Omaha daily bee., 1888-07-08
VIRGINIA TO co REPUBLICAN
A Leading Democrat Reviews the
Political Situation in That State.
DISAPPOINTED IN CLEVELAND
His Niggardiy and Parsimonious
Policy Finds Little Favor With
the Opcn-Handed Sons of
the Old Dominion.
Will Vote For Harrison.


WAsHINGToN, July 7.-fSpecial TO THE
BEE. AS an evidence of political feeling
among the young mon of Virginia give the
following conversation with a gentleman
who was born in Virginia and has lived there
all his life ~ have always been a demo-
crat," said he, "but have found it hard to
maintain my allegience to that party during
the last few years, and I cannot vote the
democratic ticket this fall, but shall vote for
and do all can for the election of Harrison
Still, am not ready to say that l am a re-
publican. am republican on the tariff
issue, and believe the republican party re-
fleets my opinion on every issue except one
and that is its treatment of the south. And
l believe that fault is more with a few leaders
than with the party itself The republican
party, to my mind, is tho great American
party, and l am an American. | believe that
James G.. Blaine is the greatest American
living, and that his policy, if he were prcsi-
dent would do more to build up America
than anything else. | believe the liberal
policy of the republican party in appropria-
tons is right, and the niggerdly policy
of the democratic party wrong
/ believe that the country has
stood still under the four years of demo
cratic administration, and that if its present
policy should be continued another four
Years it would retrogade. / believe that the
democratic position on the tariff is wrong,
and if carried out would prove ruinous to the
country. | believe General Harrison is
pure and able man, whose past record is un-
assailable, and that If elected he would carry
out tho principles laid down in the Chicago
platform, every proposition of which | APP
prove. Hcrncc shall vote for him this fall.
| did not vote for Blaine in 1854, not because
] did not admire him, nor because | did not
think then as ! think now on the questions |
have enumerated, but because ! had not
then succeeded in overcoming my prejudice
against the republican party because of the
hard things Its leaders and members were
continually saying against my people of the
south. But have never ceased to regret
that he was not elected. am not a sorchCad,
disappointed because did not get
an office, | never held an
office, never was an applicant for one, and
do not want one ! am a builder and make
more money in my business than any Office
will pay me. and am contentcd But want
to see the United States grow to be the
greatest nation on earth, and | believe it can
only become sucn through the success of the
principles advocated by the republican party.
No state i'll the Union is more concerned in a
protective tariff than Virginia, i'll the new or
der of things, and no state will be benefited
more by it; and thousands of citizens are be-
ginning to think as do, and will vote as |
intend to do this fall, for Harrison and Nor
ton. | firmly believe Virginia will cast its
vote for the republican party"
Some of the senator's, and they are not
confined to republicans by any means, are
becoming Just about as Indignant over the
wholesale veto system of the president,
especially as the vctoes relate to pension
bills. member of the senate committee on
pensions, in talking about the matter to-day
said: at Is a burning shame and n serious
reflection The chairman of the senate COM
mittee on pensions. Mr. Davis, of Minnesota,
is one OF the ablcst lawyers in the entire
country. He has for many years conducted
much of the important legal business not
only III Minneapolis and ST. Paul, but in all
sections of the country before the supreme
and state courts. He is profound iurist
and one of the most convincing advocates to
be found i'll the United States at
this time. Senator Davis has, on
a number of occasions, gone INTO the de-
tails of pension cases which come before his
committee and has examined into the mi
uutest testimony laid before the committee
from the pension Office, the Otficc of the ad-
jutant general and the secretary of war. In
some instances the cases he has examined
carried with them almost a bushel of teSti-
mony procured by special agents of the de-
partmCntS, examining surgeons OF pension
boards and the attorneys OF the claimants
After Il careful examination into these cases
Senator Davis, with all the cOnsciCntlousncSs
of an honest man and capable lawyer, has
prepared reports recommending the passage
of the bills. Some of these reports were as
labor and mental exercise as 1t would be
necessary to employ in the preparation of
probate case which would pay the attorney
from $500 to $1,000. The senate has
they went to the house the
committee on invalid pensions has called for
the testimony from the senate committee
and after going over the cases again has
adopted Senator Davis reports in some in
stances, while in others the member sof that
cOmmittce-in most instances able and well
known lawyers-have written out new re
ports, i'll which new points in favor of the
claimants have been discovered and made
prominent in the reports made TO the house,
where the bills have passed. Then the
measures have gone to the president, Now
comes the insolent and dcspcabe phase of
this veto business. All of these cases have
gone through the pension oiiice, whore they
were rejected on the presumabc ground that
there was no law under which the pensions
could be allowed, and they have gone to cor
gross for the sole reason that special acts
Were necessary. President Cleveland, after
receiving these bills, has referred them to
the pension Office, The commissioner of
pensions, in turn, mas turned them over to
the very clerks who IN the first instance re-
iected them. Some of these clerks, only n
few months ago, were working in shops,
measuring tape or selling coffee over the
counter, or peddlng books, or teaching
schools, or were engaged in some OF the
other everyday avOCations of life. Not one
in ten pretcnds to be Il lawyer, and not one
IN five hundred is, in fact, a lawyer. II can
further be said that not man in the pension
office prctonds to be as good a lawyer as
Senator Davis or as any Of the members of
the house committee on invalid pensions.
Yet, with a nOnChalance that is deplOrabe,
these clerks take up these cases, repudiate
the work Of these able lawyers in congress,
and write out vctoes for the president
which vetoes 90 TO congress in the
very words dictated. j do not so
much blame the clerks as do the president
for they are put on their pride and mauyof
them feel that IT is necessary for them to
confirm their work in the first instance by
refusing to permit congress, the highest leg
slative body in the country, to allow pen
sion over their heads Not only do these
clerks, who are paid from 1920 TO ST. 500 a
year, repudiate and undo the work of these
old lawyers in congress, but the work of
congress as body, ana inform congress in
the veto messages they write that congress
does not know thing in law, but is dishon
est and they heap on their sarcasm and in
suits ] know from my own personal knowl-
edge that President Cleveland has not writ
ten a half-dOzen of the almost two hundred
pension vetoes that he has sent to congress.
They were all prepared at the pen.