The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-07-12
HIS CRITICS ANSWERED.
President Cleveland Replies to tho Report
Of tho senate Pension Committee, and
Defeuds His Many vetoes.

ITO SUb btb~0 bANO"6uGOs
President Cleveland Replies to tho Report
Of tho senate Pension Committee, snd
Defeuds His Many vetoes.
WASHINGTON, July 6.-The President sent
to Congress yesterday message vetoing
. bill granting pension to Mary Anne
1t says that q large share Of the
report Of the Senate Committee on PEN
sions adopted also by the House Commit
tee) consists Of the petition in which the
woman says that her husband, who had
served in q New Jersey regiment, left
her In 1865 and has not been heard Of
since. She had received pension as the
widow Of Daniel Doherty until it was dis
covered that he was alive and living in
and was himself drawing
q pension there. She had succeeded in
getting the pension in the first instance
by much false swearing. The police rec
ords Of Washington, where she has been liv
ing, showed her to be woman of very
bad character, and that she had been
under arrest nine times for drunkenness,
larceny, creating disturbances and other
misdemeanors. The President then enters
upon q consideration of pension legislation
generally, and says:
II can not spell out any principle upon which
through the instrumentality OF the flood Of pri-
vate pension bills that reach me. The theory
seems TO have been adopted that no man who
ser we'd in the army can be the subject of death
nor impaired health except they are chargeable
to his service. Medical theories are set at
naught and the most startling relation Is
claimed between alleged incidents OF military
service and disability or death. Total
apoplexy is admitted as the result OF quite
insignificant wounds. heart disease l. attrib-
uted to chronic diarrhea, consumption to
hernia, and suicide is traced to army
service in o wonderfully devious and curious
way. Adiudications OF the pension bureau
are oyerruled in the most reremptory fashion
by these special acts Of Congress- since nearly
all the benefciaries named in these bills have
unsuccessfully applied to that bureau for re-
lief.
''This course OF special legislation operates
very unfairly. Those with certain influence or
friends to push their claims procure pensions,
and those who have neither friends nor in
nuence must be content with their fate under
general laws. II operates unfairly by incrcas-
ing in numerous instances the pensions of
those already on the roll, while many other
more deserving cases, from the lack OF fort
unate advocacy, are obliged TO be content with
the sum provided 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 imposition, while it certainly
teaches the vicious lesson TO our PEOPLE that
the Treasury Of the National Government In.
v,tes the approach Of private need.
sNone or US should be in the least wanting
In regard for the veteran soldier, and ! will
yield to no man in Q desire to see those who
defended the Government when II needed
defenders literally treated. Unfriendliness
to our veterans 10 charge easily
and sometimes dishonesty made. In
siSt that the true soldier Is . good
citizens and that he will be satisfied with gen
crous, fair and equal consideration TO those
who are worthily entitled to hep. ] have con-
sidered the pension list OF the Republic roll OF
honor, bearing the names inscribed by National
gratitude, and not by improvident and
indiscriminate aims giving. have con
ceived the prevention Of the COM
plete discredit which must cnsue from
the unreasonable, unfair and reckless granting
OF pensions by special acts to be the best Serv.
Ice can render our veterans. In the discharge
OF what has seemed to me my duty rs related
to legislation and in the interest OF all the vet
Grams of the Union army, have attempted to
stop the tide OF impr0vident pension enact
ments, though confess to . full share OF re.
sponsiblify for some OF these laws that should
not have been passed"
~ am far from denying that there are case,
Of merit which can not be reached except By
special enactment, but do not believe there II
member OF either house Of Congress who viii
not admit that this kind OF legislation has beer
carried too far. ! have now before me more thar
100 special pension bills which can hardly be ex
amined " thin the time allowed for that pur.
pose. My air, has been at all times in dealing
with bills of this character to give the appli
cant for a pension the benefit of any doubt that
might arise and which balanced the prOpricty
OF granting 4 pension II there seemed any jus,
foundation for the application: but when II
seemed entirely outside Of every rule in its
nature or the rroof supporting II have sup
posed did only my duty in intcrposing an OBJ
lection.
at seems to me it would be well II all oul
general pension laws should be revised, with
view of meeting every meritorious cas-,
that can arise. Our experience and know
edge Of any existing deficiencies ouRh
to make the enactment OF conplet,
pension code possible. In the absenct
of such . revision, and il pensions are TO b,
granted upon equitable grounds and withou
regard to general laws; the present method
would be greatly improved by the establish
ment OF some tribunal to examine the facts Ii
every case and determine upon the merits o
the application.