The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-09-19
PRYATR DALzELLs OPINION

OF commiSil0psr AIasop,s ElOqusnt Ad.
dFoSs on Pensions Bs4atiful but ImPFas'
tieRble Eloquent bat VtoplRn.
70 As BiiiOr oftAs Isislli9aosr,
sIR:-Like many oiyour readers am
pleased With the speech Of Commissioner
Of Internal Revenue Mason, published
in your columns Monday, The figures
given by him are startling apdsuggestiye.
/ hail 1t as good omen Of the good time
coming-late, but better late than never
that an officer Of the Federal Govern
ment charged specially with providing
the funds necessary Tor the payment Of
pensions, should so boldly proclaim bis
desire that Congress shall pass more lib
eral laws on the subject than any ever
vet enacted,
What gives his speech special promi.
nenCe and interest at this Iuncture Of
our pension contest is that he speaks by
the book and not as the scTlbes and
Pharisees, but as one speaking by au'
thorlty, He clearly demonstrates that
the amount required to pay liberal PEN
sions will not cripple the Government
financially, as many ignorant people say
it will,
tits mere bagatelle,
A few cents on rum, few cents on
tobacco, and the bill is paid aud nobody
feels it,
We have all along known its simple
worth but could not get a hearing with
the people who were misled by ignorant
photographers, and the soldiers accord
ingly will thank Commissioner Mason
for this word spoken In season, II will
be copied from sea to sea and have such
a run as no reunion speech ever had
before, 1t settles the question Of the
ability OF the government TO meet any
and all demands made upon 1t for PEN
sions without any Inconvenience or en-
barrassment whatever And this was
the only obstacle In the way, 1t Is re-
moved, and that by the highest author
ity, even by the man himself who Is to
provide the money! Here argument
ends, No one pretends to say that pen.
sions 1.-THE most liberal character should
not be paid, though some fools who did
not know what they were saying have
denied that tho government could pro.
vide the funds necessary for the pay
ment without serious embarrassment,
1t may raise the price Of beer or whisky
cent u glass, or OF tobacco half
u cent q pound, or cigars a
cent a huRdred, though not so much
ms that with the most liberal pension
laws ever yet contemplated, yet as the
Commissioner truly says, 1t can be easily
paid For this manly declaration on
our behalf and the convincing logic
with which 1t is presented, wethank the
honorable Commissioner OF Internal
Revenue. II he will say as much to the
incoming Congress, and so remove the
only reason that could possibly be con.
jurel up, by even our enemies, for any
lurther delay for the, enactment Of the
righteous pension laws referred to so
eloquently In this speech Of his, Con.
gress will not hesitate one moment to
pass the disability bill recommended by
the National Encamptment Of the G, A,
R. at Milwaukee. "1tit were only done
quickly" how great would DO the re.
joiCing at the humble tiresides Of the
poor old boys In blue whose appointed
time to die has almost come, as Is most
pathetically shown by this most remark
able address OF Commissioner Mason
But after all, | must be permitted to
make the same criticism Of this eloquent
and patriotic utterahce thatI have made
on all plans lately made for other and
more pension legislation. II breathes
the spirit OF a high beneyoence that Is
most praiseworthy, audyet 1t avails moth.
ing to enact these large and liberal
measures unless the pension claims so
provided for can BIZ rapidly adjudicated
In the Pension office. But what good 10
open the doors for the presentation Of
l0O, 600 or 800 900 new claims, while as q
matter Of fact there arc now piled up In
the Pension office 100000 claims that at
the present rate OF progress there, II not
one new claim were presented land they
are flowing In at the rate oil 1000 day
1t will take sixty years 10 adjudiCate ?
In other words, nlne.tOnths Of the up.
plicants whose claims are now sleeping
Ia the pension files, will DO dead years
before theirClaims can be reached-what
use, therefore, in providing for filing half
a million new ones on top Of them2 This
no man can answer
PRIVATE DALZRLL.