The National tribune., 1891-04-30
TIE nrANrEEIL nRGAN on TENSIONS.

The St. Louis Republic, the organ Of the
Quantren and Jesse James element in Mis-
souri,, has another frothing spasm over the
pension system. II claims to have received
a letter from Bentonpsort, Iowa, which says
Our already vast and Outrageous pension system
Is still growing, aud am heartily glad TO see the
criticisms your paper aud some others bring TO bear
against this gigantic evil II 10 i everywhere else
like IL Is here, il = appalling 10 think Of This
vicinity seems 20 be very paradise for pensioners,
not only account Of the number Of them, but on
account % the exiravagant sums many Of them
receiving. The system has made worthless
lazzaroui out Of many OF them-heTe at least.
Quite a number OF them put their pensions to no
better use than TO gamble and TO get drunk
with. Ii Is the general opinion here that pension
IN one case was OJtniued through the most outTa-
gcous perjury, and many others are believed both
10y Republicans and Democrats To have been OBJ
tanned ia tie same way.
Commenting on this vile Islander, the Re
public says:
In describing the conditions created by the sys-
tenn in his town, our correspondent Is describ-
ing conditions which must prevail wherever the
system prevails. Our pensions FOR ls92 will cost
" thG enormous sum OF $50 O0l 900 aud OF tis at
least slOOOJooO0 will go Tor making paupers and
pejurcrs supported parasites on the labor Of the
country, aud riotou~ly wasting what thoy have
not earned-what has been extorted for them from
the earnings OF others
This Is Pretorianism. Where j. the party that
dares plead the cause Of the people, OF liberty and
honesty against It?
Was ever more falsehood and malignity
comprest into single paragraph? The
statement that "Our pensions for 1892 will
costSl5O0O0O0O +" lisa preposterous exag-era-
ton, and the connected statement that of " at
least SlOO,OOOO0O will go for making paupers
and pedurcrs is rs vile defamation Of the
character Of the Union veterans and their
dependent ones as was uttered during the
bittcrest period of the war
The writer of that paragraph is striving
to pander to the base passions of readers
who aided and abetted Quantrell and Jesse
James and similar bands in their massacres
Of sick and wounded Union soldiers, in their
sacking of defenseless towns, burning down
Union mems homes, driving forth women
and children to starve and dic-in short,
making poor ole Mzzoory hell upon
earth. There was nothing more infamous
in the whole war, or in any war, than the
course Of the men in Missouri, who, though
the State did not secede, lighted the fires Of
civil war in her borders and prosecuted the
contest with ferocity and disregard Of the
laws Of civilized warfare that was not sur
passed 10y Geronimo's Apaches.
THE New York Herald, and other soldier
hating papers which follow its lead, are loud
in their walls Of distress because the Gov
eminent has Withdrawn from the favored
National banks some S6OOOO,OOO which
Cleveland's Administration piled up there
and have distributed it 10 the people
TO whom it belonged, in the shape o.
pensions, refunded direct taxes, etc. y,
act Of Mr.. Cleyelands Administration wai
more culpable than this He took money
which belonged TO the people, and 20 tn,
people alone, and gave it, free Of interest, t
National bank pets, to lend out to the peopl,
and get interest upon IT, If the banks 90
an average Of G per cent. upon this vast sum
aud those who are familiar with Nationa
bank practices feel assured that they did no
make less, they squeezed out Of the people 0
the United States the enormous sum o
S3.GOO,GOO year for interest on their owl
money This would have been enough t.
pay the pensions Of over $4,000 men at $
month! The Herald absurdly claims tina
the withdrawal Of this money has q tendeuc.
to bring about stringency and precipitate
panic Nothing could be more pTeposterou:
The panic threatened last Fall was dis
+ tinctly averted by the fact that the none
was taken out Of the clutches Of few, an
was distributed among the many. 1t wa
taken from where it did not belong, aud pu
where it did belong, and the direct resul
was the easing up Of the financial situation
the restoration Of confidence, and the ger
eFal resumption OF prosperity The walls
the Herald are the groans of money-leeche
who were frustrated in their schemes I
= latien on the troubles Of the people