The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-04-26

grant them degree Of relief adequate to their
necessities.
Twelve dollars per month is the smallest pos
sib!e pension which can bring relief to the
needy and suffering veterans, and when instead
Of that the pittauce proposed by the majority
OF the committee is rendered the beDefcjaries
may well eXclam, We asked for bread and
ye gave us a stone" 1t IS proper to add that
the minority supported an amendment giving
SD per month 10 every destitute veteran, but
1t was promptly voted down in committee.
Let Us Illustrate the practical workings of the
plan submitted by the majority. We viii sup
pose that there are in an almshouse eight vet
teraus of the late war, one of whom had served
three. one six, one nine. one - one Is, one Is,
one p, and one q months. Pension day ar
rives, and this great aud rich Government of
ours tenders to the one a pension at the
rate Of so cents per month; to another,
Sl.50; TO another, $40; TO another, $3.50;
and so on up 10 the sum of $500 per month.
No one Of them viii get sufficient TO take him
from the po0rhOuse, and a system of Govern
mental favoritism and parsimony combined
viii be established which needs only to be
mentioned to be condemned To most Of such
soldiers it viii give an allowance sufficient to
enable them 10 procure Il daily supply of to-
bacco, but VIII fall far short of taking them
from the almshouse and restoring them 10 indie
pendent citizenship under the Constitution and
the laws which they fought TO uphold.
Oniy those who served a term of more than
three years win get sufficient to support them,
upon the sJrictest principles of economy,
outside Of charitable institutions. Surely Con-
gresS is not going 10 dispense its bencfactOns,
# benelactions they are, with such grudging
hand to the defenders Of the Nation especially
when their necessities are so immediate and
pressing.
Neither do we subscribe to the doctrine that
pensions are granted because of army service.
If this were so every soldier would have been
pcnsjonei at the close of the war. True, army
service Is a primary condition, but the pension
IS granted for disabilities incurred.
The per diem idea cannot be applied TO the
peusI0uablc classes. neither can ID logically be
applied 90 the dependent classes II legislation
Is 20 be enacted ia their behalf These soldiers
arc ail destitute. Mos. Of them are utterly
broken IN health. Ia many cases tho seeds Of
disease We're snwn iu their systems on the
march, iu the JIFsuac, or on the battlefield. IL
absolute justice were done 10 many of them
they would E-t pensions through the ordinary
channel But they cannot prove the incur
renee OF their disabilities ia the service and
hence cannot Dee pens 50uel. Under these cir
cHIstsacas The Government steps lu, auI lu its
B-utICcuee and gratitude saws. These mcH
served their country faithfully aud well, aud
Iu llelr days % sorrow aud dCstitutiOl the
Government Uii uot forsaEe them
Nla- buf.esgue Do Is upon Justice. what a
tnyesly GA FAIR play. for great Government
like ours in dealing with these unfortunate
men 90 count tae days Of service and app1rton
the pay accordingly. The services OF Mai. An
der=0u at sumter. oE Of the heroic meu who
gave their lives al tle first battle Of Bull Run.
might as wei be estimated By days as % apply
the principle % the destitute and suffering sur
ylgugs Of tie late war
While the proposed legislation utterly fails
70 relieve the necessities of The unfortunate
classes among tie soldiers il at the same time
cantemplates granting pensions ON the per diem
principle % al soldiers who have attained or
who may hereafter attain the age Of o. years,
applicable alike TO the rich aud poor, the well
and the sick.
So far as we know no single soldier has petit
toned for this kind Of legislation as applied to
a class, and no organization of soldiers has
asked for il. 4 great many thousands OF SOL
diers have petiUoued for general per diem
law. and q bill has been referred to the Com
mittee on Invalid Pensions Involving that
principle. Whenever that measure is called up
IN committee for consideration, or the other
general bill giving q service pension Of s. per
month 70 all Union soldiers is urged, we Ger
taiDly shall be quite as anxious as the majority
Of the committee to give the subject earnest
and conscientious consideration, with view TO
y 4
able aud just ia behalf Of the veteran SOL
dierv Of the Nation.
without stopping further to discuss the adj
visibility OF ROW Incorporating into law the
principle Of a service pension, we uuhesitatingly
express our belief that ali true soldiers desire
that those Of their comrades who are in pow
erty and iiI-health shall be cared for By the
Government before their own claims are pressed
for consideration.
If a soldier q years Of age has good health
and abundant means he does not need the
bounty OF the Government, and especially Will
be not ask for j. while other worthy veterans
are suffering for the commonest necessaries of
life; while on the other hand, If be is himself
needy he VIII come under the provisions Of the
Senate bill, and receive sufficient pension TO
relieve his necessities. In short, the legisla-
ton proposed by the majority is denial Of re-
lief 10 those who need relief, and an offer Of
assistance to a class Of soldiers many Of whom
neither need nor expect it, and who would
doubtless scOrnfully spurn it from them If they
felt that il contributed in any degree to pre-
vent their sick and needy comrades from secur-
ing sufficient pension TO lift them out Of alb
ject poverty and humilating dependence.
The action Of the majority impresses US with
the fear that il wiii result in the defeat of all
general legislation by this Congress such as was
contemplated By Senate bin Isl, or which has
been asked by the Grand Army Of the Repub-
lie. If so, great wrong will have been done,
the responsibility for which viii not rest with
those who are DESTROYS Of the passage Of a bill
sufficiently liberal in its provisions to meet the
views Of the Senate, and which would empty
the almshouses of ali veterans who are there
through no fault Of their own This action
may delay, but viii not prevent substantial
justice being done 10 those men, for as they
were loyal to the Government in its hour OF
dire need 50 the Government, sooner or later,
10y pension legislation not bounded by the linn
its Of narrow parsimony or dictated by either
real or supposed political eEigencies.
If the bill reported from the committee comes
before the House for consideration, as we trust
il may, We Will avail ourselves Of the privilege,
If permitted 10 do, OF Offering certain amend
ments designed to broaden aud enlarge its pro-
visions, and we trust that a majority Of the
House may see the pFopriety Of passing a bill
which viii secure TO the benefciaries a suffi-
GENTLY generous allowance to make them feel
that the Government they served is not wholly
uumiudiul either Of their services or their ne
cessitics. II, however, the bill fails Of amend
ment then we viii join with ali other friends Of
the soldier and vote for its passage for. notwjth-
standing its great defects il will bring some
measure of relief TO the men who. because OF
their loyalty and sacrifices, have a right 10
demand Of their Government protection and
relief in the dark days OF their poverty and
helplessness.
E. n. MORRILL,.
john 6. SAWYER.
J. II. GALLINGER.
il. J. SPOONER