The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-03-26
Voting Pensions.

which would get most OF It were rich, as com
pared with any portion Of the South, they 4
gave it their support because OF It's inherent /
justice By united opposition the Southern 7
Democrats-the ex-Confederates OF the House
could have defeated the measure, could /
have killed it beyond hope OF early resurree-
ton But believing that the country owed
the act to the men who had suffered in her
defense, or TO their widows and orphans, the
representatives, OF the defeated and ImpoYerlsh-
ed South voted to still further impoyerIsh
their section for the benefit OF the triumphant
and prosperous North.
A lew days later bill to pension the Mex
lean veterans was before the Senate. Let Us
see how the Republicans OF that body recipro-
Gated the generous and kindly feeling display
ed by the Southern Democrats in the other
end of the Capitol 1t was an edifying, moral
spectacle to witness the alacrity with which a
Republican Senator offered an amendment ex-
Guiding from the benefits Of the bill all who
had sympathized with the South during the
war OF the rebellion. This amendment was
adopted by Republican votes &c. &c-Wash-
ington Post. 1
Not to be considered censorious, the
the Southern members (whOse names
we do not know because we have not
examined the record and therefore we are
not aiming at anybody in PARTICULAR,
OVERSIGHT the bounds Of magnanimity
itself in voting these fifty millions OF
extra pay to the armies that fought and
desolated and impoverished their own
States in the late war. 1t is an open
question 80 far as the opinion of man
kind at large Is concerned, whether that
war was just one but it is not an
open question with the people Of the
South who have always held to be a
SANDER the charge that they were seek
ing to destroy the government from
which they proposed to withdraw and
establish a government Of their own
based upon the principle that just gov
ernments derive their powers from the
consent of the governed.
If bygones are to be bygones, let them
be so in fact as well as pretension but
this system of pensioning the soldiers
who fought on the winning side of the
war at the expense Of the side that lost
because of the overwhelming odds
against them is not only disagreeable
reminder Of bygones but most unfair
and Ubiquitous proceeding. While large
numbers of the soldiers on the side OF
the North honestly believed they were
fighting to save their government and
were impelled by patriotic motives, 9th
ers were mere soldiers of fortune from
abroad who enlisted for pay regardless
of the cause involved. On the side of
the South, the struggle was for home,
and altar and the right of selfgovern-
ment.
1t is a monstrous crime against the
peace of the reunited country for its
government to pursue a course which
will perpetually remind the weaker side
that it is to be beast of burden for the
other.
1t was only twelve months ago that a
bill passed the Republican Senate voting
princely pension to Gen. Grant, the
leader of the Northern armies, notwith-
standing he had been crowned with the
highest honors Of the country and had
received hundreds of thousands of dol
lars from the public treasury. And but
the other day the same body passed an
amendment to the Mexican war pension
bill excluding Jefferson Davis from its
benefits though he was one of the most
gallant and successful leaders Of the
armies of the United States in that war
Congressional the Country Expects.
This situation is about this The Re
publicans adopting the plan indica
ted by the President in his message, are
opposed to doing anything except pass
ing the appropriation bills. The Dem
ocratic programme is set forth by L. q.
w, the Washington correspondent Of
| the Picayune:
WASHINGTON, March 22.-The policy of the
Democratic party at the present session is about
| to assume definite shape. The Joint Demo-
| cratic caucus committee held a meeting to-day,
at which the substantially agreed upon the fol
lowing policy First to report the army appro-
| priation bill, with the clause forbdding the
presence or use of the army at the polls on any
| preteXt whatever; second, to report the legsla-
| tive, executive and judicial bill with an amend
ment providing that the jurors test oath shall
be repealed, and also arranging for an impartial
drawngof jurieS also repeating the laws in regard
| to appointing deputy marshals and the power to
1 arrest, but providing for appointing supervisors,
| one of each political party, who are simply to
witness the count.
This is excellent so far as it goes: but
the proposition that the Democratic
Congress should leave untouched the
clause, authorizing the federal admins
tration to appoint supervisors, isintoler-
able. 1t is q surrender of the principle
involved, the absolute right of the
States to control the election of Repre-
sentatiyes. If that feature is left in the
law, the viper viii not be scotched, much
less killed. we are not prepared for
such surrender by the Democrats.
And why the necessity of Congress re-
stricting itself to the legislation above
indicated? Is there nothing else re-
quired for the public welfare Is quar-
antine legislation to be postponed Is
nothing to be done to Improve the navi-
CATION of the Mississippi river and to
protect its contiguous lands from over
| fow2 There is mo economy in sus-
pending tbs functions of Congress to
which the country is looking for relief
The members are paid by the year, and
the expense of doing these things must
be borne, and why not now in the hour
of actual Eeed
SUPERVISORS OF CENSUS. An impress
sion prevails that under the act provid-
ing for genaral census next year, the