St. Paul daily globe., 1886-10-01

world has ever seen; and it is the duty of
those OF us who did not have to undergo the
hardships which they did, to SEQ 10 it that
justice is done them. They should not be COM
PEELED to appeal for what is Justly their due.
We should secure that for them without their
asking. Thousands of deserving applicants
for years have been cruelty deprived of the
pensions due them, on account OF the present
condition OF the pension laws. This should
not be. These laws should be so amended that
there would be no necessity for
PRIVATE PENSION BILLS,
If the beneiciaries of these bills are enritled
to pensions, the general law should be so
amended That all such claimants could have
| them allowed by the commissioner of pen
| sons. My view of it is, that the law should
be so that the veteran who applies for q PEN
sion should, to procure it, only have to ap-
pear before board of examining surgeons to
establish the existence of his disability and
| grade OF 1t, and (when that was established)
he could prove by his own affidavit that that
disability was incurred while in the service
The oath of the man who periled his life in
! defense of the Union, should be all the evil
dence of that character required 1t was not
questioned and was considered amplysufficient
| to establish his loyalty and patriotism
when he enlisted. There are hundreds of
cases where the present law requiring addi-
tional evidence has operated to perpetrate
| monstrous injustice upon deserving claim
ants who really need this, their Just DUE
More than this: When the board of examin-
| ing surgeons had established the grade of the
| pension, their report should be final and con-
| elusive The practice, which has prevailed
| for years, of allowing the pension Office to re-
duce the grade of the pension from that fixed
| by the board of examiners, should be prohib-
| tied. l have heard pensions already granted
criticised. and imagine hear the selfish say
that this would open the doors of the treas
ury to
| THE ASSAULTS OF FRAUD.
| I deny it. / insist upon it that our veter-
ans are not deserving of any such an imputa-
| ton, and that the pensions already granted do
not warrant it. Every pensoner has to es-
| tablish his disability before a board of sur
| geons and prove it was incurred in the SER
vice. This ought to satisfy the most cap
| tious. Few men desire to expose their disa-
| bility to the public gaze, but presume the
world will always have doubling Thomases
| My frien 1s. the cost of these pensions is q
| mere bagaelie to great and wealthy nation
| such as ours. Nearly quarter of century
! has passed since the war ended, and these
| patriot heroes are rapidly passing away
| Last ear IL, 900 members of the Grand Army
| of the Republic alone responded to the last
| bugle eal and each succeeding year will
| show an increasing list. Soon there will be
| comparatively few of the Union veterans for
us to comfort in their declining years. While
| honoring the dead, let US not forget that the
grandest memorial to their patriotism that
we can erect is monument of fulfilled duty
| to their surviving comrades. II elected to
| congress, | will act and vote upon the sub
| ject of pensions in accordance with these
| views and shall be disappointed if my action
| shall not meet the approval OF the great ma
! jority of my constituents l also think it a
| shame that the bill granting pension to the
| veterans of the Mexican war, recently pend
| ing in congress, has not been passed.
THE LABOR QUESTION.
| The question of the rights of labor, which
| now agitates the public mind, is second in
| Importance to none of those demanding the
thoughtful attention of the statesman and the
public. Compelled by the monopolistic ten
| dency of capital to organize for self-protec-
| ton. the workingEaen of the country have
| banded themselves together in a powerful
organization known as the knights OF Labor.
| Its existence is regarded by many with feel
| ings akin to alarm, but do not so regard it.
| Nothing has yet occurred to inspire the belief
| that the methods and purposes are otherwise
| than those of law-abiding citizens. The re-
| cent strikes and the action OF the Knights of
Labor officials Herewith, showed that what
! ever was lawess on the part of the strikers
was condemned by the principal officials.
| They have as good right to organize for pro-
| lection and to advance their interests as any
| other class of our citizens, and so long as they
| aim, by lawful methods alone, to accomplish
| this purpose, their efforts must meet with our
| approval. Labor is
THE wORKINGMAN's CAPITAL,
| and it is entitled to the same consideration at
| the hands of congress, or the state legislature,
as the money or property of the wealthy, and
| l regard it as a healthy sign of the times that
| this class of our citizens are studying the
| questions involved in solution of the labor
| problem. There should be no conflict be-
1
! proper way to put it: for there is no conflict
| between capital and labor. Each is depend
| ent upon the other. The capitalist who has
| his money invested in industrial enterprises
requires the laborer to develop them, if be
| can employ him at reasonable wages, and the
| laborer needs the employment if he can re-
| ceve adequate compensation. There should
| be harmony between them; and there will be
| when they mutually come to q proper under
| standing of the right and justice of each 9TH
| ers claims, and especially when the capitalist
| learns that the wOrkingmen have some rights
more than he has heretofore conceded
| that he is bound to respect. The organiza-
| tion of the Knights of Labor became ne
| cessity for tle workingmen of this country:
| and when we consider the magnitude of the
| organization, and the diverse material of
| which it is composed, and the brief period in
| which it has been in existence, we must ad-
| mire the splendid organization, and concede
| it to be guided by men who, in intellectual
| ability, are the peer of many whose names
are recorded with praise in the annals of
! craftsmanship. This organization became
necessary, because of
THE TYRANNY OF WEALTH,
| and the inordlnate desire for the rapid ac-
cumuation of more. In total disregard of
| the rights of the workingman the capitalists
| formed combinations, to enrich each other by
| depressing wages and keeping the price of
| the product of their several works or in
| dustries up to rate that would yield enor-
| nous profits. To illustrate: We paid SO per
| ton for coal last spring when the following
| press dispatch appeared in the daily papers:
| 1.-The Cearfield (Pa.) coaIminers have asked
| Gov. Pattison for aid in securing advanced
| wages The men claim that they are making
| but $40 month, and are subject to many
| petty robberies at the company store, where
! they are compelled to trade The assertion
| is made that the evils of child labor are not
| such as to justify the demand of the Knights
| of Labor for its prohibition; but Henry
| George, in the North American Review of
| this month on ''Labor in Pennsylvania"
| says that 1.-The graveyards in the mining re-
| gions are filed with the bodies of prematurely
| old and worn out children, whose health has
| been destroyed by being put to work too
| young in the mines" The same may be said
| Of the graveyards of our manufacturing
| towns and cities.
woRKINGMEN's DEMANDS.
4 Inc demands OF CQ0 WOrklDRInoQ, dS 6X-
pressed in the platform of the Knights of
| Labor, adopted in Philadelphia, received full
attention from President Cleveland and the
| branch of congress in sympathy with him.
| The president made them the subject of
| special message to congress, and the Demo-
| cratic house passed seven bills in the interest
| of the workngmen, but the senate only passed
| two and failed to pass five of the most i'm
| portant. do not know that there are any
| branches of this organization in this district,
| but have referred to the subject because it
demands the attention of all of US, and be-
! cause, if elected, shall favor all reasonable
| legislation for securing them protection from
| sucn wrongs and injustice as they have here
| tofore suffered from the capi talist, who has
| dealt unjustly with them. So long as the
| workingmen confine their efforts to better
| their condition, to lawful and peaceable agi-
| tatiou, and act with the dignity of true man.
| hood in the exercise of their rights as citi-
zens they will always command the respect
of all law-abidiDg and justice-lovlng people.
Your resolutions refer to several subjects of