The National tribune., 1883-03-08
The End of n Long Contest.

The failure of the bill to increase the PEN
siOns of our one-armed and one-legged
veterans to pass the Senate in its original
form is much to be regretted, but as
amended it unquestionably secures to them
a modicum of the relief asked for, and that
is more than at one time it seemed likely that
they would receive. II is unnecessary at
this late day to enter into any discussion of
the causes that have operated to the preju-
dice of all soldiers claims before the Con-
gTess that has just expired, 1t must have
been apparent long ago to the readers of
THE TRIBUNE that influences Of an unusual
character were being exertcd TO prevent any
further recognition of the rights of our pen
sioners, and considering the persistence
and righteousness with which many of the
leading newspapers of the country have cir
culated their false charges of fraud in the
pension roll, it is really cause for cOngrat-
ulation that any action whatever was taken
by Congress on the bill in question. But
for the earnestness with which the
various Posts of the Grand Army me-
morialized the Senate, the urgent repre-
sentations of the Grand Army Pension Com
mittee, two members of which-Past Com
mander-in-Chief Merrill and Surgeon Gen
eral Ames-appeared in person before the
Senate Committee, and the substantial sup
port afforded by TIE TRIBUNE, it is doubt
ful, to say the least, whether a vote would
ever have been reached on the measure. As
it was RS our readers can see for themselves,
it was only after the Senate had spent a
whole day and the better part of night in
discussion and the amendments offered by
the enemies of the bill with q view to kill
ing it in the House had one after the other
been voted down, that decisive action was
finally taken.
We are thus particular in showing the
uncertainty which up to the last moment
hung about the passage of the measure in
any form, because we do not wish any of
our ex-soldiers to imagine that the partial
triumph which they have scored over the
opposition was q matter of accident or
chance. 1t was on the contrary, the result
of the hardest sort of work, and the lesson
which it teaches is that our veterans must
hereafter rely upon the potentialty of their
own efforts rather than upon the passive
goodwill of legislators to secure the full
recognition of their claims. We do not pro-
pose to indulge in idle recriminations, but
it is very evident from the sentiment devel-
oped in the Senate during the debate on the
Forty-Dollar bill that the poison so carefully
instilled into the public mind by the anti
soldier press is doing its work, and that
belief in the existence of extensive pension
frauds has warped the Judgment Of many
who hitherto have always been found on the
side of the soldier From this time hence
forth the influence of our veterans should
be exercised collectively and individually TO
combat this belief, and they cannot make
better beginning than by withdrawing their
support from all newspapers and politicians
that misrepresent them and transferring it
to journals and statesmen whose integrity
and fidelity is undoubted. THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE proposes to fight it out on that
line, and our ex-sOldiers should follow where
il leads.