St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-06
The Nation and Veterans Are
Robbed by Improvident
EnactmentS.
He Vetoes Three Bills That
Are Proven to Be
Vicious.
A Revision Of the General
Pension Laws Strongly
Recommended.


president sent to congress to-day mes
sage vetoing bill granting pension
to Mary Anne DOherty. 1t states that a
large share of the report OF the senate
committee on pensions, adopted also by
the house committee, consists of the pc
tition in which the woman says that
her husband, who had served in 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 discovered
that he was alive and living in Phila-
delphia, and was himself drawing
pension there. She had succeeded in
getting the pension in the first instance
by
MUCH FALSE SWEARING.
The police records of Washington,
where she has been living, showed her
to-be a woman of very bad character,
and that she mad been under arrest nine
times for drunkenness, larceny, Great
ing disturbances and other miSde-
meaporS.
The president then enters upon con-
sideration of pension legislation gener-
ally, and says: 81 cannot spell out any
principle upon which the bounty of the
government is bestowed through the in
strumentality of the flood of private
pension bills that reach me. The theory
seems to have been adopted that no
man who served in the army can be the
subject of death or impaired health ex-
cept 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.
Fatal apopleXy is admitted as the result
of insignificant wounds: heart disease
is attributed to chronic diarrh9a, con-
sumption to hernia and suicide is traced
to army service i'll a wonderfully devious
and curious way. Adiudications of the
pension bureau are Overruled in the most
peremptory fashion by these special
acts of congress, since nearly all the
ibenefciaries named in these bills
have unsuccessfu!ly applied to that
bureau for relief. This course
fairly. Those with certain influence or
friends to push their claims. proctfre
PENSIONS, and those who have neither
friends nor influence must be content
with their fate under general laws. 1t
operates unfairly by increasing Ill
numerous instances the pensions of
those already on the roll, while many
other more deserving cases. from the
lack OF fortunate advocacy are obliged
to be content with the sum provided by
general laws. The apprehension may
well be entertained that the freedom
with which these private pension bills
are passed furnishes
AN INDICTMENT TO FRAUD
and imposition, while it certainly
teaches the vicious lesson, that the
treasury of the national government in
viteS the approach of private need.
None of us should be in the least want
ins in regard for the veteran soldier,
and | will yield to no man i'll desire to
see those who defended the government
when it needed defenders literally
treated. Unfriendliness to our veter
ans is a charge easily and sometimes
dishonesty made. insist that the true
soldier is good citizen and that he will
be satisfied with generous, fair and
equal consideration for those who are
| worthily entitled to help. | have con-
sidered the pension list of the republic
roll of honor bearing names
| INSCRIBED BY NATIONAL GRATITUDE,
and not by improyident and indiScrim-
mate aims giving. l have conceived the
prevention of the complete discredit
which must enSue from the unreaSon-
able, unfair and reckless granting of
| pensions by special acts to be the best
| service | can render our veterans. In
! the discharge of what seemed my duty
as related to legislation and in the inter-
] est ef all the veterans of the Union
army, have attempted to stem the tide
of imprOvident pension enactmentS,
| though confess to full share of re-
SponSibility for some of these laws that
| should not have been passed. | am far
! from denying that there are cases of
merit which cannot be reached except
| by special enactment: but | do not be-
| lieve there is member of either house
| of congress who will not admit that this
kind of legislation has been carried too
| far. L have now before me more than
100 special pension bills, which can
hardly be examined within the time al
lowed for that purpose. My aim has
! been at all times, in dealing with bills
of this character, to give the applicant
for pension
| THE BENEFIT OF ANY DOUBT
| that might arise and which balanced the
prOpriety of granting pension, if there
seemed any Just foundation for the APP
! plication; but when it seemed entirely
outside of every rule in its nature, or
the proof supporting it, have supposed
/ did Only my duty in lnteIposing an
objection.
| IL SccIllS W lll6 tlitt IL Will Dt Wcll IL
our general pensions laws should be re-
vised with a view of meeting every
i meritOrious case that can arise. Our
| experience and knowledge of any exist
ing deficiencies ought to make the en-
actment of complete pension code
possible. In the absence of such re-
vision, and if pensions are to be granted
upon equitable grounds, and without
| regard to general laws, the present
methods would be greatly improved by
the establishment of some tribunal to
examine the facts in every case and de-
termine upon the merits of the applica-
/ tiOn."
The president also returned, without
| his approval, the senate bill to grant a
| pension to j. B. Morton, of Nebraska,
| as dependent father of Calvin Morton
1 The father claimed that his son was
| killed in battle with the Indians in the
| Custer massacre in 1876. The president,
in his message, says:
J. HIS NAME DOES NOT APPEAR
! in any record of the soldiers engaged in
I that battle. Considering the complete
/ list of the casualties attending this bat
| tie, now in the war department, it must
| be conceded that the death of the son
| of the beneficiary is far from being sat
| isfactorily established. The claim of
| the father is still pending in the pension
bureau, and, perhaps, with further eff
| fort more information on the subject can
| be obtained.
I The senate bill to pension Polly H
/ Smith,. widow of Lieut.. j. "a. Smith
! Second artillery, who served in the