Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1886-05-15
Washington Letter.

has been that Of carefully examining
private pension bills. He was sup
posed to have work enough to do al
ready without assuming any new
burdens; but it seems he feels the ne
cessity Of taking a hand himself in
the retrenchment campaign which
Mr.. Hewitt and some other influen-
tial Democrats have begun in the
Houseof Representatives. Mr.. Cleve-
lands predecessors have generally re-
garded life as too short to spend in
examining this class of legislation
with special care.
They have contented themselves
with the assurance that Congress had
opportunities for investigating the
claims in the most thorough manner,
and that if the bills had got through
both Houses there must have been
some merit in them.
A few days since rumor about the
Capitol, to the effect that any further
raids upon the Treasury would be
combatted by the Presidents veto,
created considerable sensation. Pres
ident Cleveland is the first President
it is said, who has undertaken to
scrutinize private bills. But he be-
came alarmed at the reckless way
Congress was rushing the pension
business. A fortnight ago the Senate
alone, in one day, passed over 45O
such bills, after merely reading their
titles. This hurried and careless way
of taking money out of the National
Treasury struck the President as en-
inently improper, and he began send
ing to the Pension Office for the rec
ords in order to satisfy his mind con-
corning each of the cases which have
thus far come before him. 1t is per-
haps, no more than the Presidents
duty, but it is duty which has rarely
been performed; and the question is,
where Mr.. Cleveland is going to find
time for the pursuit of his excellent
policy.
No speech probably has been made
during the present session of Congress
which has created so much of a sem
sation as the one delivered by Mr..
Hewitt, on Thursday, when he pro
tested against any further raids upon
the Treasury under the name of
bounties or other benefits of that kind
to soldiers of the late war. Most of
these propositions are ill-considered,
and although for seventy-fve years
to come the South will be helping to
pay pensions to the soldiers and to
the widows of the soldiers of the
North, a Southern Member cannot
raise question as to the propriety of
any of these grabs, without rendering
himself liable to charges of disloyalty,
flippantly and cheaply brought.
The reference made by the gentle
man from New York to the peculiar
position of Southern Members, who
are thus embarrassed when they
would like to oppose these ruinous
schemes according to their convic-
tons, was especially relevant and
timely. He declared that the limit
of endurance on the part of the tax
payer had been reached and that the
discomfort on account of excessive
taxation was breaking out in riots,
dynamite, and death. Those who
wanted to dive their hands down into
the Treasury, said he, "take advan
tage of the delicate position in which
the Southern men are placed, being
subject to the charge of disloyalty i
they resist the steal" But no one
could make this charge against hin
. and he would make the fight.
The great River and Harbor grail
which went through the House afte1
a discussion extending over severa
weeks, takes from River Commits
3 sions their power and gives it to thu
. Secretary of war. During the debat,
Q an opponent of the measure severed.
t criticised it. No grandeur of plac
: he said, nor insignifcance of spot wa
I ignored. The bill reached every
where. 1t was not restricted by an.
y unpronounceable name, by any oh
security of situation, or by any diff
g Guilty of access. There was nothin
that seemed to be too incredible to b
: contained in this bill. The disfran
v chised citizens of the Capital join is
Q sue with this assertion however, an
: are indignant because an approprif
ton for the Potomac Flats was omit
ted. Because of this neglect of thei
l. own fair river they hold the bill