The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-10-25

nau Tune, Is NO plainly declares: ana his hos
Utility and utter lack Of sympathy with this largo
class constantly drops out In trivial and sarcas-
tic sentences In his messages. For instance:
mo statement Is presented Of the bounty re-
ceived by "tm upon either enlistment" Prob
ably there were those who found their interest
In such an appeal" Ito Congress). 1.-THE mum
Der Of instances in which those OF our soldiers
who rode horses during the war were injured by
their saddles indicates that those saddles wero
dangerous contrivances." AFTER this brilliant
service with terrific encounter with the
measles" ''Whatever else may be said of this
claimants achievements during his short mill
tary career, it might be considered that he &C.
cumulated great deal Of disability" Many
more quotations might be made of similar char
acter from his veto messages. They are COARSE
undignifed and utterly unworthy Of the Chief
Executive of this great Government.
THE DEPENDENT PENSION BILL.
II any further evidence is required to show
the utter lack Of sympathy on the part of the
President for the soldiers who followed their
country's flag in the late rebellion, it is fully
furnished by his action in vetoing the Depend
emit Pension bill passed In the Forty ninth Con-
gress.
The Committee on Invalid Pensions. COM
posed of nine Democrats and six Republicans,
in an able and exhaustive report unanimously
adopted say: 1T passes the comprehension Of
this Committee to understand how the Presi-
dent could have overlooked in another bill what
are alleged as faults in this bill.
1.-THE bill we refer to passed the House the
same day as this did and met with his unhesi-
tating approval. 1t is the bill to give pensions
to the survivors Of the war With Mexico ETC.
Under that bill, II one who was soldier In that
war and is now under sixty-two years of age
applied, he must allege and prove some degree
OF dependency, and no matter how slight, quite
vague and indefinite, and any degree OF disabil-
ity Is sufficient, no matter how incurred. ex-
cept In the military service against the United
States: and no matter If he be worth millions
he need only show sixty days service; he need
not have been In an actual engagement with
the enemy or subject to any OF the actual dan
gers OF war, or even that he should have been
in Mexico or on the coasts or frontiers thereof;
it is sufficient ii he had been en- route thereto,
and it embraces within its provisions more per-
sons than are to be benefited by the bill now
under consideration. It grants the pension to
every soldier over sixty-two years of age with
out any condition as to his circumstances
or necessities and without requiring any dis
ability as the result OF services, even though he
be member OF Congress, drawing q salary Of
5000 per annum. 1t gives pension to every
soldier under sixty.tWO years for any disability,
even II the disability resulted since his So vie
and from his own vicious habits or gross care
lessness, and for this he gcts IS; while the
Union soldier for the same disability. received
in the line OF duty and while in the service,
would get perhaps only n; and it gives pen
sion to every widow OF soldier in that war
who is now sixty-two years of age, whether she
was the wife Of the soldier or not at the time Of
his service without reference to the cause Of his
death, even II he were killed In battle while
serving in the Confederate army.
1.-The committee would rejoice il there could
even now be found some indefinite vagueness
or latent ambiguity in the Mexican Pension law
r 10
these results were not foreseen by him when he
was approving the one and contemplating
veto Of the other.
1.-THE bill we presented to the House was
broad, liberal and patriotic. It struck down
any disbarment from the pension list on account
Of any service against the flag excepting such
persons as were laboring under political diff
survivors OF our civil war who had fought for
the Union, but it embraced within its
generous terms the survivors OF the war
OF 1912. the Indian wars, and the
war with Mexico; all who could show
that they were totally unable to labor and were
dependent upon their daily labor for support
could appeal to its provisions, and all were to
be treated exactly alike. If this bill fails to be-
come law such distinctions are made by the
acts Of the Executive in approving one and dis
approving the other that the committee can not
believe it will be Endorsed anywhere by the
patriotic sentiment of this country
INSULTS BY THE PRESIDENT.
In the message returning that bill to Con-
gress without his approval, he made the fol-
lowing grave and unfounded charges against
the brave men who suffered for their country.
The committee answers these base calumnies
in the following emphatic language:
THE President says: Recent personal OBJ
servation and experience cOnstrains me to refer
to another result which will inevitably follow
= Al>o Is1J
less true. that already in the matter of procur-
ing pensions there exists widespread disre-
gard OF truth and good faith. stimulated by
those who, as agents, undertake to establish
claims for pensions, heedlessly entered upon by
the expectant beneficiary and encouraged or
at least not condemned, by those unwilling to
obstruct a neghbor's plans
Your committee do not share in the opinion
that there exists widespread disregard Of
truth and good faith in the prosecution of pen
sion claims. Nor do We believe that the ex-
soldiers OF the country are prone to commit
fraud, perjury ana subornaton OF perjury for
that purpose or for any other. IT. however,
such be the fact. it does not appear to be pro-
ductive OF result in the successful issue of fraud
ulent claims in any appreciate degree.
1.-The late Commissioner OF Pensions. Hon,
w. w. Dudley, IN an annual report says that
with the most searching investigation of all
cases OF suspected fraud, the result showed
that in the number of allowed claims one tenth
OF one ler cent, or one in each thousand only
OF allowed cases were fraudulent. With the
present large force OF examiners in the field,
charged with the duty OF reporting to the Office
any evidence, even of hearsay character, that
tends to show claim to be fraudulent, the op-
portunity to procure a fraudulent pension.
or to enjoy one after it is procured seems to be
reduced to q minimum"
And they further express their convictions of
lNRl IT. hN1fo I'm
lows: In conclusion. We submit that the gen.
eral tone OF the message is to be fairly taken as
an expression IN advance of a purpose to use
the executive power to prevent any further
legislation that will add any new class to our
pension list, or that will materially increase
the cost thereof, and based upon the idea that
the country is against it,
Action in Congress.
pension roll which bears over 400, 900 names.
and to whom there is annually paid about e53,-
OOOOOe. sufficiently attests the readiness of the
Republican party to redeem all its pledges to
those 1t called into the field in the National de-
tense; for the votes of Republicans in Congress
are uniformly cast in favor Of the l. ost liberal
measures. Indeed, they have often been called
to defend themselves against the charges of ex-
travagance and recklessness in voting public
money for pensions. 1t is only in political
campaigns, where the votes of soldiers are In
question: that the Democratic party has the
temerity to set up a claim OF equal friendliness.
Only few comparisons OF party records can be
given as specimens but these will amply SUI
fee.
In January, 1879, a bill was passed providing
that pensions should commence from date OF
the discharge of the invalid soldier AS this
measure was passed ut q time when the Demo
Gratis had majority in the House, few Of
their more Jealous advocates have claimed
credit for this as a Democratic measure.
The facts are that the BILL H. r. 1924, was
introduced by Mr. Cummings, Republican
from Iowa, June 49, 1873, and on motion of Mr..
Haskell, Republican from Kansas, the Com
mittee on Invalid Pensions was discharged
from its further consideration, and it was taken
up for action 1t passed the House by a vote of
164 yeas to 81 nays. Every Republican vote re-
corded is in its favor, and every vote against it
is that OF Democrat. AS party question tho
record shows the Democrats to be against it
4S having voted for it and 81 against it. What
ever OF credit or Of blame, therefore, attaching
to the Arrears act belongs to the Republicans.
In the Forty-eighth Congress, March 4, 1884,
the House passed q bill to PEN ion the suryiy-
ing soldiers of the Mexican war and their wild.
ows by vote of 227 to As. The Republican SEN