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THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE.
29
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Will our legislators make a note of this, and
delay not a day to pas3 this great measure.
They can do justice and do good. They can
pay the small creditors of the Government and
they will pay their own.
And the direct, immediate benefit the people
will, exceed by far the sum contributed.
Congressional.
Since our last number nothing particularly
worthy of note or of particular interest to our
patrons has transpired in Congress..
Correspondence.
From the numerous articles we hae rccetVecUj
from friends of the cause and friends of the
Tho only measure passed in the House, is the the followiugj wMch 8eem to be particnlar
- To Friends of the Bounty Bill.
The singular delay in the report of this bill
from the committee, gives rise to some suspi
cion of vgood faith on the, part of ,;the members
of the House and Senate, who are pledged al
ready to this relief.
"We earnestly urge once more upon every per
son interested, either as a recipient of the
bounty or a friend of the solders entitled, to
proceed vigorously and at once 'in concerted at
tack upon the members of Congress.
It is necessary for every man in interest to
nvrite at once to his member of Congress, urg
ing and requiring him to press this bounty bill
to an early vote. 0
You, the soldiers, or soldiers' friends in eacli
Congressional district in each State, have it in
your power to force' an early and favorable ac
tion in the House.
Every member now here will, this next fall,
come before his people for r,e-nomination, and
.they ought to be advised beforehand that failure,
neglect, or slothfulness in, this matter will be
good cause for rejection of hisiclaims for a con
tinuance of public favor.
Separate drops of water have no force, but
many united forms a power that sweeps away
all1 obstacles. A single, isolated soldier counts
but little, but many of them, moving in con
cert for the same purpose, make an irresistible
army.
You can not have forgotten what unity of
purpose and discipline have accomplished. See
to it for your own sake and your own interest,
that you can act as one in a question which in
volves a direct benefit to each of you.
If the bounty bill iails to become a law at
this session, it 'will be because tile soldiers, sail
ors and marines of the country do not press it
Jiome to the consciences of their members.-
Flood the Post Office with your demands
write plainly, bravely, and earnestly to your
Representatives, and let them know that you
will hold them responsible.
bill appropriating money to pay three months
extra pay to officers and soldiers of the Mexican
war, who have not already received it under the
act of 1848.
Upon the disbandmont of the volunteer force
engaged in the Mexican war, Congress passed a
law
timely. They are written by men whose names,
if we were authorized to give them, would 15cm
a guarantee of the soundness of the matter; . ' :
As it is, we let the articles speak for them- .
selves. ;
aw, giving to all officers and soldiers honorably j At $. f er? a f Congress for, tho past four
' o o i vcars. a bill for eaunlrinrr bounties rind cnvincr hnnlr two- v
discharged three months' extra pay. Mostof to pensioners, has come up. The law giving back pay to
those entitled hnvo loner qince received their , ,thos? aPPyinS therefor during a specified terra of years,
uiosl eniurea nave long since iecei ea tneu , but d(mying it to thoso wUo struggled on without, till by
gratuity, but Of late it has turned Out that there reason of infirmity or other causes they were helpless, be
j? c i I1! i.n t i 'causo they did not apply in time, scorns to ordinary minds
are some four or five hundred Still living who supremely unjust and even rocliculous. I will take my ,
for some cause, or other have neglected to come own case as a type of hundreds of others.
., t i . i i i , ? , i II was a surgeon in tho army, and while in the discharge
iorwara, maite tneir ciaimana xase tneir money. 0f ray duty was. stricken down by paralysis. I strug-
The annronnation has Ion ? since laraed and giea on ior more uiau seven years, noping that: as
i X. i. C3
been covered back into the treasury.
To meet this class of cases the following bill
has been introduced and passed the House of
Representatives, and is favorably reported by
the Senate committee :
A BiLii for the payment to the officers and soldiers of tho
Mexican war of the three months' extra pay provided
for by the act of July nineteenth, eighteen hundred and
forty-eight.
Beit.enactcd by the Senate and House of Representatives
of tJie United States of America in Gongrcsn assembled,
That tho Secretary of the Treasury be, and he is hereby,
directed, out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise
appropriated, to pay to the officers and soldiers ' 'engaged
in the military service of the United States in the war witk
Mexico, and who served out the time of their engagement
or were honorably discharged," the three months' extra
pay provided for by the act of July nineteenth,, eighteen
I had
a little property I should never be driven to asking for a
ponsion. But, as the years went on, I became moro and
more helpless, and the little property I had went for the
support oi. my family. Then I asked for a pension.
There was no dispute as to the justice of my claim, and I
was allowed it, but as the specified time in which I might
olaim back pensions had expired, of course under the law
would not be" allowed to mo. The son on whom I might
have leaned in old age, has given his precious life on the
battle-field in defence of the government and tho flag ho
loved. Tho justice of the claims of men like me is not
denied, but the miserable plea is set up "that it will take
too much money to do us justice, and the government
cannot afford it." It can afford to compensate a man for
tho years in which he was justly condemned to spend in
prison by a court-martial ; and the President could order
his being paid eighteen thousand dollars for his lost time,
and this, too, without any plea that he was unjustly con
demned. Is it a matter of wonder that soldiers and their
friends are indignant wheu they see such things, and at
the same time simple justice is denied to themselves
j They form an important part of tho voters, and they know
hundred and forty-eight, and the limitations contained in and mal.k j. votes 0 overy man jn Congress.
said act, in all cases, upon tho presentation of satisfactory j
evidence that said extra compensation has not been pre
viously received.
Auy person knowing themselves or their
friends to be within the :rovisions of this act,
,can obtain all necessary information as to the
character of proof &c, required by addressing
the publishers of " The Rational Tribune."
Pension Payment by Agencies tinder TTew Sys
tem in the first ten days in December, 1877.
'During this period, from December 1st to
10th, there were paid. at;the eighteen agencies
as follows :
On personal application. .... .JL 24, 1T7
BvMail I. 126,356
They know the men who voted for, and took "the sal
ary grab," and by their votes the aspirations of many
candidates have been defeated, and many more will be
unless they pledge themselves aye, and live up to it, too
to do us justice. The equalization of bounties is part and
parc61 of this matter, that mugt be made right, or wo
will, ask in earnest, why not? "Wo have lived to see
strauge times. Traitors are rewarded and made much
of, but we soldiers, who did our duty manfully, are told
' it costs too much to right your wrongs." Who cares
now what we did or suffered, or wliat sacrifices we made.
Bonds must be paid ingold, not even silver is good enough
for them.
I trust that the Tribute will continue to prsss these
matters, but they should be brought home to every mem
ber of Congress, it is to themwo look, and from them ex
pect redress. We know and houor those who have stood
up for our rights, aad wo shall novor -forget them and
their work. . B."
The second is from an old experienced sur
geon who served with high credit during the
Total . . .1 ' 150,53 1 war, and is not now, and .never has been, one of -
During the month. off December there were 1 the " Examining Surgeons of the Pension Of-
paid
On personal application 28,061
By mail .... 169,305
General Business in Congress.
It is agreed on all hands that the present
Congress has done less, and promises to do less,
, tiuui any one ever assembled.
There appeal's to be' either an incapacity or
. an unwillingness to settle seriously to work and
do business. The ordinary appropriation bills
are far behind, and no new legislation has been
brought to an advanced state. If they do nob
change their ways the August heats will find
Congress with its work unperformed.
Every new measure for the soldiers' benefit
introduced in Congress is noticed in the Na
tional Tribune.
Ko medical examintion required to become
a subscriber to the National Tribune, only a
subscription of fifty cents.
Total F. .197,306
This is the most prompt payment ever known
in the annals of the Pension Office.
Koom for Recruits.
Takk your copy of the National TiStbunk to
the meetings of the G. A. JR., and secure us a
list of subscribers.
i ft
" (
The "Corporal's Guard, in Tennessee," re
- ported capture of twonty-iive subscribers to the
National Tribunk. A pretty good raid, and
in the right direction.
Alhsady tho National Tribune hits become
& necessity to its subscribers. Come and join
tho array.
The addition to our subscribers is large and
steady, but there is room for more. There is no j
such thing as chokiuga newspaper to death
with subscribers. We don't ask as "Father
Abraham" did "for three hundred thousand
more," but we hope the patriotism of our friends
and patrons will answer our modest demand as
promptly as the country 'did his.
"We want a subscription list of 250,000, scat
tered everywhere where the mails run, receiv
ing reading and enjoying our paper. Let every
friend constitute himself .an agent in the good
cause, and -send us allthe names, and all the
money he can, and we will repay with thanks,
and with still greater diligence and courage in
the cause of the right.
Pensioner, if you desire the latest informa
tion ailocting your interest, subscribe for the
National Tribune. "
The roll-call is going on, comrads, report with
your fifty cents subscription, price of the Na
tional Tribune.
NO TOWN READING-ROOM Cftll do Without the
I National Tribunk on file to its soldier patrons.
fice." His views on this matter of the change
proposed by the Commissioner, are the Views
of a practical man of long experience, and en-1
tire familiarity with, the subject, and who sees ;.
at once the hardships and disadvantages which
would be imposed on the pensioners by tho. "
chaugc of system proposed.
"We subjoin his letter.
I learn by the National Tribune th.; an effort will
bo made to carry through a bill changing tho mode ot ex
amining pensioners, by doing away with the present Ex
amining Burgeons, and appointing a Board of Examiners
who shall sit at specified times and at specified points of s
tho country. It is to me a matter of wonder that a man of i
the talent and acutoness of the present Commissioner of
Pensions should fail to see how impossible it would be to .
carry out such a project and do justice to pensioners. As
tho law now is ponsiouers can reach examiners by a fow
hours' travel, and not be kept waiting on expense. How i
are disabled and poor uion to travel long distances with
out money to pay traveling and hotel expenses, while they
wait their turn to bo examined f Does not overy one
know that' pensioners are as a matter of course tho poor
est class in the country? Vory many are illiterate, and
would not know where to go, even. Is it claimed that tho
present Examining Surgeons are dishonest or incompe
tent! If so. change them. But it is not so. Can the
Pension department be sure that they can select, bettor
mon ? If tho man that was selected to test the matter is
a typo of the men who aro to compose tho board woll,
no matter. I knew him well for many years, and ho was
a voryfair country doctor, only this, and uo more.
Strange so good a surgeon as Dr. Hood, the medical rof
foreo, and with whom 1 was well acquainted when ho
was in charge of tho great hospital near Corinth, and who
there showed himsolf to a man of far more than ordiuary
ability, should not bo able to judge of the cases coming
boforo him in full detail anatomically and pathological
ly whether tho ponsioner is or is not entitlod to the rate
he is drawing. It is well known by surgeons of largo ex
perience that in casesof wounds, as the wounded man gets
older, in tho largo majority of cases ho gets moro disabled
from the eu'eota of the wound than ho was tho first fow
years after beiug wounded.
As to the charge that Examining Surgeons being " in
fluenced by feelings of neighborhood," I thiuk, as a rule,
thoy are too sensible of their responsibility to b inilu-
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