The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-01-25

/ to explain and justify his recent attack on
our ex-soJdiers. The opening paragraph is
as follows:
+ AN esteemed correspondent in Chennngo county
sends rs copy of a newspaper printed IN Wash
iugou. from the Office Of of the largest of the
/ pension claim agencies there, in which a quantity
Of vile abuse i hcapcd upon the Utica HERALD,
and numerous other journals, for the position they
have taken ON the subject OF pensions. Our CORE
~poudcnt desires to know whether there is any
thing IN that position which will Justify the as
scrtion tha this Journal is enemy of the soldiers
We will let him Judge for HIMSELF
One might suppose from the tone of this
paragraph that the esteemed correspond
ent " in question was in accord with the
sentiments of the editor, whereas the fact is
that he is a subscriber 10 THE TRIBUNE,
and wrote to the KeroId to call it to account
for its malicious and vindictive ISLANDERS.
It may also be of interest to the Herald to
know that he has taken its advice to Judge
for himself" and is nevertheless of the same
opinion still.
! And necessarily So too, for the HeroId's
explanation is of the sort which doesn't eN
plain, and its justification of the sort which
doesn't justify.
ave believe the pension-roll to be a roll
/ of honor" says the Herald, and therefore
we believe there is no valid objection to the
publication OF the pension rolls" Here is
an evident contradiction in terms at the
! start. If the Herald had said, We believe
the pension roll is fraudulent, and therefore
should be published" its position would at
least be logical, though its ignorance of the
true character of the pension roll would be
none the less Iamentable; but to demand
the publication Of the pension roll because
it is a roll of honor is both illogical and in
sincere, as is shown by its own assertion,
further on, that the only way to keep the
pension rolls clean and honest is to give
them publicity However, we viii take
the HegdiG at its word and assume, for the
sake Of argument, that it does really believe
with THE TRIBUNE thai the pension roll
is one Of honor. 1t says: "There is no valid
objection to the publication of the pension
rolls" We will join issues Oh that.
Is it no. a valid objection to such pub
LEGATION that it Will reveal to the world the
existence of bodily deformities which, from
considerations of common decency alone,
ought to remain a secre5 between the pen
sioner, his witnesses, and the Government in
whose defense he sustained them?
Is it not a valid objection to such a publ
cation, that it will make every pensioner an
object of suspicion to his neighbors, unless
they all happen to have served in the same
company with him, and know of their own
personal knowledge that his disability was
contracted in the army-a coincidence which
even the editor of the Herald, with His lin
tied information, must admit is not likely
to happen frequently, considering how few,
comparatively, of our ex-soldiers now reside
where they did in 1861?
Is it not a valid objection to this publica-
ton that it will prejudice the people against
the men who saved the Union, and make
them suspicious of every pensioner whose
claim, however mcritOrious in point of fact
they do not know of their own personal
knowledge TO be perfectly just?
Is it not a valid objection to this publica-
ton that it will only have the effect of clio
iting hearsay evidence, and thus impede in
stead Of facilitating the inquiries which the
Pension Office is already required by law
to institute prior to the allowance OF any
claim?
Is it not a valid objection to this publica-
ton that it will divert many thousands of
dollars from the sum appropriated for the
settlement OF the 297 POI claims that were
awaiting action by the Pension Office on
the first Of last December, to the profit
simply of the journals in which it is pro-
posed to make such publication?
Is it not, finally, a valid objection to this
publication that it is odious to our pension
ers themselves, who feel that in complying
with the rigid requirements of the Govern
ment touching the establishment of their
claims they have done all that ought to be
demanded Of them, and ought not, therefore
TO be made the objects of new and whole
sale inquisition and surveillance?
1.-THE editor OF tie HcrdId is not disposed to
admit the validity Of these objections, will he
kindly point out in what respect they are
lacking? Might not our pensioners with
equal propriety demand the publication OF
the roll of bondholdors, together with the
amount of interest which each has received
and the manner in which he made his money?
Certainly the affairs of the bondhoIder are
entitled to no greater privacy than those of
the soldier.
And now that we have SGT forth some cf
the more obvious objections 20 the publica-
ton OF the pension roll, let us see what rea-
sons the Herald has to offer in its favor.
ave know" he says, " that fraudulent claims