Year: 1873

which l hope they will tax
an early occasion to undo. The press
and particularly the republican press


have abused the members of the las


Congress without stint and by the whole


sale | saw ina Vermont paper, not lonl


since, the editor of which | see here to


night, paragraph in reference to thu


stationary account of members, among


the items of which were some thirteen
hundred and odd dollars, made up of su


gar, soap, lemons, etc. l remember one
item in q members account which was


stated as seven barrels of sugar. No


one editor in all the State centradicteC


it, and probably did not think whether


it was true or could be true, and my


constituents and Brother Wizards con.


stituents thought, If they placed any re.


lance ia the papers, that we had $1,000


in sugar, lemons, etc. BY former rule,


it is not so now, each member was al.


lowed S125 per year for newspapers,
stationery, pen-kniYes and such things
as they wanted in that line, and the
members could go TO the stationery
rooms and get such articles as they
wanted and they were charged to them
up to 1925 each. I have been in that
room often and I never saw sugar, soap
or lemons or articles of that kind
there. l cite this incident as an
example of what the press have
felt allowed to say about members.
of the last Congress. Now Congress
should not be brought into discredit
among a people who are expected to re-
spect and be governed by laws made by
Congress The great mass of Congress
men have attended to their duties as
faithfully and conscientiously as any
men l ever saw. Is it wise to publish
this kind of abuse and falsehood. 1t is
not proper nor Just. So far as the law
makers are deserving of censure, 1 don't
care how much they are dashed by the
whip of justice. was myself connect
ed with a committee whose duty it was
to investigate and expose a disagreeable
iniquity, and we endeavored to do that
duty ifnpartially, without regard 20
whether it hit my own party or another.
The particular thing that regard as
unwise and improper is the wholesale
and unfounded abuse and ISLANDERS that
the press feel privileged to heap on pub
lie men. Il is the duty Of all men and
particularly of those who form public
opinion &c. be. careful of unleseryed CEN
sure.


-s. --,1 F0URTH SENTIMENT.


Tie Grand Argsy of tE6 Repu5lic-It
perpetuates the memories of the camp
fire and the battlefield and ineulcates the
soldierly virtues of Charity, Fraternity
and Loyalty.


REsPaSsE OF COZ ". c. yRAzEY.


If I am 10 respond to any sentiment
tonight, could choose none should
prefer to the one assigned me. No or
ganization except the church of Christ
pos8esse. more virtues and less faults
than tie Grand Army of the Republic
1t has been objected to il that it is 9
secret organization. It is true that it
has countersign by which its members
gain admission to It's meetings, bat all
its rules and regulations and all the pro-
ceedings of its National and State en-
campments are printed and published TO
the world. There are no. secrets but the
simple coUntersign, and l believe the
day is not far distant when that viii be
abolished Al first an idea was prevail
ent that the Grand Army was political
or psrtizan organization, but it is not
necessary now to defend it against that
charge, for all who care to know any
thing about:it already know that it de
nonnccs the seyerest penalties 1t has
upon all who seek TO drag it into politics
or TO drag politics into it. You
might as we'll speak of the church
as political body as the Grand Army
of the Republic. There is not church
in this country but what is more politi-
cal than the Grand Army. The enly
for admission into this order
is honorable service IN the army during
the rebellion, and an honorable dis
charge, and that the applicant is an hon
orable man. All such are admitted on
an absolutely equal footing. There is
no exclusion on account of color, poll
tics or religious belief. Patriotism is
only. religion required There is no rank
recognized. The drummer boy who
sounded the calls for drills, or beat the
time upon the march, stands npon an
with the double-starred hero,
who has commanded armies Service
and an honorable discharge admits to
our ranks on absolute equality. This
appeals to every true sol
dier for his sympathy and support. II
there is any object in preserving the
feelings of fraternity in bestowing char
ity in a practical form, there is an OBJ
ject in sustaining the Grand Army of
the Republic, and for this reason il ap-
peals to the soldiers of Vermont for sup
port, and / hope all who have at heart
the virtues of fraternity, charity and
Ioyaly, will give this organization
such support as it deserves. If you
would maintain the sentiments that car
ried the country through the war and
won the victory, you should sustain the
G. A. r. The people little know what
has been done by this organization, the
widows and orphans it has cared for,
the suffering it has alleviated, the broken
hearts it has bound up. 1t is not gener-
ally known that it was through this or
ganization that the soldiers reunion at
Rutland, last August, was gotten up and
carried through TO an ultimate success.
1t is by virtue of the G. A. r. that it is
an organization of soldiers always ready
to assist in promoting fraternity, in car
rying cut practical charity, and enforc-
ing devoted loyalty, and through which
the brotherly companionships of the SER


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