The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-01-21
ANOTHER PENSION sCREED.


Lieut. Foote is out with another counter
blast against pensions He says that the
belief Of the "sOciety of Loyal Volunteers"
of which he is the founder, is:
That the war was for the preservation Of the
Union. and not for conquest or revenge; that the |
volunteer armies were inspired by no hope Of indi-
vidual gain or glory that many persons as loyal |
and brave rs those who entered the service were |
prevented from so doing by circumstances that did
not hinder their compartment that victories were |
gained by the loyalty, courage, endurance. aud |
moral inspiration OF the whole people; that armies
were recruited from all classes and yocsIions that
tho vast majority ofths volunteers men ofgood !
character, bat some were bad, and that this class
Of men do not hesitate to-day to live on the gener-
Gus gratitude Of the people through payments made
on pensions obtained by fraud at the expense OF |
honor; that men who had the INTEL gence, couT-
and persistent energy TO win battles by virtue
Of these same qualities OF character are able to |
compete successfully for the rewards Of civil life
with those who did not enter the service; that |
many who sustained severe wounds and almost all
who retained their health suffered no impairment |
Of their ability to care for and support themselves
and families
The blunder that Lieut.. Foote makes is
the common one that pensions are in the
nature Of aims and not matter of right
The Government has no business with the
question Of how well able a man may be to
support himself and family, in spite of his
wounds or other disabilities. The only ques-
ton it can properly entertain is whether the
pension claimant served it faithfully, and Is
now suffering physical or other disabilities
on account of that service. If this is the case,
then the Government is, according to its
| contract, bound TO give him pension. 1t
has no more right TO refuse to fulfill its con-
tract with him because he may be able to
support himself without pension, than an
insurance company has TO refuse to pay a
policy on burned house because the owner
may have another house quite as good to
live in as the one destroyed.
Foote puts forward the same error in
another part of his manifesto, prefacing it
with some meaningless ThOdOmontade:
The character OF the vast minority Of the loyal
volunteers i the second heritage OF the manhood
hA1 NNtilAiAA4onA AAAt neh
| II shall be an Inheritance Of mobility Doslerity.
To this end demand that the pens. v legislation
OF the past and the future shall be fyised that
the honor well tic necessities OF Inc soldiers
and sailors and those who were Immediately de-
/ pendent them, shall he fully recognized and
jealousy guarded. To him that has need let
no merccnary stain come. To him that Is in need
I let abundance be given. To all that faithful
to their duty Of loyalty let the true reward Of 10y
/ atty lac n f,ossezzon a crown of frue
glory.
Then he goes OF into this TRADE:
il Is high time that those who did suffer should
| RgitRte this matter and remove the cause for
! this ind-criUIinate scramble for public Doodle
/ There thousands Of men drawing pensions
| who would rather keep their selfTespect by
being given something by which they could
I earn their living than TO take this pension, and
! there are others who not satisfied with good
I place given them by the Government complain
I because their pensions are not greater. get
/ pension Of $40 a month. and under the law I am
entitled to il. ] can testify that cannot my
living by manual labor for I shot through the
lung. aud cannot. But good living.
and do. Ny wound has not decreased my earning
! capacity. There many men who lost leg in
\ tie army who to-day. some Of them. by reason OF
that injury aud the fact that compelled them TO
turn TO different means Of livelihood are earning
more than they otherwise could. The law pen
sOu- all alike who lost leg. j cite my own case
only example. We want a law that will take
my $40 aud give il TO him who really needs 1t.
How can he truthfulIy say that his wage
earning capacity is not diminished by his
having been shot through the lung? The
thing is ridiculous Any impairment Of
mans physical ability cannot help impair
ing his ability to earn living. 1t is idle
to point out that he does so well, though
minus leg or an arm, for anyone must
know that he would do vastly better if he
had all the members that Nature gave him.
man who is wounded, manned or suffering
from chronic disease may yet be able to do
still better than some other man of less
energy and determination, but still he does
not begin TO do as we'll as he would were he
perfectly whole man.
If Lieut. FOOte thinks that his pension
should he given more deserving man, he
is at perfect liberty to select the man him
self aud bestOw it upon him. He can then
quiet his conscience so far as he is personally
concerned But there will be naturally
strong dissent when it comes TO his setting
himself up in judgment upon the pensions
OF other men, who are disposed to think that
they have faithfully earned what is given
them, are quite as capable of judging on
the matter as he is.
THE LOGAN MONUMENT FUND.