The National tribune., 1892-10-20

"a PARTING BENEFACTION."
Undoubtedly, Mr.. Clevelands real senti-
ments regarding pensions were expressed in
the following paragraph from his veto of the
Dependent Pension Bill:
Hitherto such relief has been granted TO surviv
Ing soldiers, few In number. venerable In age,
after long lapse Of time since their military
service, and as a parting benefacon by grateful
people
The innate cruelty and injustice of this
will appear upon closer examination. 1t is
absolutely inexcusable and indefensible from
any point of view, and every clause in the
sentence is fresh insult to the veterans
In the first place, the "relief" is to be de-
MED them until "atter long lapse of time
since their military service" That is, those
who have been actually broken down in the
service are to be denied every thing, and suf
fered to die unaided by the Government and
unsympathized with by the people. They
are to drag out miserable lives in the poor
houses, or as burdens upon their relatives,
until death comes to their relief. Only the
hale and hearty-those who have come out
of the struggle uninjured, presumably those
who have done the least service, are to re-
ceive anything, and they only at the last
few years Of an exceptionally long life.
Then, wien they are few in numbers,
and venerable in age" a great parade is to be
made of the Natio:l's gratitude, by giving
them some beggarly sum. There is to be
sickening pretense of wiping cut the Ma
tion's heavy burden Of ingratitnde to the
hundreds Of thousands it has suffered to die
in abject penury by scattering a few dollars
among the bowed and bent old men, with
the quiet injunction to take it and go bury
themselves! Could insult go farther?
There is inefable meanness in the sugges-
tion that money can be saved by waiting
years for the mass of those to whom it is due
to die off.
Ii the Nation owes anything to one man
for what he did to save its existence, it owes
it equally to all those who performed like
service with him. II it ever owed it to him
and to them, it owed it when they performed
the service 1t was due when the work
was done-not generation later. When
they came home bruised and battered from
| the awful tray-shattered and weak from
terrific hardships-then was the time for
the rescued country to step forward with
| it's balm and solace for the wrecked bodies
and blighted lives sacrificed upon its sacred
altars
Every year that this was delayed was an
intolerable cruelty, for every year saw tens
Of thousands of these much deserving men
march in grief and pain to their graves,
uncheered by a single token of the Nations
justice and gratitude. Every year saw the
number of destitute widows and portion
less orphans of these men increase in the
land, and the misery of their cries reached
| every heart.
With one stroke of his remorseIess pen
Mr.. Cleveland robbed half million of these
of their rights for more than three long,
precious years-years which could never be
made good to the victims of his hatred.
Then he calmly proposed to still further
extend this inconcevable wrong by post
poning the pension until :" after long lapse
of time since their military SERVICE" when
the surviving soldiers shall be few in num-
Der" and venerable in age" Then few
dollars may be doled cut as "a parting bene.
faction rendered by grateful people"
Comrades, will you allow man capable
of expressing such sentiments to be re-
turned to the White Housep
We are certain ynn will not.