The National tribune., 1886-06-17

The leading article in a daily contempo-
rary one day this week reads:

The leading article in a daily contempo-
rary one day this week reads:
Are the ex-soldicrs Of the volunteer army OF the
United States for sale? Are they willing to put up
their votes To be bid for by demRogs? L. the Grand
Army Of the Republic eager 10 exchange its honor
able Cor that Of the Grand Army OF Mendicantss
ID cannot be. Old soldiers would scorn the idea of
selling their votes for money IL the proposition
put 10 them in just that form and we believe
That large majority Of them viii despise the
scheme to win their favor by making them para
sites the National Treasury
Nor can Blair and Logan and Hawley claim %
be the veterans special friends because they advo-
cate these wild schemes Of spoliation Cen Grant
was a soldier. the foremost soldier Of the Union
army, but Al years ago he vetoed far less harmful
pension bin than the one now before the House
The bin for the equalization Of bounties would
have taken from the Treasury not more than s2Oe.-
000O0o in ALL but President Grant vetoed il for two
good reasons He thought the condition Of the ma
tonai finances did not warrant the tremendous
outlay, and hethoHght the chief benefciaries would
be, not the soldiers themselves but the swarns Of
raycnous claim agents who had already bought uo
tens Of thousands Of claims and held them 10 collect
Are not both these objections good to-day2
The enormous pension-Rrlb that came before Con-
grcss four years later successful Grant
was mo longer President Hayes SAT in the Exccu-
tive chair, and his facile hand signed the bin and
gave validity 10 that huge job Of politicians hungry
for votes known the Arrears Of Pensions IA
passed and was signed on the assertions Of Logan.
hawiey and their military eonfrercs that il "conld
not" call for the expenditure Of more than Ss0-
10000 Well, what were the fncts2 TTiey know
Not merely s400g0D00 have been disbursed under
A. but s70O00000, and still new payments are
accommodating. And now Congress l. discussing
proposal TO pay the soldiers S230,e00OO0 more
What would Gen. Grant say 20 thisg
II would be assumed that the amount mid for
pensions ought 10 diminish 20 years after a war
ended but now, although four-ffihs OF all the sol
diers who fought in the war are dead and every
child Of every soldier killed IN war Il Of age the
list Of pensioners increases IN peometrical ratio
4 The year after the war twenty millions were Maid
for pensions; next year the penson-roIl win call
for asi about five times az much and the next wear
twenty times much IL Senator Blair had his
way.
4 IL soldiers votes are 10 be 20 shamelessly bar
gained for, why should mot the hucksters DC COM
4 PEELED 10 foot the bills themselyesg
This is a specimen Of the mean and ma
lignant editorials now appearing in soldier
hating papers, which fear that the veterans
may be at last granted that which they
richly earned, which was part Of the contract
when they enlisted, and which humanity a.
well as justice demands shall be given them
now
The inspiration Of such an editorial Is no;
obscure nor remote II is the gnashing Of
teeth by men who want the money in tht
Treasury expended for their own jobs, and
not paid out in a way which gives no chanc,
for = loot or Doodle TO the hungry crowd
Of intriguers and jobbers. II emanates from
the same canters Of reform and economy, on,
Of whose Characteristic operations was ex
posed the other day, where the washing o
the Treasury towels had been taken away
from some two score Of soldiers widows who
made starvation wages at the work, and
given 10 big laundry firm at an aggregat.
saving Of $25 a month. On the very day
that this wonderful piece Of rctrenchmeni
was hcralded forth, Lot OF unnecessary ON
cials were appointed to supcrintcnd som,