The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-11-03
W1ecling, ". Va, Nor. ..
CLEYELANp AND PENSIONS.
a Correspondent Exposes tho Favorito
Fal-ehood.
7oLks Editor OF he EntelliOencer,

A Correspondent Exposes tho FavorIte
Fal,ehood.
10 ne Editor of@e LtelliOnecr.
SR:-Allow a veteran OF the late war
to say word concerning the following,
taken from this mornings Registers COM
meuts on Mr.. Biugham's speech of last
night; and wish to call the attention
of every soldier reader Of the ISrEL1t-
GENcER to the same:
"0n the matter OF pensions, Mr..
Bingham became especially eloquent.
He wept tears copious and salty for the
veteran and his widow and orphans, and
this, too, when Grover Cleveland has
signed more private pension bills than
all the Republican Presidents before
him, and more than forty per cent OF the
names now on the pension roll were put
there in the three years and a half in
which he has been President"
Now this has been crowed over and
over by the Register until it has become
very stale chestnut, and the veterans
who are not blinded by party prejudice
know how much President Cleveland is
their friend. He has signed more pri-
vate pension bills than all the Republic
can Presidents before him? Not quite
as the following taken from the last re-
port OF the Commissioner on Pensions
shows:
Tue number OF all special pension
acts that have become laws since 1851
and signed by the different Presidents
is as follows:
1891 G5 I TtDc,IpIs ndntntstr,ttnu Al
lS65-G9, lohnsons 4al
lsG9.7I, Grants RdmIDlstntiOn q. ........,.. igO
lsI7-Sl, llnyes's ......... e. Al
lsSi-s5, Garfield aud Arthur administration. 7S6
Total: ,0Ol
lS-Ss' l,;H9
Grand $3.50
This is taken verbatim from the re-
port Given in this way it smacks very
much OF the appearance OF campaign
document.
But why does not the Register give the
other side. President Cleveland has
signed more than any other President, MS
q matter Of course, from the fact that as
time passes there is more difficulty in
finding evidence to support pension
claim under existing laws, and hence
the old veterans who are becoming too
old and feeble to support themselves
must look to Congress for what the
technicalities of the pension laws will
not allow them. Now take view Of
the other side. My impression is that
President Grant is the only President
who had vetoed Il privated pension bill,
aud he vetoed three for what he con-
sidered good and sufficient reasons.
a AZ 4.
4th, 1885, to August 18th, 1888, disap-
proved l9l private pension bills, and
in many of these vetoes he went
out OF his way to make sport OF the old
veterans. 1t is the number of bills not
approved or signed that We should look
ut to show whether our President is the
great friend OF the soldier that the Dem
ocrats claim he is. am not blaming
him for vetoing any bill, be it pension
or otherwise, when q good and sufficient
reason is given; hut when his entire
pension committee irrespective OF party,
claimed that his veto of the Dependent
Pension Bill was uncalled for and un-
just, and when all the other Presidents
found only three TO disapprove out OF
2,OO4 that were passed by the two
houses during their different adminis-
trations, and President Cleveland has
found l9l passed by his own Democratic
House of Representatives, it causes one
TO think there might lurk in his heart at
least slight degree of unfrieDdliness to
the soldier. 1t would be well for all
veterans to ponder this well before they
cast their ballots. Now il this, Mr.. Req
.Stcr, is waving the bloody shirt, make
the most OF it, for you commenced il.
Wheeling. Nor. i. 'hFNHAN.