vote at
all. This was in the case of the seven hun
dred and fifty million bill, which had about
eighty million in it for the soldier and the
balance for compensated emancipation, :"
and perhaps other equally illegitimatc pur-
poses, such as paying the plunderers of the
treasury. For this reason the portion
which the soldiers was interested in
should have boen voted on by itself, and
the other items by themselves For all
these facts | appeal to the recorded trans
actions of the Congress. They will never
perish, but will live forever as my vindi-
cation from the assaults of my enemies.


But there is still another evidence in re-
gard to my conduct towards you. a prop
osition was made in the last Congress to in
crease your pay from thirteen to fifteen dol
lars per month | voted for it. and a ma
jority of my political opponents voted
against this increase of your pay. | thought
you ought to have it for various reasons
Government paper, generally known as
"greenbacks," was at heavy discount,
and of course prices were corrcspondingly
high. What once supported your family
will not do it now Everything has gone
up, and | thought your wages ought to go
up too.


Another proposit on was made to pay you
in gold. My political enemies had an inn
meuse majority in the last Congress, but it
did not pass. / voted for it.


| have also voted for every measure to
give you your bounty, pensions and public
lands. All the falsehoods in the world
cannot change these facts. defy contra
diction.


But this is not all l speak now of mat
ters | should never allude TO, but for the
assaults of my enemies.


There is not soldier, living or dead
who can rise up hereafter and say that
when | found him in need | did not help
him. | can appeal to officers and men alike
on this subject. During my Congrcssion-
al life, when, and in what instance have |
ever failed to render every assistance in
my power to the sick, the wounded and the
needy? / have given more dollars in
this cause than my traducers have given
cents. Every one who knows me per-
sonally will recognize the truth in what l
say


In view of these facts who will dare say
that now turn round and dcnouncc the
soldiers? 1t is simply absurd. 1t is worse.
1t is crime---a crime committed against
me by a class of men who have failed
in every other way to defeat me before
the people by whom / am best known,
and who witness my daily walk and con-
vcrsation.


have written this in justice to you as
well as to myself You certainly do not
wish to be misled, or to do injustice to any
one. nor do | intend that malicious and de-
PRAYED demagogues shall continue longer
to falsfy my record, my acts and my
words


| differ widely, on many questions from,
y. T.