The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-06-05

The history Of the country Is luminous Of the reverse
Every VA IA which We have been engaged boar. hono
bls tss4irscuy II the coatrsxy When tho shr trump
and spirit izzing drum and carpiercing ME axe beard
io the land irom mountain and vale, from town and
country ths czsa soleEy dock not to tho 'royA ban
ns" but to tho .as and stripes y tho "wsvs' come
whom nayies are stranded" ~ l.s.asl 49,
may assume. however, from what We have heard,
that the object and purpose Of the advocates q this
urs are stsn the pension system ppcn The COUNTRY,
70 give II penAnenoe - nco1posass into our political
nav be cooclusivsly pleaded - vor a tho allowance Of
these bountss to all soldiers engaged In al subsequent
wan Whether intended ox not, favorable decision
.wn ~ rscosdsd for precedent
And by ths example
Will rush into tho State" tai4.
Az our regular army ID constantly engaged In skir-
shcs with hostile and predatory Indians you cannot
stop short Of all who In the service Pensions to the
revolutionary soldiers cannot be justly used plea for
this enlargement Of the system. The revolution had =
special pre-emnsnCe. lifting il above all other wars
and It 4 idle 10 auzilate to IL the of 1912 and
temporaneous Indian wars. Half starved half clad,
tracking their With blood the harshps endured
the sacRco made the tolls and pdvatons undergone by
the heroes Of l776 find parallel in later 1t Is not
necessary TO institute comparison to the courage and
galantry Of the In the two wars, the value of
their services Suffice it to say that In revolutionary
struggle, the Americans were regarded rebels and
traitors and not unfreqpenty treated ~ such The gov
srnnent unstable, precarOus, and often inactive
In journsyings often. In pcrls by their own country
mem pcrh IN the city pcrls in the wilderness in weari
ncss and painfnness in wachgs often, in hunger and
thirst in cold and naksdness the revolutionary soldiers
fouaht against the uothcr country, and received their
scsnt pitancs In DEPRECATED currency Very different
was the war Of 1914 It was regular between two
independent nations conducted, for the most part
cordnS to the recognised rules of modern warfare The
soldier when discharged from service before received
his pay In good money aud ono hundred and sixty
Of land besides The soldiers of the of 1912 were
1Vcft1
do they exceed In personal courage, value Of services
asards Of war, those engaged In the Seminole in
1917 the Black Hawk war in 1882; the Florida
from 1885 to I842 the Greek disturbances in 1885,
the Mexican In l846i There canbe distinction in
principle between the There talismanic superiority
In service against Brith troops the Indians during the
war of 1912, Mexican troops the Indians la
ter period than 1915. If one be entitled, the
Others and the passage Of this bill naugurates policy
which cannot be arrested Vote this gauity distribute
these bounties and you array and ramify influences
which, possessed of tho precedent and acting the de-
ensvs, will defy and defeat all efforts to arrest return
to economy. The first man who proposed, in Rome,
gratuous distribution Of from the public granarcs
condemned 70 suffer the punishment of treason Al
ter while thu pensoners became that the
most absolute and despoc Empcrors feared to interfere
with their b0untes. When Augustus came to power he
found three hundred and twenty thousand citizens of the
male flor females excluded enrolled recip-
Tents Of the public dole and while he confessed that
these largsas working unmitigated evil he avowed
tbutions successful rival would displace him. and Ie
store them.
This question argued If the had unlimt
cd power and could sequesate at will the property of
It's citizens do mot belong to that school of politicians
who invest Congress with the omnipotence Of the Br
sh Parliament, and from the power ITO lay and collect
taxes ito raise and support armies Ito provide and
maintain navy, claim sovereignty property and
the uncontrolled right 70 appropriate t. q caprice
paiaty, hate, benevolenoo may dictate There is
sovereignty in Congress- and when tax the people
beyond what isnecsary for economical administration
Of thr government, 70 bstcw bounties gatuities and
pensions, We rob Peter to pay Psul wc opprcss ma
oriy to support few fayortes transfer the proper
y Of nine men to the tenth 1t intended
to invest government with absolute power
the property Of the citizens. Our revolutionary struggle
was suocess protest against the English notion OF SOW
egnty over private property Representation Is farce
popular elections abortion; constitutions ropes
of sand; revolution failure if there sovereign
power property in this Clear grants of
power specific cnnmcrations Of objects Of appropriation
reservations Of undelegated power, were unnecessary
Congress indalge sovereign Legislative patronage
In avorof local private individual interests Eng
lish kings have claimed the right to dispose Of public
and private property to avortes, to purchase adher
ents but have sought In vain for any word of the
constitution authowining 10 make donations bestow
bcnevolcncc with the money Of the people.
Great Britain has struggled for years to relieve herself
Of the cxcas Of her pension system to make ministers
responsible for tho bcstowmsnt OF gratuities and we
with the benefit Of her experience, gravcly proposing
to take up and adopt her exploded and condemned theo
rios Her experience ought to be admonition to
but In tho lace O It, and without clear grant of cons
tutional authority, we are copying bad example.
The history Of pensions In other lands is history Of
frauds and Nbuses Here re have men, roting in luxury
begging to be quarteFed the government and greedy
troop Of cormorant speUlston and claim agents. harpy
like,
tCoutactu Omaa ftedsns immundo,"
getting up instructions from legislatures and nctinga
camor for the .poor soldiers many of whom would DO
heced Of large portion Of what you propose munif
Gently TO donate III other countries the system is repro
bsted IN this its consequences will 10 most porncous
class VI consumers will be created interested In sys
tanning government that supports them, who will ad
yOcate large expenditures, and may infuwe poisonous
attach mies 10 the throne, political influence
and enlarge their power Congress- BY is douooun and
Emtutes, may extend the power and patronage of this
government, already alarmingy great, and raise up
cass of 'fecdcs upon Legislative patronage who are
interested in giving blind support to all its measures
and unAquringly acquiesng in whatever may be done
repeat ~ there ~ no sovereignty in this government
lcest Of all sovereign power to take away the property
q the citizens and as Congress y but agent trus
tee, cannot exercise powers not delegated, give
boun and do bcnevolencc at tho expense of those who
crested the government
suppose we conccdo, for arguments sake, that the
power to grant pensions and make gratutes and give
away the public money, caprice kindness prompts
WAS conferred In the constitution should then hold
that the systeua unwso and inexpedcnt 1t IL bad
policy to accustom to look government for sup
port 10 unwise to quarter soldiers or sailors able
bodied and healthy, the public treasury It II de-
sructye Of manly Independence to rely on extsnsic
means or suhsstence This whole matter grows out of