The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-05-29

| Waueu through the MISSISSIPPI sWampS and
blistered on the burning sands in front of
Charleston, got but $29, 257, 1896.
In 1877 the longheaded gentry who pre-
ferred the peace and happiness of the count
ing-room and factory to the danger and mis-
cry of the camp, pulled $97 1875, 512 out of
the National Treasury, while the men who
offered their lives to the country were put
off with S27,9G3,752
In 1878 the unwounded army of money
makers drew out of the Government vaults
in shining gold $l02, 5OO,s75, while the bat
tered and broken warriors of the Wilderness
and the Atlanta campaign were able to get
only $27, 137019.
In 1879 the subsidy to the shrewd pluto
Gratis was $105, 327,949 while the payment to
the great army of veterans was $50 121, 4S2.
So we could so on through all the years,
showing how the prudent men who were far
in the peaceful and attractive rear when
the muskets were vomiting death and the
cannon belching destruction, were in solid
array ut the front when the Treasury vaults
gave out their golden store.
To-day the National account books show
this startling favortism to the men who
chung to their homes during the days of the
Nations deadly peril, and shrewdly traded
on its necessities:
The United States Government in account
'riH the money Icndcrs:
Borrowed in deprecated greenbncls. g. 332 331 ,207
Actual value in gold about..-......... 6G6 COB
Paid:
Interest in 40 3o35i5
Principal In 553 22Sam
Principal still outstanding, 100 i02300
$3.50 .752
If the present premium on the bonds out
standing is added it will increase the total
amount accrued to the bondholders now
five thousand million dollars, or
more than threeiold their original invest
ment.
The L. s. Government, in account with
the ., 100000 men who served it three years,
donated S2,320,Oo0,0OO TO it in wages and
gave it 100000 lives:
Total amount paid in pensions TO date,
81 OO,0GO,OOO.
Balance in favor of the money-lender,
-, 900, 900, 900.
THE "DIsUoNoRABLE DISCHARGE" DE-
CIsIoN.
The soldier-bating Philadelphia Record
says editorially:
In Assistant Secretary OF tho Interior Bussey the
pension grabbers appear 10 have found sAlisfac-
tory substitute for Corporal Thinner, who
moved from the Pension Bureau for talking too
much Busscy doesn't talk but no smirched or
shady pension claim gets away from him. His
latest xploit was 10 order the granting Of pcu-
sion TO the widow Of man who was dismissed from
the service in disgrace by the President upon the
recommendation OF the Maior General command.
ing the Department
This is wanton abuse. Gen. Bussey sits
as Judge in such eases as these, and decides
the application Of the law 10 them. II is
not for a moment a question Of how he feels
on the matter, but what the laws made by
Congress provide. lie is simply TO apply
the present instance, as in his much abused
decision in regard to dishonorable discharges,
be is simply carrying out the strict letter of
the law, as interpreted by the Supreme
Court of the United States, and following
the exception Of two or three years
under Cleveland. Long ago the Supreme
an honorable discharge was a necessary pre-
requisite to obtaining pension. Since the
law did not contain that restriction, no Of
ficer charged with administering il had any
right to inject such bar. This, while being
sound common sense, is also sound legal prin-
ciple. 1t was also held, and correctly that
eourts-martial cannot go back of the offense
with which they arc dealing; they can pun
ish for that, but they cannot 90 back of II,
and take away from man that which he
had earned by previous good conduct Such
a thing would be monstrous, and utterly OPP
posed TO the letter and spirit Of our whole
system of laws For example, man may
have acted with conspicuous gallantry in
battle, and been severely wounded. After
wards returning 20 duty, he may have become
involved in an alteration with his superior
officer, may have struck him, or disobeyed
his orders, or something of that Ind. The
court-martial very properly tries him for
this and infiicts punishment adequate 10
the offense; sentences him TO be shot, dis
missed from the service with forfeiture of
pay, confined at hard labor, OF something of
that sort. This, all lawyers will say, ex-
hausts the power Of the court martial. II
has nothing to do with what happened pre-
vious TO the occurrence with which it dealt.
1t cannot take away from the man rights
which had previously accrued any more
than court Of common pleas could take
| ADVANTAGE of a conyictinn for aaaauIt and