The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-07
MRS. GRANTS PENSION.
An Explanation from the Solitary Congress
man Who Voted Against 1t.

An Explanation from the Solitary Congress
man Who Voted Against 1t.
The bill to pension Mrs. Grant passed the
Senate without opposition, and in the House re-
ceived the vote of every member except VIM. L.
Price Republican,, of the Eighth Wisconsin dis
trict. Mr.. Price has written the following letter
in answer to some adverse comments in the Chi
cago Inter ocean,
Mrs Grant never has rendered any service
to the government, does not propose to do so,
understood that she has a property and income
of from @5oo o oeH 70 UOO As ... DC =.
our greatest General, she should, in my judg.
ment. be cared for by the government, and if
needy, she should be relieved, side by side, and
equally, with every other widow Of every other
soldier tn who ssvsd IN the un99
Of the United States who received
$500, 600 for eight years services as President,
and who, while acting as such officer, vetoed a
bill to equalize the bounty of soldiers, and
signed bill which increased his own salary
from $50, 900 to $500 per annum, we owe her
nothing She is no doubt, in all respects
most excellent lady, and there is just as little
doubt that there are in every school district in
every Northern State many women who are
loving and lovable. who parted with husbands to
whom they were as much attached, and made
other sacrifices for the common good as great as
she. I not only believe that these distinctions
in favor OF class are -, unjust. but that
the times, as shown by the acts
pensioning Presidents widows. retired army
officers and naval officers. or their heirs, at a
higher rate than those who rendered equally
good services in more humble capacity, is one
of the most fruitful causes that lead to that
feeling of unrest and conviction of UNJUST treat
ment that develops in communistic mobs, de-
struction Of property and interruption of pro.
ductive business enterprises, and in too many
instances of loss of life. Are my reasons for
that ''disgraceful" vote sufficient or must con-
tent myself with standing convicted of disgrace
full" conduct by the selfconstituted tribunal
the editor of the Inter Ocean9 l think it very
probable that you and l could not be
brought to reason alike. l think it
1880 years ago you would have joined
the murderous mob that shouted Cruelty him!"
Cruelty him!" and that I should hayo inquired,
why cruelty Him. You say that this vote
fought to terminate my public career" Posi-
bly, it ought. Possibly it will. To me, person
ally, this is matter of very great solicitude,
but think your prediction is no more profound
than your Judgment was just In the second
session of the Forty-eighth Congress / voted
nearly alone against retiring General Grant, be-
cause to pass the bill we were compelled to pay
another man $l1 900 for less than eleven min
utes service rs a member of Congress, and it
conferred no additional honor upon Grant. nor
contributed to his comfort, as he had abund-
ant means Of respectable support without it.
and because so many others, equally deserving.
were starving And yet, in the light of these
facts was returned to the Forty ninth Congress
by trebled majority. You, sir. may speak for
a class who bow and cringe. and crawl to men in
place and power. but deny your right to say
that the people OF the Eighth congressional dis
trict of Wisconsin are destitute of that rugged
sense of honesty and possessed of SO slight
sense of justice that they would enthrone on the
necks of the people an arstocracy based on
either wealth or official station which has caused
the multitude to groan for the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of
the few in other forms of government, but should
find no place in a republic. VIM. T. PRICE.
BLACK RIVER FALLS, Wis, Dec. 80, 1885.