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The Commoner.
7
APRIL 26, 1912
audience and in all the land. For these were
the men who had offered their lives to the end
that this people might he free, and had made
possible all the blessings which, under a republi
can form of government, they enjoyed the
blessings which under the providence of God
will be enjoyed by the countless generations
which follow them.
TOO LATE FOR DISCRIMINATION
Did Webster on that historic day in that
hallowed place stop to draw a line of distinc
tion between the old gray-haired veterans, who
sat with streaming eyes looking into his face as
there poured from his lips those eloquent words
of tribute to their valor and sacrifice? There
were before him men who had served through
out those seven dreadful years of war. Others
there were who, too young for battle at the
beginning, had joined the army only a year or
perhaps a month before the end at Yorktown.
Some had rendered service as scouts on the
frontier without participating in important
engagements. Doubtless some had been braver
than others and had borne more willingly the
burdens and dangers of battle. Was deference
made to that? No, no; the war had ended 42
years before. It was too late for discrimina
tion then. The time had long gone by for nice
discriminations. Webster only saw the people
only recognized this body of survivors in the
mass rapidly diminishing, year by year, as
death called, and, before it might be too late,
all sought to do honor to all lest discrimination
might work injustice to some.
Who was there on that historic occasion to
sound a note of discord by protesting against
the tribute of the great orator because it was
paid to all of the survivors? Who, on that great
occasion, had it in his heart to say, "No, Web-.
ster, you are mistaken. In the rapidly thinning
ranks of these old gray-haired soldiers there are
men who faltered in the hour of danger men
who served only months instead of years men
who do not deserve to be honored by this
people." There was no such thought in any
mind, and the harmony of tho occasion was not
marred by such utterance, and no old soldier
who heard that great oration returned to his
home that day heavy of heart, .because of any
intimation that he was less deserving than his
comrades who liad served longer' or even better.
Mr. President, the great war for the preser
vation of the union ended 47 years ago. The
average age of the survivors of the army of the
republic is five years greater than the average
age of the revolutionary heroes who, at Bunker
Hill in June, 1825, heard Webster deliver his
immortal utterances.
Almost half a century has elapsed since the
armies of Grant and Sherman marched down
Pennsylvania avenue in Washington, passing
in grand review before the dignitaries of the
nation.
In those great armies on that day there was
every grade of soldier heroes of an. hundred
battles and striplings who had, for lack of
opportunity, only participated in two, or three
or perhaps only one. In those ranks were men
of sublime courage and others weakened by
disease and privation, who did not possess
great physical courage. Some had served from
Bull Run to Appomatto'x and others whose ser
vice was shorter and of less value, but beneath
every blue uniform there beat a patriotic heart,
and each in his way and according to his oppor
tunity had served his country and rendered
some service In restoring the union and main
taining the. honor of the old flag.
On that proud day of review, in May, 18G5,
tho men of that army were in the vigor of
young manhood, full of joy that their efforts
for the union had been crowned with success
full of hope for the future of the republic for
which they had sacrificed so much. Laying
aside arms and uniform they returned to the
peaceful walks of life and took upon themselves
the duties of citizenship.
Forty-seven years have rolled by. Within
that time hundreds of thousands of those brave
men have answered their last roll call and have
been called to their reward. Bach day witnesses
the final departure of many, and the ranks of
the survivors are in this way being broken day
by day. Those who remain are bowed beneath
the weight of years, for nearly all have reached
or passed man's allotted span of three score and
ten.
A few years more and the grandest army the
world ever saw will have disappeared, and the
men who, at Gettysburg, and Antietam, and
Chancellorsville, and Lookout, won imperish
able glory for themselves and their country
.will live only in the memories of the younger
generations, who will in the years to come
enjoy the blessings of a free government which
these old men periled life to maintain.
Mr. President, these venerable soldiers of tho
union to whom wo owe so much of our great
ness and prosperity make no unreasonable de
mands, for they only demand that the plighted
faith of the liatiou bo kept and that they havo
just treatment.
In this age of luxury they demand no lux
uries, nor do they ask to bo indulged in any ex
travagant tastes. They only ask that out of
our abundance they be allowed a sum which
will provide humble homes, beds on which to
rest and to die, raiment that will protect their
aged bodies from tho cold, and food sufficient
to sustain them in tholr declining years.
Who will grudgo these old veterans a dollar
a day? Their days for earning raonoy are past.
The road to the gravo is a short one.
And the men in or out of congress who go
about with microscope peering into tho indi
vidual records of tho few, to discover a defect
here and there tho men on the hunt for ex
cuses to justify them in refusing justice to the
great mass, will not command morb attention
than would a man at Bunker Hill who had tried
to break the force of the great oration by read
ing records showing that a feW of tho old
revolutionary soldiers before him were un
worthy of the tribute which Webster had pajd
to all.
Sir, in the county in which I was born and
reared there was a solitary grave near the road
side, said to have been that of a soldier of tho
revolution who had died in the early pioneer
days of that county. I remember the venera
tion in which that grave was hold by me and
my youthful associates. The question as to
whether he had served months or years, whether
he had been the best soldier or the worst, never
entered our minds. We only remembered that
he had worn tho uniform of tho continental
army and had contributed something to tho
cause of American liberty.
Mr. President, I grant freely that there was
a time when discrimination would have been
proper. During the years immediately follow
ing. ,the conflict when the first pension legisla
tion .was "being enacted for the benefit of the
civil war veterans the pensions should have
been graded accordingto the length and char
acter of service, the extent of disability, and
the pecuniary condition of tho applicant. Tho
incidents of the war were then fresh in the
minds of all and little difficulty would have
been experienced in ascertaining the true record
of every soldier.
But after the lapse of a half century it is too
late. We now can only deal with this rapidly
disappearing army as a mass. Wo can only
remember that they wore the uniform and that
all did something for the preservation of this
matchless governmental fabric. We only see
the bent and tottering forms and realize that
many of them are in distress, approaching their
near-by graves with hearts made heavy by a
nation's neglect. And then we recall the
promises that were made in the hour of national
stress and storm to induce them to leave their
homes and peril their lives and sacrifice health
to the end that the nation might not perish from
the earth, not forgetting the pledge of tho na
tion made by the immortal Lincoln in his second
inaugural address,' delivered a month before tho
fall of Richmond and five weeks before his
tragic death, that we would "bind up the na
tion's wounds and care for him who shall have
borne the battle and for his widow and orphan."
Mr. President, let there be no more delay in
caring for those who bore the battle, their
widows and orphans. If we have not the desire
as patriots to do so, let us as a Christian people
have compassion upon them, because they need
the nation's comforting aid.
THE PROPOSED SUBSTITUTE
Sir, I am opposed to the pending bill, known
as the McCumber or Smoot substitute, because
it does not meet the just demands of the union
soldiers.
Under its provisions but a few thousands of
the surviving veterans could ever receive a dol
lar a day, and It is so full of inequalities and
unjust discrimination that it hatf received un
stinted condemnation at the hands of the sol
diers of the country. I desire to quote from
Gen. Sherwood, chairman of the invalid pen
sions committee of the house of representatives,
a gallant soldier, who enlisted as a private in
April, 1861, participated in 42 battles, and mus
tered out as a brigadier general, having been
promoted to that position by President Lincoln
for long and faithful sorvico and conspicuous
gallantry at tho battles of Resaca, Franklin, and
Nashville, a record which entitled hio words to
consideration. Ho says:
"First, lot me call your attention to tho fa"t
that no Boldler out of tho 600,000 called out by
President Lincoln In 1862 will over bo able to
get tho maximum ponsion of $30 per month
under tho Smoot substitute should ho live to
bo 100 years old. According to tho official
roster of the war office, 421,465 men were mus
tered Into the sorvico under Lincoln's call of
July 2, 1862, for 300,000 men. Under the call
of August 4, 1862, for 300,000 men S7,588 wcro
furnished; 15,000 mJlltia wore called out In
May and Juno, mnklng a total of volunteers
furnished In 1862 of 522,053. df this number
421,465 were mustered into the service for
three years none of them so musterod in until
August, 1862. The war closed In April, 186,1.
All of theso regiments were mustered out he
fore they had served three years. Hence, not
a man of any of these veteran roglmento that
fought the greatest and fiercest "battles of tho
bloodiest war In all history could ever get a
dollar-a-day pension under tho Smoot substi
tute bill should ho live to be 100 years old.
I do not bellovo that over 9,000
soldiers out of the over 511,000 now lllng
would bo able to draw the maximum ponsion
of $30 per month under this substitute bill.
"Let mo illustrate the Smoot substitute: It
proposes to pension a 90-day man who Is 75
years old at $21 per month, while a veteran of
40 battles who enlisted in 1862 at tho age of
16 years only gets $15.50 per month, because
he was mustered out a few months short of
three years on account of tho close of tho war.
The Smoot substitute pensions a 90-day man
of 70 years at $18 per month, while a 3-year
veteran who served in 36 of the signal battles
of the war and Is now less than 66 years old
and who has a service record at the front of
3 years with a veteran reenllstraent only
gets $18 per month.
"Let me further illustrate: Here Is Samuel
Barnhart, Forty-sixth Ohio, who enlisted In
1862, when 16 years old, for three years, and
served in 20 battles, mustered out June 4, 1865.
"Here is another soldier, David Gillespie,
One hundred and seventy-seventh Ohio, who
enlisted for 100 days, in August, 1864, at tho
ago of 28 years.
"Barnhart is now 05 years old, and under tho
Smoot substitute would draw a ponsion of
$15.50 per month, while Gillespie, the 100-day
soldier, who is now 75 years old, would draw
$21 per month.
"Here is another specimen: Oeorgo W. Davis
was mustered In Company A, One hundred and
thirty-first Ohio, a 100-day regiment, at tho
age of 27. James C. Reiber, same company,
enlisted at 16 years. Davis is now 75 years
old and under the Smoot substitute would re
ceive $21 per month, while Reiber, who Is now
64, would get only $13 per month. Both ren
dered the same sorvico and touched elbows in
the same company."
Ho also calls attention to the fact, which must
not bo overlooked, that the Smoot substitute
has no disability clause, and that it contains
no provision which will put a stop to tho ever
increasing number of private pension bills of
which so much complaint has been made upon
the floor of the senate.
Mr. President, I favor House bill No. 1 tho
Sherwood bill because it Is tho nearest ap
proach to a dollar-a-day pension that is attain
able and because It settles onco and for all this
much-mooted pension question. '
The purpose of the bill Is to determine auto
matically tho status of every soldier in tho
country, and then wo will havo no need for a
vast army of men in its execution.
Because tho pending measure tho Smoot or
McCumber substitute is so full of glaring In
equalities, it Is satisfactory to but few, and
allows the agitation for increase to continue
without limit. It continues in operation all tho
expensive and complicated machinery of tho
pension office, Including medical examining
boards in every part of the country, while tho
Sherwood bill, which the great mass of tho
soldiers demand, working automatically, will
dispense with tho thousands of examining
boards, the hundreds of special agents and spies
now employed ly the department, will stop all
special pension legislation, and at the same
timo be a distinct and positive proof of the
gratitude of the nation to its defenders.
It hatf been loosely asserted that the Sher
wood bill will add $75,000,000 to tho expenses
(Continued on Page 10.)
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