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

sneaks, bounty jumpers and deserters
to walk through and raid the treasury.
In the claim here advanced we main
tain we are Endorsed by the great ma
Jority sentiment of the country, which
approves the present dependent bill,
from which the very features upon
which President Cleveland based his
veto are eliminated.
But these aecuSations-unjust as we
have snown-Say the Republicans. are
OF minor Importance in comparison with
his master Offending, his wholesale We
toes OF private pension bills.
But here, too, indisputable facts
come 10 MIR. Cleveland's defense and
eXoneration, as they have with matters
already considered.
That President Cleveland vetoed more
private pension bills than did any of his
hepnbilcan predecessors, or, for that
matter, all of them put together, is not
disputed. Equally indiSputable is ii
that he approved many times more such
DIS than did any of his Republican
predecessors, and within very small
traction OF as many as did ali the Re-
publican presidents from Lincoln down
TO him.
Easy Explanation.
The reason for this is easily explaina-
congress after the passage of the first
pension legislation the number OF APP
plicantS for pension through special
acts OF congress increased rapidly in
number. Men whose claims had been
rejected by pension commissioners, and
hundreds Of others, with slight grounds
upon which to base claim, appealed to
their congressman for aid, and the
congressman, knowing the political
power welded by the ex-soldier ele-
ment, took up theft cases. AMI their
congressional associates, for the same
reason. closed their eyes TO the weak
ness OF the claims and the injustice
their passage would work to the deServ-
ing. and let them go to the president.
Then, too. When Grover Cleveland be-
came president. the first Democrat thus
honored for twenty-four years, Repub-
llcan politicians, who thought more Of
party success than they did of the wei
I3re Of the country, or of doing Justice
TO the cX-s0idierS. saw their opportunity
for embarrassing The administration,
While al the same time strengthening
their oft-repeated accusation that the
Democratic party was not friendly 10
the Old soldiers.
Work Of a Scheme.
In pursuance Of this scheme the cal
endars of both houses of congress were
loaded down with private pension bills,
very many of which had been rejected
by previous Republican pension COM
misSloners some as many as three
times-and also vetoed by either Gen.
Grant, or Hayes. or Arthur: bills that
proposed 10 pension deserters; bills that
in many cases absolutely reduced the
amount the peGsioner had already been
awarded by the bureau, or would be 10y
claims pending: bills that proposed to
pension persons for disability in no way
traceable to military service: bills that
would rob the applicant OF years OF back
pay. in one case of twelve years, to
which he was entitled under the general
law, and of bills actually pensioning
men who had voluntarily served i'll the
Confederate army.
We have not space to continue at
greater length these illustrations of the
unjust and diabolical character OF many
of the private pension bills sent 10
President Cleveland by congress, but
will say, after careful examination of
the entire list. that. with the possible
exception of less than half a dozen
cases. the reasons given by President
Cleveland will commend themselves to
every fair-minded, unprej JUDGED and
patriotic citizen.