The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1889-10-19


that is troubling great many hon
est minds. On the one side there is
the Grand Army, the politicians and
the claim agents, all united in favor
of the most extrayagant and profit
gate legislation; policy that will
swamp the treasury, neccssitate in
creased taA alton, and is rapidly de-
moraliSing the veterans with the
notion that the chief end and aim
of government is to tax the people
for the most extrayagant bounties
to pension claimants. On the other
hand stands the common sense of
the American people, recognizing
the obligation to care for invalid
and disabled soldiers; but not con
tent that this noble impulse should
be perverted to indiscriminate and
reckless appropriation of the public
moneys to those who have no equita-
Bile claim, or made the lever by
which aspiring politicians and claim
agents corrupt the ballot and enrich
themselves. The resolutions adopt
ed by the Democratic State Conven-
ton of Massachusetts the other day.
it seems to us, contain plank so
free from the regulation clap. trap
and so full of the proper spirit to
ward the question that it may well
serve as a model:
Pension legislation for the benefit
of invalid soldiers and sailors who
fought for their country should be
just and liberal; it should be admin
istered in spirit of fairness and
equity and in accordance with the
laws of Congress, but not in the in
terest of greedy claim agents, nor
with the object of emptying the
treasury. Nor should the purpose
of this legislation be perverted by
the unjust discrimination of making
favored cases special, nor by the
granting of thousands of dollars of
arrears through re-rating to officers
of the persian bureau or to United
States Senator, while needy appli
cants without political influence are
kept waiting for their just dues.
We condemn the ruling by which
this administration, in reversal of
former decisions, has thrown open
the pension list to persons dishonor-
ably discharged as an outrage upon
common sense, a degradation of
what should be roll Of honor, and
an insult to every true soldier.
This is in line with the resolution
of the late State Convention of the
Pennsylvania Democracy, at Harris
burg, which is as follows:
While we favor liberal system
of pensions to such veterans of the
late war as have been honorably
discharged, and who from wounds
or other physical infrmities have
been rendered unfit for manual or
other labor, we deem it unjust to
that large class of the faithful sol
diers of the Union, who take a Just
pride in the heroic achievements of
their comrades in arms, that there
should be added to the pension roll |
the names of any who are not quail
fled therefor by reason of honorable
and faithful service in the line of |
duty.
We believe these resolutions indi
cate the faith and purpose of the
people. There should be prompt
and radical reform of the pension
rolls, that the names of those who
have secured fraudulent awards
and their name is legion-may be
stricken from the rolls. Those WHO
were pensioned for disabilities years
ago and have since recovered should |
no longer receive the nations boun-
ty Nor should those who are
wealthy. This incident, narrated by
Republican paper, could be paral-
leled to greater or less degree in
every Congressional district of the
Northern States:
We know of New England lieu
tenant colonel of volunteers who in
herited at least 100000, and who is
worth to-day not less than 100000
This officer was wounded in the foot
in June, 1862, while doing his duty
with his regiment. By the time the
war was ended he had recovered SO
completely that he has been able
ever since to tramp through the Ca
madam woods hunting deer, and he
makes every year a trip to New
Brunswick to take salmon with fly.
He is not only stalwart man in
mind and body, but he is one of the
men in his State He ap-
piled for a pension after the arrears
Of pension bill was enacted, and Sc
cured it.
The mere question of saving the
money involved is not the controll.1
ing one. What is saved could be
wisely disbursed among needy claim
ants who are disabled from support
ng themselves. The pension roll
should be made roll of honor, and
not the spoil of claim agents. The ,
springfield { Mass. Republican ad-
lresses an appeal to the soldiers to {
ave their good name from the dis
'epute into which the pension scan
lal is plunging it. 1t says: you !
men who faced bullets, will you not ,
ace unpopularity? You who in S
hose years gave us countless in
tances of devotion, self-sacrifice,
leroism, will you not speak out now !
.gainst the covert enemies of our ma /
ional life? Do not blind yourselves; l
our ranks are in igominious re- G
reat. The watchword is no longer .
Union and freedom but The old ;
lag and an appropriation Where s
s the Sheridan who will rally the i
demoralized army? What