The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-10-25
THE BEST REASONS.

Col. Matson in his comments on the report
against the veto of the Dependent Pension
Bill, which he says was agreed to without
dissenting voice in this committee" These
reasons were:
l. His insincerity. Col Matson was very
explicit in charging this He said:
The Executive seeks to place con-
struction upon the bill different from that which
clearly intended, and we believe clearly ex-
prest.
But one construction can be given It, and that Is
the one adopted by your committee.
The refinement of q chemical experiment is ex-
ceeded in an effort to do away with the plain pro-
visions Of the bill.
We regard the strained Interpretation put upon
the bill in the message as an e1caSs rather than
reason for returning it to the House.
We believe we do no injustice to the Executive
when considering the whole message to say that
ifits provisions had been palmer he0Ouyd
haze pet inteTposed objections.
The same process of reasoning adopted by the
Executive in support of this objection would have
obtained against every general statute that now
gives pension or ever did give one.
@ His degrading estimate of soldiers as a
class. Col. Matson repealed the Presidents
aspersions in this language:
Your committee do not share in the opinion that
- there exists widespread disregard of truth and
good faith in the prosecution of pension claims.
Nor do we believe that the exsoldiers of this coun-
try are prone to commit fraud, perjury suborna-
ton of perjury for that purpose or any other.
g. His hostility to further pension legisla-
ton. On this point Col. Matson and his
COLL o,,7 an X-era Taor o,,d ,ooc+;v. M co;I
and they Joined him, without dissenting
voice.:
In conclusion submit that the general tone of
the message is to be fairly taken as an expression
In advance of purpose to the Executive
power to prevent any further legislation that will
add any new class to pension list or that will
materially increase the cost thereof.
No arraignment of the President from any
source has gone farther than this. Others
may have denounced him with bitterer words,
but none have, Or could have, charged him
more clearly and emphatically with hypoc-
ricy, insincerity, unfagging hostility to
the veterans, and INSCRIPTIONS use of
his position and power to defeat all meas
ures of justice
The President has done nothing since to
mitigate this judgment. Rather he has
done very much to strengthen it. Col Mat
son cannot believe any differently Of Mr.
Cleveland this year than he did last. The
exigencies of politics and the seductions of
personal ambition compel him to speak
otherwise, and that is all.
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE stands on the
same ground now that Col Matson occupied
last year, and opposes Mr.. Cleveland for the
reasons he then urged,
" IN the matter of procuring pensions there
erists a widespread disregard Of truth and good
faith.n-GRoyER CLEVELAND.
ACCOUNTABILITY OF POLITICIANS"
We have had much talk of " holding poll
ticans to account" We have heard much
of prediction promises, made only to be
broken" The complaint has been general
that the candidate soliciting the votes of
soldiers was a very different person from the
man who had been elected by good ma
jority.
There is way of correcting all these
abuses, and the opportunity is now. We
can administer salutary lesson to two of
the most notorious offenders in this particu-
lar, and if we do administer it, it viii not
only be exact justice to the men who are SO
punished, but it will deter other politicians
from committing the same offense.
Grover Cleveland has grossly violated all
the pledges made by himself and party prior
to election, and Col C. C. Matson has done
the same. Their offending in this respect
has been more fragrant and conspicuous
than that of any other politicians of any or
all parties.
The eyes of politicians of all parties are
now turned upon the veterans to see what
they will do in these two cases. If they
unite to punish Cleveland and Matson by
decisive defeat, then the veterans will be a
recognized political power, and there viii be
little difficulty in securing in the future the
justice to which they are entitled. If, On
the other hand, Messrs. Cleveland and Mat
son are elected-and that, too, by aid of
soldier votes,-then politicians will read the
signs that the soldier business is played
out" and but little heed need be given the
wishes of the veterans and their dependent
ones.
Let the veterans consider this carefully
and govern themselves accordingly.
| ALL manner of campaign lies will be
| snrunp upon the comrades from now till