Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-07-25
TIE PENSION QUESTION.
What the Republican Party Thinks OF Re
warding Deserving Veterans.


warding Deserving Veterans.
When General Black accepted Office
under Democratic administration he
had to conform to the spirit of the
party that gave him place. And there
Is no mistake about the way the DEM
! ocratlc party, as an organization,
has looked upon the Union soldier and
his matchless work. When General
Black became Commissioner of Pom
sions he had to manage his Office in
accordance with the policy of the
Democratic party. And the chief
idea in that policy was free trade, and
| the chief string upon which the harp
ers harped was the Treasury surplus.
So long as the surplus could be kept
intact the Democratic party would
hold 1t up before the country as an
impressive argument for reducing the
ta-iff. So every thing had to bend
to the one idea OF keeping the surplus
as large as possible in the hope of
/ frightening the people into the Demo-
cratic programme of breaking the
tariff. This, with the natural Demo-
cratic prejuu4ce against liberal pen
sion policy. kept General Black hunt
! ing with microscope for technicalities
on which to reduce or refuse a
Union soldiers pension But a
very different administration is now
in power. Instead of nursing and
cOddling the surplus by every pos
sible means. it proposes to reduce
1t by every proper and legitimate
means. 1t proposes to treat fairly the
disabled soldiers of the Union If IL
takes the last cent of the surplus. 1t
brushes away the obstructing techni-
calities, and asks a soldier to prove
, only that he is entitled to the pension
for which he applies, and if he is, it
says that he shall have the pittance.
In other words, it puts the matter of
pensions on the basis of merits, and
refuses to throw out a case where all
the moral evidence CT an applicants
worthiness is present, but some point
of technical evidence perhaps is want
ing. II the pension system is to be of
any value at all to those for whom it
was created. there must be some lati-
tude for discretion and judgment in its
administration. Twenty-Five years and
more have passed since the time when
many soldiers incurred the disabilities
for which they now ask pensions. In
the nature of things it would be i'm
possible to collect all the proofs of in
juries and disabilities that might have
been collected twenty years ago. But
if a priDlG fGcte case can be established,
if soldier can show sufficient evidence
as to justify the department in believ-
ing that he is entitled to a pension,
why shouldn't he receive it? 1t should
be borne in mind that the friends of
General Black are trying to defend
him by their criticisms of the present
Administration quite as much as to
score such point against Republic
an. But so long as the Pension De-
partment pursues the policy of inter-
preting the laws upon the broad
ground of individual merit, rather
than the narrow ground of technical
obstruction, it will have the approval
of the country. The people are will
ing to pension every disabled and de-
serving soldier without regard to how
it reflects upon General Black and the
Democratic party.-Iowa State Regis
ter.