The Evening critic., 1882-01-14
ARREARS OF PENSIONS.
What IL Prominent Democratic Pol
iticiaB Says of the Democratic
Position and MIR. Reck7s SpeecI.

AT the Capitol to-day CRITIC reporter,
hearing considerable comment upon Sen
ator Beck's criticisms on the act of Con-
gress of January, 1879, granting arrearages
of pensions 10 soldiers of the late war, took
occasion to look the matter up. Meetinga
prominent Democratic politician, The
CRITIC man inquired of him what he
thought of Mr.. Beck's position ON repeating
the arrearage pension act.
"To what particular position do you al
lude2" inquired the p. ID. p.
"'To the position taken by that Senator
in his tariff speech last Tuesday" replied
the reporter.
"And what was that?" queried the
p. d. p.
"In his speech last Tuesday" continued
the reporter, "Mr Beck said / would
promptly repeal the arrears of pension act.
1t was conceived In sin, aud brought forth
in iniquity. 1t is q fraud upon the Ameri-
can people, and standing monument to
the ignorance, selflshness and cowardicc of
the American Congress-
"Well," said the p. ID. p, Mr.. Beck
has a right to speak for himself, and if those
are his sentiments and he feels like utter
ing them, it is his business and not mine"
But" said the reporter, do not such
declarations commit the Democratic party
to position of opposition to the soldiers of
the country who saved the Union?"
=. ID. p" Not at all. 1t is high time
the people of this country should under
stand that the Democratic party does not
belong to any one man that no one man is
authorized to speak for the party, and that
no one man can commit the party % any
political sentiment or principle by Is ut
terances, either in the Senate or out of IT,"
"What do you think of his charges as to
the cowardice of the American Congress ?"
=. ID. p" Well, i think he is the last man
in the Senate that should talk Of cowardice
in connection with the act granting ar
rearages of pensions. II you will take
the PAINS TO examine the Record on the
day that bill passed the Senate, you will
find that Mr.. Beck was in the Senate on
that day and voted on the last amendment
10 the bill, which amendment was not
agreed to. The question then recurred ON
the passage of the bill. The yeas and
mays were ordered, and % cowardly Re.
publicans and l6 eowardly Democrats and
! cowardly lndependent-4i in all--vOted
yea and 4 Democrats voted nay OF
course you will say at once that Mr. Beck
was one of the four. But was her The
Record shows that he was one OF the 5fare
twenty-eight who were reported absent
Now, when measure that was
conceived in sin and brought forth
in iniquity, and "a fraud upon
the American people,, was pending
before the American Congress, and he was
present when il was being discussed voting
upon its amendments, he ought TO have
faced the music and voted No.o,o-o p
upon the passage Of the bill, thus putting
to blush the A cowardly Senators who had
the temerity aud the cowardice to be
present when the roll was called, aud TO
vote for this standing monument TO the
ignorance, selfishness and cowardice of the
American Congress-"
"No, Mr. Reporter, Mr.. Beck cannot
commit the party to his rash declarations
neither can he make the world believe
that he is brayer than any one else until
he corrects his record. The fact is, il is the
abuses that have arisen under that act
that are to be complained of, and not the
act itself, and Mr.. Beck should know it,