St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-10-15

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Now what do these statistics show?
During four years only of the thirty-one
shown, the Democratic party was re-
sponsble for the administration of the
pension bureau. namely from 1885 to
1889. From 1861 10 1885, under Repub-
llcan administration the average allow
ance of original pensions was in round
numbers $4,000 per year; from 1885 to
1889 under Democratic administration
the average allowance was $1,000 per
year, or more than twice as much as
under the Republican; this seems to
prove conclusively that the Democratic
party is more than twice as good a
friend 10 the soldier as is the Repub-
lIcan.
From 1889 to 1892 the average allow
ance is $4,000 per year; this is claimed
to prove that the Republicans are
nearly three times as good friends of
the soldiers as the Democrats are; it
quite as strongly tends to prove that
while, during the year ending June so,
1890, they were only little better
friends of the soldiers than the Demo-
Gratis were the previous year. they were
in 1891 more than twice as good friends
as they themselves were in 1880. and in
1892 nearly four times as friendly as in
1890.
Great stress will be laid on these fig
ures for the past three years and the
facts which it will be alleged they es-
tablish, but very little will be said of
the fact that the increase in the allow
ances for 1891 and 1892 is due solely to
the enactment of the law of June q,
1890, which gave pensionable status to
hundreds of thousands who had never
before been entitled to pension, and
that, too, without the necessity of fur
niShing the very class of proof that had
hitherto been most difficult to obtain;
and, that under this law, with an in
crease of nearly 500 clerks in its force,
the pension bureau has for two years
employed its 1000 clerks in the adjudi-
cation of these new law claims involv-
ing small first payments, to the almost
absolute exclusion of all claims pend
ing under the general law.
Candidly, then, do the figures given
prove anything but this? The grant
ing of pensions. like the operations of
the pOStOffice department, has since
1861 advanced with rapid and almost I'M
broken strides, tostered by Republicans,
nurtured by Democrats, both parties
having by their deeds abundantly
proved the sincerity of their platform
declarations, and that the existence of
the pension system as that of the postal
system, is not political party question,
and that any effort to make it appear so
is folly, and to make it so crime.
But the enactment OF pension laws,
and not the issuance of certificates
under those laws, is the proper party
test. This is true. Has any pension
bill since the war passed either house
by Republican votes unaided? Never.
BY Democratic votes unaideu? No.
inf hn ~
FOrty-sixih, has shown a Democratic
majority in the senate; the house was
Republican until the Forty-fourth con-
greSs, and Democratic since then, ex-
cept the Forty-Seventh and Fifty-first,
Shall we then give the Republican
party credit for all the pension legisla-
ton prior to 1875, and the Democrats
credit for all that from 1885 to 1889, when
they had the house and presidency, and
divide the honors equally for the ether
periods The Republicans may have
nothing to fear from such a COMPARISON,
but the Democrats have much to boast
OF in the limited period of their least
limited responsibility.
The Democratic list contains the act
of March 10, 1856, increasing from SIS to
S12 per month the pensions of all
widows and dependent parents receiy-,
ing or entitled to receive less than S12
May II. 1856, to remove charge of de-
sertion i'll certain cases, and thus re-
move bar to pension.
Aug. 4. 1856, to increase the rate for
certain amputations OF arm or leg from
S24 to $50, from $50 TO $50, from $50 To
S45
Jan. 8, 1887, to pension the survivors
OF the Jeanette expedition, and the
widows or orphans of those who per-
iShed.
Jan. 90, 1887. granting service pen
sions to the survivors of the Mexican
war and their widows
Feb. 8, 1887, to correct the date of
muster INTO rank i'll certain cases.
Aug. q. 1855. Increasing the rate of
pension from S13 to $50 per inontl, for
total deafness.
Feb. Il. 1889, increasing the rate for