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TEE233 ADVOCATE. 11 THE PERIODICAL LOVX Which Politicians Have for the Old Soldier Yoters. Editor Advocate: The republican party has always professed such great friendship for, and solicitude about, the soldier boys that a review of the legislation of the last thirty years ought to either indorse or disprove that claim. When the war of the rebellion broke out General J3cott promised in a general order that the boys should be paid in treasury notes as good as gold. This promise was kept so far as the 60 million dollars of demand notes of July 17, 1861, were concerned. But Shylock was not going to be deprived of his golden harvest made possible by the war, and so when more money was necessary to pay the boys and pur chase munitions of war we find that despite the patriotic efforts of Thad deus Stevens and his co-workers, the greenback was discredited by not being receivable for duties on imports or pay able to bondholders for interest. No matter how low the gamblers could force the greenback, the soldier boy was compelled to receive them at par, while the gambler bought them at as low as 35 cents on the dollar, with which they could buy a gold interest bearing bond at par. The act of March 17, 1864, authorized the secretary of the treasury to sell gold; also to pay the interest on bonds one year in ad vance in gold. "But let us see another proof of their friendship. The act of February 25, 1862, provided that the coin receivable as duties on imports should be paid out as follows: First, to the payment in coin of the interest on the bonds and the notes of the United States. Sec ond, to the purchase of 1 per cent of the public debt, etc. Third, the resi due thereof to be paid into the treas ury of the United States. Now, old comrades, where did your friends exhibit any of the tremendous solicitude for your welfare in that act that they prate so much about now that is, just before election? Didn't some of you old fellows have to wait four, six, eight or even ten months sometimes for your pay and then be paid in discredited, depreciated cur rency at that, while the man whose property you were defending was paid in gold one year in advance? And now, boys, remember that same bondholder escapes taxation on his bonds, while you are taxed to pay your pension, if you are fortunate enough to draw one. More than that he can get 090 on every $100 bond in banknotes at 1 per cent, and loan to you at 10 or any other per cent, your necessities will demand. They are loud in proclaiming that you preserved the republic, but when you need a little money to keep the wolf from your door, you are com pelled by their legislation to go to some money-loaner or banker, and beg the loan of a few dollars, whereas you ought to demand as a right the privi lege of borrowing from the treasury of the republic your valor rescued from destruction. Instead of issuing full legal-tender currency, as old Thaddeus Stevens wanted to, the Shylocks got control and saddled gold interest-bearing bonds on the people until now, after having paid over 2 billions of dollars in in terest, we find the so-called public debt larger, as measured by the products in which It must be paid, than at the close of the war. And now, my comrades, let me ask you to tell rae. how th!3 eo-cslljd pablis debt was contracted ? Uncle Sam paid you in greenbacks, or 7-30's, or compound-interest notes, and so he paid for all the munitions of war of every description. How, then, came he to be in debt after having paid as he went? When you study this thing right thoroughly you will, I think, con clude that the whole bonded debt is a fraud and ought to be repudiated. Now, as to the claim that the rich men came forward with their gold and offered it to the government; don't lose any sleep over that, for Shylock isn't addicted to such capers. In 1842 when the debt amounted to less than 4 million dollars the secretary of the treasury could not sell bonds at par and said that "the stock must be either sacrificed to the Shylocks of the coun try or some other means be given the secretary to meet these pressing liabil ities." So we find that Shylock is not much different now from what he was then, or when Christ kicked him out of the temple. But some of our modern financiers contend that the exception clause on the greenback was necessary in order to get gold. Was that true? Let's see what Secretary Fes senden says. In his report of Decem ber 6, 1864, he says, after finding that he could not borrow 50 million dollars from the bankers "and urged by the conviction that the large amount of suspended requisitions swollen to more than 130 million dollars, should be re duced, the secretary resolved to use all the means in hla power to pay so much, at least, as was due to our brave sol diers who were suffering from the long delay in satisfying their just claims, but still continuing to serve their coun try with unflinching courage and un complaining devotion." Now, boys, mark you, while you were waiting for the puposely discredited greenback, the lordly bondholder was getting his in terest one year in advance in gold. Oh, how they do love the soldier's votel Fessenden continues: "More fully to accomplish his purpose the secretary resolved to avail himself of a wish ex pressed by many officers and soldiers, through the paymaster, and offered to such as desired to receive them 7-30 notes of small denominations. He was gratified to find that these notes were readily taken in payment to a large amount, our gallant soldier in many instances, not only receiving them with alacrity, but experiencing their satis faction at being able to aid their coun try by loaning money to the govern ment." Wonderful, wasn't it, that the boys who were risking their lives in defense of their country should be willing to accept their own governments' money? It was not the boys in the army, or the farmer who furnished the rations, or the merchant who supplied the cloth ing, who refused to accept the green backs, but the gold gamblers and Jews from Wall street and London who combined to force gold up to 2.85 in order to fill their coffers at the expense of patriotic citizens, including the boys in the army. Old comrade, just lay yourself along side a dollar when you read this, and I'll wager a hard tack agin' a canteen that you'll be astounded at the over whelming proportions of an "honest dollar" in comparison with your car cass. Big! Why, they are so big and strong that Uncle Sam didn't dare lay hand on a single one, except by the owner's consent and on his own terms, while he would let you go ten months without one, because he was afraid to touch It. until its owner said so. But wfcstofyomcSrco? It pecked a soul whose aspirations might lift you up above the drudgery and toil of the camp or march. Perhaps you didn't believe in killing your fellow man, but "fall in! fall in there, you lubber!" "Attention ! right face ! forward march!" and so through mud and rain your carcass must be driven at the command of your superior officers. But where'8 the dollar? It don't recognize any superior officer to com mand it. Funny, isn't it, that Uncle Sam can lay his strong hand upon a living human being, and stand him up to be shot to death, if need be, and yet can't touch a single dollar except as collected by indirect taxation? Dol lars big, did you say? Why, bless your soul they were so big that 300 of them would purchase an exemption from the draft. Think of it; a human soul and body bought for $300. But another proof of friendship as shown in the grant to railroads July 1, 1862. Some of you chaps were in pretty close quarters at that time, but that didn't prevent your friends from granting over 200 million acres of land and 64 million dollars of bonds to sev eral railroad corporations. Of course you didn't want any of that land or money; you knew that you and your family could live on gratitude and glory, albeit that's deuced slim diet now a days, with a 10 per cent, mort gage clattering at your heels like the devil beating tan bark. But states manship wasn't satisfied with giving all this land and bonds, but allowed another mortgage to take precedence of that of the United States; and more than that, guaranteed the interest at 6 per cent., which is not payable until the end of thirty years. How would you like to get money on such terms Uncle Sam to give you a farm and all the money necessary to improve and stock it without any charge for thirty years? Ah, that would be paternal ism! Governor Patterson, in his re port on the Pacific railroad, estimates the value of the lands, land grants, etc., to these roads at 8U7,72'J,470.54. Whew! What lunk-heads we were to be fighting Johnnie Bebs at $16 a month, instead of projecting Pacific railroads. But, then, don't you know how they do love a comrade's widow that is, an officer's widow ? But if you were only a half a man known as a private (for it take two privates to make an affidavit in a pension case; one is not counted), your widow will draw the munificent, the princely sum of $12 a month; that is, if she is perfectly decorous and didn't allow any Hats Burtons, or Fletcher Merediths, or Tin-Uoof Campbells floating around her. But then you know a private's widow has no business to envy an officer's widow who gets all the way from $30 to $416 per month. You know we're so demo cratic in this country this land of the free and home of the brave that one man's wife is as good as another, ex cept an officer's wife. But now we're to vote on November 6. What a worthy comrade is E. N. Morrill, to be sure! He'd just as soon skin a comrade as a common sinner, if reports be true. Didn't want the old boys to have a service pension too much money going directly to the peo ple without paying toll to the bankers. And, boys, that is why the republi can party, as managed by its leaders of to-day, is opposed to pensions of any kind, and here are the figures to prove it. The secretary of interior's report of June 30, 1890, gives pensioners in each state as follows: Indiana 47,798 New York 50,285 Ohio 57,087 Kansas 22,321 Why! what ailed Kansas, the great soldier state? Eighty-two thousand majority didn't require pensions as urgently as they needed them in the other close states. J. A. McCkeary. Emporia, Kas. Yea or Nay 1 Editor Advocate: la order that tha voters of this congressional district may know what legislation will ba favored or opposed by Charles Curtis or S. 11, Scott in ooazress, let us have ana wen to the following questions: If elected how will you vote on: First Pacific railroad debts for fort closure or extension of time? Second Government ownership ct railroads, telegraphs, mines, eto? Third Rstiring federal offioers?; Fourth Civil pension list? Fifth Paying difference between geld and greenbacks to soldiers. Sixth Government loans direct to people op land at 2 per cent, per annum. Seventh Coinage of silver. Eighth Abolition of national bank log syatem of issuing onrrenoj? Ninth Abolition of all United States courts except the supreme court? Tenth Compulsory arbitration? Eleventh Increase of the regular army as proposed by the general com manding? J. A. M. iinismis e. 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