The National tribune., 1891-08-27

C. Tarsney, who represents the Kansas City
District, Of Missouri. The amount Of praise
he is receiving from the soldisr-hating
papers is amazing. lie has been promoted
in their columns to " Col. John C. Tarsney,'
and the stories they tell Of lis exploits in
battle, the wounds be received. the immense
weight Of rtbsl lead he carries around in
lis body, the number of comrades slain
around him, his herOism and sufIeriHgs in
Andersonyile lit is the only time they have
admitted there was really any suffering in
Andersonyille), are simply prodigious. Afler
reading them one wonders why TaTsney did
not get someone 10 help him to put down
the rebellion, instead Of straining his con-
slitution by trying TO do it all himself The
reason for this enormous favor is that
Tarsney is attacking pensions, and calum-
mating those who are on the roll. There is
more JOY in the pension-hating ranks over
one veteran who deserts TO them than 500
mossbacks, ex-rcbcls, eopperhead sneaks and
English freetraders who have always been
with them.
Tarsncy, who claims 10 have been in An
sonville,-though this is denied by some
Of his regiment (the It'll Mich. ),-commenccd
his tactics in the last Congress by a malig
nant assault on prisoners of war. The popu-
larity this gave him with the solder-haiers
the notoriety he achieved 10y it and the
belief that the country last Fall pronounced
against pensions-stimulate him 70 holder
efforts, and wherever he goes he manages to
have himself interviewed on the pension
question. Like other apostates, he goes TO
extremes in his utterances. For example,
he told the New York ITord interviewer
that we are "already paying out Sl5O,O0O,-
600 4 year for pensions, and the amount viii
soon be Sa0O,OOOOOO." Now, no one knows
better Than he that this is 4 wilful and gross
exaggeration.
The expenditure for the past year was but
S11GO9O0OO, OF which nearly one-third was
for arrears.
Col" Tarsney goes on 10 say:
The pension roll will never be thoroughly cleared
Of fraudulent cases until a general law is passed
su-pendiHg all pensions until those in interest mp
pear before United States officer and prove anew
their right 10 be on that roll. Such "a measure as
ihat carried ont under the auspices Of tie War
Department, might purify the pension roll II
would also probably reduce IL by one-half for
have no shadow Of a doubt that over 80 per cent.
81 the pensions now paid are based on fraud, coll
fusion aud perjury.
Is not this an admirable scheme? 1t has
taken the men who are now on the roll an
average of nearly five years to get there
How long would it take them TO get up all
their evidence again, and for the Board OF
Army Officers TO pass upon it? Would
there be any pensioner alive by the time
this operation was gone through with?
Most certainly not. Then, LET ii be kept in
mind, Col" Tarsney proposes to suspend
the pension roll until this is done! In
other words, he urges an infinitely mean
and cowardly way Of stopping all pensions
under the pretense Of revising the roll, until
the pensioners are dead! lie lacks the
brutal courage TO advocate the total abolish
ment Of the pension system, but wants TO
accomplish the same thing by cunning
trick.
Is it any wonder that the soldier-hating
papers extol Col. John c. Tarsney as the
chief soldier among 10000, yea, 10 times
10000, and the one altogether lovely?