The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-10-04

ment of their inequalities. They abso-
lutely need it. and If Congressman
would address themselves to that they
would do the soldiers far more good
than in the passage of private pension
bills. These operate, as general
thing, unfairly and unequally. That
is to say, some person with Congress
sional influence succeeds in getting a
pension, when there are many others
in precisely the same case who fail be-
cause they have no such influence. Now
there should be general law under
which all could come in, whether they
had influence or not. | have signed
more pension bills than all my prede-
cessors put together. and those have
vetoed We're bills that never should
have been passed. | am willing to
stand before the people on the
reasons l have given for my We
toes. 1t seems like small matter to
deprive some poor person OF twelve
dollars a month from the public Treas
ury, but why should any person not
justly entitled to it have twelve dol
lars or twelve cents out OF the peoples
money? These are matters of princi-
pie, not Of generosity. But some OF
my vetoes have been in the interest OF
the applicant. Take for instance that
case Of Mrs. Smith. | vetoed the bill
because her case was pending in the
Pension Bureau, and If it passed there
she would be entitled to a larger sum
OF money than she would get by the
BILL l see by Walla Walla news
paper that Mrs. Smiths claim has
passed the Pension Bureau after had
'brutally' vetoed it. This is true, and
that is the very ground upon which ]
did veto it. Ii had not 'brutally' We
toed it Mrs. Smith would have gotten
some $500 or $4O0 less than she will
get now, because her payment would
have commenced with the passage of
the bill, whereas now it commences
from the time her claim was filed in
the bureau"
The opposition seem to be raking
up a good many stories about you"
II do not pretend to keep pace with
the campaign lies manufactured out of
whole cloth, and only wonder at the
ingenuity that devises them. 1t was
said short time ago that had never
appointed Catholic priest as chap
lain in the army or navy. Now, the
fact is there have never been but three
Catholic priests appointed rs chap
lains in the United States service, and
appointed two of them.
And that story about my saying |
believed in free trade as believed in
the Protestant religion. can not i'm
agine where people pick up such abb
surd statements. In the first place l
don't believe in free trade at all, and in
the next place free trade and protec-
ton are mere matters of Government
al policy. ! don't look upon religion
as a matter of policy. That is some
thing of very much higher moment
that any thing political But l never
said and never could say any thing
that might be ever distorted into such
an expression.
How about that substitute, MIR.
President?''
"Yes, it is true that hired substi-
tute during the war. am under the
impression that some very eminent
Republicans did the same thing. l was
drafted when it was impossible for me
to go. Two of my brothers were al
ready in the service, and if it had
been possible for me to have gone in
justice to our family would have
gone voluntarily. A friend brought
me the substitute, who was a Nor
wegian sailor, just paid off from his
ship, and who was DESTROYS of going
into the army and making the most he
could out of it. He was q splendid
looking fellow, and | remember the
provost marshal complimenting me on
bringing in so fine recruit. He en-
listed and served through the war,