The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-10-04
A sPEoTMEN UTTERANCE.


ably read by more men and women who
desire his reelection, than any other journal
in the great Interior. What it says upon
any subject must be accepted as voicing their
sentiments and thoseof the man whom they
wish to see continue at the head of the Gov
eminent. This makes the following editorial,
which appeared in the Times after the failure
to pass the Dependent Pension Bill over the
Presidents veto, of special interest:
DEFEAT OF THE GRAND ARMY OF BEGeARsi
Thank God the claim agents, the demagogs,
the deadbeats and pordioseros and deserters and
coffee-coolers and bounty-jumpers, composing our
great standing army of volunteer mendeants, have
been defeated
But the maintenance of the Presidents righteous
veto of the pauper pensions iniquity is not the end
of the upon the National Treasury, which has
been prosecuted by that army of Unsuitable eormo-
rants ever since the upon the National au-
tonomy closed. The President ordered halt and
the order has been sustained but the army of cor
morants and claim agents and bounty jumpers and
professional mendicants only have been checked,
not conquered. In fact, it is their first repulse
since the crusade of the noble army of pension
beggars began. Their leaders, the claim agents
and the party demagogs, will endeavor to rally
their blood-sucking host and renew the war of
mendicancy against industry 1t is necessary
therefore, to follow up the advantage that has been
gained, and give the hostile horde of thieves and
beggars no rest until they shall have abandoned
their villainous undertaking to depend on a Gov
eminent for support and gone to work to support
both themselves and Government
The Times repeats, therefore, now that the veto
of the pauper pension steal has been sustained,
everything that it uttered when there seemed to
be great danger that Congressional representatives
OF the Claim agents and bounty-iumpers would
override it, Not merely that most scandalous
measure that ever has been sent to President for
his signature is the object that invites continued
and Incorporating condemnation, but the prin-
ciple which it was sought in that Ubiquitous mea-
sure to apply, the theory and doctrine on which 1t
was projected, and the whole vicious fabric of
sophstry, cant, hypocrisy and humbug that patri-
| otto rascality raised for its support.
II is n postulate of claim agents that the grand
army of pension beggars saved the country" etc.
That postulate is absolutely false. No country,
| no Nation, political constitution. system,
| adjustment has ever been saved by, or been able
to depend for its salvation upon citizens that are
| not in the habit of depending on themselves
that would not Indignantly spurn the idea of being
| or becoming either dependents or benefciaries of
/ the Government. Nay, the truth is broader than
|
| litical society be found that, becoming permeated
with the idea that a Government is an establish
ment for the support of citizens, instead of an
| agency for the execution of justice among them,
did not speedily perish. No, this Republic has
not been saved by an army of nson-beggars,
nor has any pension-beggaF any advocate
apologist OF pension-beggary, the least basis of
claim 10 be enrolled among its saviors. On the
| contrary, penson-beggars, pension-beggary, and
r.
more dangerous enemies of the Nation than undis-
| guised rebels
| Southern writer, who stood among the unpen-
stoned rebels has objected, in n tone of great Bit
terness, to this crusade Of the pension beggars
the ground Of alleged injustice to the citizens that
| fought on the wrong side. There is nothing left
| of the war; he says, excepting the annual tax
| THAT Isl wrested from the impoverished South to
pay pensions TO the soldiers of the rich and pros
| porous North. Not a Southern cripple
ceives dollar of these taxes. Not Southern
! home for soldier gets penny Of them. Yet the
| South is full of poverty" ETC. IF the South is
vassal, let us know it, and cease this mockery of
! equality"
This mode Of writing is very foolish, and serves
only to reveal the bitterness that still fingers in the
| liver of the Confederate Brigadier account OF
the lost cause Politically, there is no South
nor North, nor East, nor West If there is South
that is than underlined geographical sec
| ton Of the country, it is surviving number of
citizens that soldiers of the rebellion. but that
fortunately for themselves and their geographical
section, have not been encouraged to become men
dicant dependents on the bounty of an unwise pa
| ternai Government. THE ex-rebe soldiers !" said
Mr. Bragg. are toiling day by day, and exhibit
ing industry, energy and thrift that never was ex-
| pected Of them.n Why is this? 1t Is because the
ex-rebel soldier has not been enticed, tempted and
| encouraged by pension bills, designed by dema-
| gogs to buy his VOTE to become professional
mendicant. On the other hand, the ex-soldier of
the North, instead of thriving by dependence upon
| his own energy and industry, is in the almshouse
! according to Dir. Warner, or, according to other
| claim agent statesmen. will soon be there unless
| papa Government grants him pauper pension.
! Why is this? 1t is because papa Government has
ndoctrinated him with the pcstilent notion that it
| is becoming to a savior of his country to fulfill
the character Of dependent upon its bounty, of a
rnendieant of loafer, of pauper without charae-
ter selErespect who has gained the blessed right
TO LAY down and open his mouth for a teat to
suck
Which of these citizens-tle ex-rebel soldier who
is supporting himself and contributing 10 the sup
| port of the Government by depending his own
industry and energy, the ex-savior Of his coun-
try, who is lying down ut the door of poorhouse
unless the bidders for his vote le) opening his
mouth and yelling for teat to suck-is the wor.
thier member and the more capable supporter and
defender of the Commonwealth? The Times says
| without hesitation: the ex-rebel, the man who il
| supporting the Government we'll as himself by
his industry, energy aud thrift, is incomparaby q
better citizen and stronger pillar of the State
than the ex-savior of his country who is begging
| the Government to put premium pauperism
andfmprovidence by giving him support from the
| earnings of the more industrious aud worthy.
Unfortunately, however, all of the ex-rebels are
not of this manly class, as. fortunately all the ex
savors not of this class of pension beggars-
though if the utterances of their socalled Crane
Army societies indicative of the fact, the ma
ority of them plainly are Of the mendcant order
. The Mexican war pension bill sop thrown by
Northern demagogism to the mendcant sentiment
among ex-vounteer heroes in the southern par
of the country. II q measure of the same
vicious character the pauper pension bill anC
ought to have received at the Executive Mansion
the same treatment. Yet 1t is not recalled that (
single Southern statesman, press or wEher emitted
u word of objection TO that vicious measure.
The truth is as the Times has observed before IL
this discussion there is in the nature of the volun
teer hero something tsat nclines him the profes
sion of mendicancy; something that tends to di
vest him of the manly character and sef-repect O
the independent citizen. and to degrade him to tn
q seryile dnT5eudettt or incsnahIa no =,