The National tribune., 1889-10-31
AN OPEN LETTER.

TO The President Of the United States:
SIR: Public report says that you are now
engaged in preparing your message to Con-
gress an important duty imposed upon you
by Sec 8 Art. II, of the Constitution, which
says
He [the President shall from time to time give TO
the Congress information of the state of the Union,
and recommend TO their consideration such meas
ures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.
Being the first document of the kind trans
mitted by you to Congress, as well as the
first formal outlining of the policy which
you hope, with the aid of Congress- TO make
prevail during your Administration, IFS pub
LEGATION is awaited with unusual interest.
We beg leave to assure you, Mr.. President,
that no class of our citizens await this with
so deep and personal interest as the surviv-
Ors of the armies which fought for and
saved the Union, and the widows, orphans
and friends of those who fell in the strife.
1t is beyond question, Mr.. President, that
You owe your election wholly TO these men,
and to those who sympathized with them.
The main Issue in the campaign was that of
the Nations Justice to them. In this respect
your predecessors course, and that of the
dominant party in the House of Represent
atiyes, which was controlled by him, was
cruelty wrong. Denunciations of that
course, and promises of a radical change
in the direction of greater liberality, were
the leading and most effective arguments
Of those who advocated your election.
This idea was distinctly set forth at the
initial step in the campaign by the last and
most emphatic plank in the platform adopt
ed by the Convention which placed you in
nomination, and which read:
The gratitude OF the Nation TO the defenders Of
the Union cannot be measured by laws. The leg
islation OF Congress should conform to the pledge
extended 10 provide against the possibility that
any man who honorably wore the Federal uniform
shall become an inmate OF Rn almshouse or de-
pendent upon private charity. In the presence
OF an OVERLOOKING Treasury it would be public
scandal do less for those whose vaorous service
preserved the Government
The Convention which renominated your
predecessor made no utterance upon the
subject, thus giving no hope of an amend
ment OF the policy in the future.
The issue thus clearly joined was given
the greatest prominence in the campaign,
your supporters vigorously attacking Presi-
dent Cleveland and his party friends in the
House for their treatment of the soldiers,
and promising a Numerically opposite course
by you and your party friends, il elected.
Influenced by these declarations and as
sertions, the soldiers voted for you almost
unanimously, and gave Your party friends a
support that secured them control Of the
House Of Representatives. Never before in
their history had they shown such solidarity
in the support of any candidate As there
are estimated 30 be more than 1,0O0,O 900
veterans still surviving, and as the total vote
for all the Presidential candidates was H.
3SG, 632, it is no exaggeration TO say that
they cast, OF influenced through their sons
and friends, One-fifth Of the entire vote Of the
country, and one-third Of the 5, 440, 81 votes
which were cast for you. TO them you are
unquestionably indebted for the SO electoral
votes Of New York and Is of Indiana, which
gave you a majority in the Electoral College
over your competitor. In your own State
they also defeated the man who was Mr
Cleyeland's agent in the House Of Repre-.
sentatives in carrying ont his illiberal pen
sion policy.
We restate these well-known facts, Mr.
President, TO remind you, il reminder b,
necessary, Of the intense Importance of tn,
pension question TO a very large and inau
entail portion Of our people, and Of thei
great anxiety that your forthcoming mes
sage shall embody their wishes upon Tia
matter in strong recommendations to Con