The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1888-07-12
Vetoing Pension Bills.

The President Gives His Raason1
I for Doing So.
Lct the worthy Soldier Read
e and Reflect.
Washington, July 5th.-The
President sent to Congress today
a message vetoing a bill grant
ing pension TO Mary Anne
Doherty. II states that large
share of the report of the Senate
, Committee on Pensions (adopted
also by the House Commiitee)
consists Of the petition in which
the woman says that her hus-
band (wlo had served in New
Jersey reglment) lett her in 1866
and has not been beard OF since.
She had received a pension as
the widow of Daniel Doherty un-
I'll it was discovered that he was
alive and living in Philadelphia,
end was himself drawing a pen
sion there. She had succeeded
in getting the pension in the first
instance by much false swearing.
The police records of Washing
ton (where she has been living
lshow her to be a woman of very
bad character, and that she had
been under arrest nine times for
drunkenness, larceny, creating
disturbances and other misde-
meanors.
| The President then enters up
on a consideration of pension
Legislation generally. and says:
Il can not spell out any princi-
pie upon which the bounty of the
Government is bestowed through
the instrumentality of the flood
of private pension bills that
reach me. The theory seems to
haye been adopted that no man
who served in the army can be
the subject of death or impaired
health except they are charge.
able to his service. Medical the
ories are set at naaght, and the
most startling relation is claimed
between alleged incidents of mil
itary service and disability or
death. Fatal apoplexy is admit
ted as the result of quite insig-
nificant wounds; heart disease is
attributed TO chrome diarrhea /;
consumption to hernia, and sui
eide is traced to army service in
wonderfully DEVIOUS and curl.
Gus way. Adjudicatlons OF the
Pension Bureau are overruled in
the most peremptory fashion by
these special acts of Congress,
since nearly all the beneficiarles
named in these bills have unsuc-
cessfully applied to that Bureau
for relief. This course of special |
legislation operates very unfair
ly. Those with certain infln-
eEces, or friends to push their
claims, procure pensions, and
those who have neither friends
nor influences, mustabe content
with their fate under general
laws. It operates unfairly by IN
creas,ng in numerous instances
the pensions of those already on
the roll. while many other de-
serving cases, from the lack of
fortunate advocacy, are obliged
to be content with the sum pro-
vided by general laws.
"The apprehension may we'll
be entertained that the freedom
with which these private pen
sion bills are passed, furnishes
an inducement to fraud and i'm
position, while it certainly teach
es the vicious lesson to our peo-
pie that the Treasury of the
National Government invites the
of private need. |,
None of US should be in the
least wanting in regard for thief
soldier, and will yield
10 no man in a desire TO see those
who defended the Government ,
when it needed defenders, liber-
ally treated. Unfriendliness to !
our veterans is a charge easily ,
and dishonesty made. l insist :
that the true soldier is a sood
citizen, and that he will be salts.
fed with generous, fair and eqnal ,
for those who are
worthily entitled to help. Ii
81 have considered The pension
list of the Republic a roll of i
honor bearing names inscribed i
by National gratitude, and not by ,
improvident and indiscrlminate +
alms-giving. l have conceived |
he prevention of the complete ,
iiscredit which must ensue from
he unreasonable, unfair and q
reckless granting OF pensions by ,
special acts, to be the best SER 9
vice 1 can render our veterans. t
"In the discharge of what has !
seemed to be my duty as related ,
o legislation and in the interest
,f all the veterans of the Union
army. l have attempted to stem I
he tide of improvident pension
'nactments, though l confess to /
full share of responsibility for L