The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1889-12-04
cd and inexpensive in its administration.
PENSION LAWS.

PENSION LAWS.
The law now provides a pension for
every soldier and sailor who WAS mus
tered into the service of the United States
during the civil war and is now suffering
from wounds uI tlISt aSe having an origin
in the service and in the line ct duty.
Two oi the necessary facts, viz, Muster
aud disability, are usually susceptible OF
every proof. but the t!ird, origin in the
service. is OitCi difficult and III many de-
serving rLSvs IN possible - establish. That
very many Of those vino cudured the
hardShiDS of our most bloody and aIdlI-
Gus campaigns are nUt1 disabled from uIS-
ease that mad a real but not traccablc or
igin in the service, | Go uut doubt. Be
sides these there is another class, cont
posed Of men many who served an
enlistment OF three years, of rcinstatcd
veterans who added fourth year OF ser
vice, who escaped the casualties of hattie
and the assaults of disease. who were
always ready fD, any detail, who were
in every battle line of their command,
and were mustered out in sound health,
and have since the close of the war while
lighting with the same indomitable ana
independent spirit tho contests OF civil
life, been overcome bv disease or casu-
atty. am not unaware that the pension
roll already involves very large annual
expense. Neither am | deferred by that
fact from recommending that congress
grant a ptuSiOn to such honorably dis
charged soldiers and sailors of the civil
war as, having rendered substantial ser
vice during the war, are now dependent
ON their own labor for maintenance and
by disease or casualty are incapacitated
from making ii. Many OF the men who
would re included in this form of reliel
are dependent on public and, and it does
not II my Judgment consist with the ma
tiomal honor thai they shall continue to
subSlst upon the local rtlicI gr,cn indls-
crlminatcly to pauperS instead ~ upon
the special and generous provision OF the
nation they served SO galian,ly and un-
SeIshly. Oar people will all surely VERY
generally approve such legislation, and |
am equally sure that the survivors at
The union army and navy will feel It
! grateful s,'Hsc OF relief when this WORTHY
and Suttl ing class ot their comrades Is
fairly { rcd Tor. There are some manifest
inequalities in the existing law that
should be rcnedied. To some Of these
the secretary OF state attention.
INTERSTATE COMMERCE.
The attention of the interstate com.
crcc commission has been called to the
urgent need of congressional lcgislatiou
for the better protection Of The lives and
hr,bs ui those engaged in operating the
great interstate freight lines of the
country, and especially Of the yardmcl
and bra cmen. petition signed bl
nearly ten thousand railway hrakcnneu
was presented to the commissioner.
asking that steps be taken to bring
about the tlSc of automatic hr,rkrS ana
cuupIcrs on freight cars used in inter
State commerce and the use of improved
safety appliances upon such trains. Time
will he necessary to make the needed
changes, but an earnest and intelligent
beginning should he made at once. 1t is a
rcproach to civilization that any class OF
American workmcn should i'll the pu, suit
of necessary and useful vocation be
suh,yr.cd to a peril of life and limb as
great as that Of a soldier in time of war
CIVIL SERVICE REFORM.
The reform of the civil service will take
no safe or satisfactory advance until the
present law, and its equal adminiStra-
ion are well established in the confidence
Of the people. 1t will be my pleasure as
il is my duty to see that the law is
executed with ,,irmncss and impartiality
If some of its provisions nave been
frauduIcntly cvadcd by appointing Of
officers, our resentment should not Sug-
gcst the repeal of the law but reform in
its administration. We should have one
view OF the matter and hold ii with sill
ccrity that is not affected by the con-
Sideraton that the party to which we
belong is lor the time III power. My
predeCt SsOr on the +tli day of January
hV an executive order to- take effect
march IS, brought the railway mail
service under the operation OF the civil
service law. Provision "as made that
the order should take effect sooner ill
any state where an eligible list was
sooner obtained On the llth day Ot
March Mr. Lyman. then the only mem
hcr OF thcr omission, reported to me III
, writing hat it would not be possible to
nave the list of cligiblcS ready before
MAY lSt. and requested that the taking
cffcc, ui the order must he postponed
until that time, which was done subject
TO he same provision contained i'll tt,
original order rs to the states where al
eligible list WAS sooner obtained. rs
; Il result of the revision of the rules Ot The
new classification. and work OF the
commission has been greatly increased
and the present clerical farce is found &c
he Inadequate. recommend that tht
additional clerks asked by the commits
, sion be appropriated for. The duty o
! appointment is devolved by the constitu
ton or by the law, and the appointing
4 officers are properly held to high ac
; Countahility.
am satisfied that both in and out o
; the classified services, great benefit
would accrue from the adoption of some
: system bv which the officers would re
!, ceivc the distinction and bencht that II
| all private empovmcItS om,s from ex
ceptional faithulneSS and efficiency il
the performance of duty. ! have sugges
ted to the heads Of the executive depart
mcntS that they consider whether a re
: cord might not he kept in each bureau o
Il all those elements that are covered by
the terms "faithfulncsS" and efficiency.
and a ruling made showing the relative
merits ol the clerks of each class, this rul
ing to be regarded as a list Ul merit il
making promotion.
u have also suggested to the poStmas
ter-general that he adopt some piar
by which he can upon the basis of th'
report to the department and of trequcn
: inspections indicate the relative merit o
postmastcrs Of each class. They will y,
+ appropriately Indicated in the officia
u register and in the report of the depart
l ment. That a great stimulus woulC
+ thus be given to the whole service, | d,
: not doubt, and such record would b
the best defense against inConsidcrat
removals from office