The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-07-20
New Republican Tactics.

Having failed to make an impression
upon tie public by bitterly criticising the
| President for vetoing private pension bills,
the republican organs have changed their
/ tactics somewhat, aud are charging him
/ with induiging sin mean attacks upon the
! characters Of poor and friendleSs women. "
! The New York Ti5blNc remarks that "thiS
| is not a large business for the President Of
/ the United States to be engaged in"
/ Is it n fact that the President is making
'mcan attacks upon poor and friendless
women" II it is, he is certainly doing
something Of which he ought 10 be ash AIMED :;
but if he isn't, the republican organs are
| doing something Of which they ought to be
ashamed. They are not only circulating
fal,ehoods, but they are attempting to
| destroy the Presidents popularity by
methods which no honest and honorably
conducted newspaper would be guilty of
adopting.
The two women upon whom the Presi-
dent is charged with having made mean
attacks, are Mrs. Dougherty and Harriet
Welsh. The pension bureau had denied
their applications for pensions for excellent
reasons, and they appealed TO congress. They
wore successful and the bills granting them
pensions were sent to the President, and he
vetoed them. In his veto message he stated
briefly, but fully, his reasons FOR his voices
In the case of Mrs Dougherty he showed
that there was no ground upon which she
was entitled to pension, and, incidentally,
| pointed out that instead OF being
| H. h.aa,
arrested seven times. In the case of Harriet
Welsh, he showed that although she asked
for a pension as the widow of soldier, she
was unable to prove that when she married
the soldier in question, her previous hus-
band was divorced, or dead, or had been
absent from her long enough to entitle her
to assume that he was dead. Did the Pres-
dent state anything but the truth' 1t is not
alleged that he did, and yet his statements
of facts in the cases of these two women are
the foundation of the charges against him
that he is INDUCING in mean attacks upon
the characters of poor and frendless wo-
men.
win the people applaud the republican
organs for their assaults on the President
in these cases. 1t will be very strange if
they do. They viii rather applaud the
President for being courageous enough to
do his duty and defend their interests In
stead of going on junketing trips, as the
republican Presidents used to do, he remains
in his Office, attending to his duties and
manfully taking every responsibility which
his oath imposes upon him. Instead of
taking the time and trouble to inquire into
the merits of the bills which come before
him, he could sign them and let congress
bear the responsibility for them if they are
bad. That he will not do, however, be
cause he is too conscientious to neglect his
duties
The republican senators took occasion to
criticise the Presidents use of the veto
power few days ago They don't like to
have him veto bills, because 1t is a reflec-
ton upon them. They think he is alto
gether to free with his pension vetoes. But
are they in a position to criticise these
vetcesl Senator Butler stated the other
day that the senate on one occasion, lately.
passed l47 pension bills inside Of an hour
Were there a dozen senators who knew
anything of the merits of these bliss or
course not. Ii is good thing for the people
that they have a President who studies
every bill closely that is presented to him
for his signature.