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Slander Rebuked

Slander Rebuked image
Parent Issue
Day
8
Month
October
Year
1884
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

St. Claik, Mich., Sept. 20, 1S34. To the editor of the Port Hurón Times: In view of a misrepresentation of Miles Post, G. A. R., in the Port llurou Comnerclal Of Aug. 27th, theaccompanyin; letter was forwarded to that paper upon Sept. 2d. The rcceipt of the commuuieation was acknowledged by postal card by Messrs. Talbot & Co., wbo stated that it was too long to get ia that week, and adding, "We are pressed with council business, bnt if satisiaetory to you will appear next week." As the paper of the next week, and even the followlug week, failed to contain niy letter or any correction of the slanderons falsehood about our Post, I enclose niy coninuinication to you with a reqest tor its pnhlieation in your columns. Jt will thus reach a nuinber of the readers of the Commercial and enable them to learn thefactsas they are, and not as they are falsely represented In that paper. Very truly yours, W. H. Smitii. MISREPRESEXTATIOX REliUKED. To the editor of the Port llurou Commercial. In your paper of Aug. 27th occurs the following which needs correction : " Miles Post G. A. B. under the lead of Deputy Collector Morse and Dr. Smitli, are working hard to couvert the weakminded deuiocrats to join the Mullican Guards, but have met with very poor success. Win Clark is the only convert as yet. Deuiocrats who read and think for tliemseives caiinot bc pulled around by Commander Suiith and his Lieutenant Morst.1." Did the above falsehood onlv refer to me personally 1 should treat it with the silent contempt which it merits. Uut such is not the case. It grossly misrepreseuts our order which 1 esteem. It is a scurrilous attempt to bring into dierepute an organization of old Boldlers to whose steadfast endurance and heroism in other days we owe our present existeuce as a nation. The man who should attempt to slander such au order is unflt to live in a republic, and I can only explain its appearance in your columns by the supposition that you have been lmposed upon by some former Kuight of the Golden Circle sending the same to you as commuulcation, whleh was thoughtlessly msertcd. The fact is that the Grand Army of the Republic is absolutely nonpartisan. It is provided in the rules and regulatious. Which is the fundamental law of the order, that uothing of a political nature shall be discussed in the Post room. The man does not live who can use the G. A. K. for partisan purposes. It is simply a fraternal organization of men whose friendship and regard for each other was formed and cemented amid the fire of battle. lu the light of this fact you can see how utterly false and uiifounded is the statemont that our Post was workiug to convert weak-minded demócrata. The only thing that has oceurred in this vicinity to give the slightest color to the above charge is the fact that the ex-soldiers will not vote for Cleveland and Ilemlrlcks, while nearly one third of them are democrats 1 do not think there is au honorably discharged soldier in this vicinity who will support the nominees of that party. This is as true of those who do not belong to the G. A. K. as those who do. uit; ïeasuns lor mis siare 01 anairs are ot far to seek. First aud foremost is the ecord of the democratie party in the last ODgreil npon the Mexican pension bï 11. 'he propositkm to nirtke the beneflts of ïat bill apply to disabled uniou soldiere f the late war, came up in the republian senate, was adopted by a strict party ote, all the republicana voting fot it and 11 of the demócrata againstit, and the meuded bill was theu killtid by demoratic flHbusterlng in the House. In a vord, the democrats wero unwilling to o for the disabled union soldiers what liey asked for all tlie soldiers of the Mexcan war. Tbat bill, had t becomc a law, vould have done away with the absurd equirements and techuicalitlea of the penion ofliee. It would have obviated inneeessary delaj's in tho adjustment ot Milision claims, and removed every distbled uuion heio trom the alms-houses of he land. Knowing that this benilicer.t measure met its death at the hands of the leraocratic party, I cannot be so false to any disabled comrade as to vote to place bat party in power. In the secoud place Thomas A. Hendricks is not a man to command the sol1iers' vote. We reineuiber hiin as Heudricks, the copperhead, the tire ia the ear man, who called us Lincoln hireliügs, who assailed our adored war president as a t3'raut, who presided over a convention whicb denounced the war as a failure, and who boasted that he never voted for au appropriation to carry forward the work of suppressing the rebelllon. IIow can union soldiers be expected to vote for such a man as thatï To do so would be to stultify their records as soldiers, and disgrace the laurels they won In daring to defend the old flag In the times that tried men's souls. But how stands the matter as regards rover Cleveland f 1 shall not compare .his tyro in public afluirs as a statesman ike Blaine. We i:eed not refer to liis workinginen's vetoes, or approval of bilis n the interest of monopoly. His hostility to the union soldiers is enough for his condenmation. We remember his vetoes of O. A. H. matters. Two of tliese iniglit te excusable on the ground of money being used, the otueis signify dislike to the union soldiers. As mayor of Búllalo he vetocd an appropriutiou of $300 lor the observance of decoration day. As goveruor he vetotd a bilí gcranung $l,2U0 to John Young. Youtig was a fonneruniou soldier who became totally disableU by accident wliile working for the state. He also vetoed a bilí allowiiig O. A. li. Pota the use of state arms, providiug they Save bonds for their Mtffl keeping and return when demanded. His additional exploit was vetoing a bilí making it a misdeuieanor for any person not an honorably discharged soldier to wear the G. A. II. badjre. This bill siinply protected our Xew York comrades in their rights. láuch a record by this tidal-wave statesman of 18 months experience In public atl'aiis you may be assured will not command the soldiers votes. Very truly vouis, St. Clair, Mich., Aug. 30, 1884,

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Subjects
Ann Arbor Courier
Old News