The National tribune., 1892-11-03

iahu anu lHcioSiHg, among otHeE thiuS', I"
card bearing the following:
VETERANS. READ THE TRUTH!
Private Pension Bills signed by the Presidents
during their Of Office since 1861 were in num-
bers follows:
President A. Lincoln "a
A. johnson .......-.......-........ 43i
U. 9. Grant Is years)........ $50
r. b. Hayesl (4years)...... 324
G. A. Arthur a years)......... 7o6
Grover Cleveland "a years).-....... ISIS
These figures cannot be refuted.
This cannot be denied.
The all-sufficient answer to this is that
the veterans are much older now than they
dents, and that wounds and disabilities
which could be little regarded while the
vigor of youth lasted, became oppressive as
"age came stealing on" Twenty years ago
they were mere annoyances, which could be
put aside by strong effort of the will !;
now they are implacable tyrants, against
whom will-power and all the resources Of
medical science struggle in vain.
A score of years ago, in the pride of their
young manhood, many of the veterans de-
clined to ask help of the Nation, then strug-
Cling to pay the vast war debt. Now, with
the war debt reduced to fifth of its former
dimensions, with the eountry's wealth four
times more than it was in 1860, with bur-
den of years added to their disabilities and
wounds, the veterans turn for help in con-
stant1y-in-c numbers to the Nation
which they saved and made prosperous.
Besides, more than half-a-million of these
men have died since the war from their
wounds and disabilities, leaving widows,
orphans, and dependent parents, to whom
the Nation owes help.
Thus it is easy to see why vastly more
bills should have been presented to Cleve-
land for his signature than to any of his
predecessors.
He vetoed every one of these that he could
find any pretext for, and frequently went out
of his way to insult the most meritorious
claimants, as in the case of Hon. John w.
Farris, fine soldier and Senator Of the
State of Missouri
He vetoed bill which would have put
671 $40 Union soldiers, their widows, and
dependent parents On the pension-roll.
President Harrison has not signed quite
SO many private pension bills as Cleveland,
for three excellent reasons:
1. He signed one general bill, which has
already put on the pension-rolls over AGO. 900
veterans and their dependent ones, and
which is still putting them on at the rate of
1000 day. This general bill covered an
immense number of cases that would other
wise have to be presented to Congress for
special action. This was the bill which
Cleveland vetoed.
2. The liberalization of the policy of the
Pension Bureau under Harrison saved the
uCCCosltJ vi iudDy SVinS " Soh-
gress for special relief When Cleveland left
the White House there were 489, 729 pension
ers on the rolls. July 81, 1892, there were
ss3, 926 on the rolls, an increase of 3S6, $40
in three years under Harrison, where there
was an increase of but 123,942 in three
years, or less than one-third that number in
three years, under Cleveland.
3. MIR. Cleveland actually signed 1913
private pension bills-not 1876, as erro-
neously stated above-and President Harri-
son signed 1910, or but less. The reason
that the latter did not sign more was be-
cause the SD Congress refused to pass them.
The 10th and 5oth Congresses were those
under Cleveland. There have been two
sessions of the 51st and one of the SD Con-
gress under Harrison. In the first session
of the 49, Congress there were TAT private
pension bills passed, of which Cleveland
signed but 491, thus disappearing of 256
In the second session $50 were passed, of
which 1876 were approved and A disap-
proved. This makes his record for that
Congress SIT bills approved and 800 nom
approved. The first session of the 5Oih
Congress passed TAI private pension bills, of
which Cleveland approved $50 and disap-
proved 158. The second session passed 31S
of which Cleveland approved 252 and dis
approved &c; making total for the 50th
Congress of 1 ,065 passed, of which Cleveland
approved s41 and disapproved 224. The
total for both Congresses was therefore 2,042
bills passed, of which Cleveland signed
1918 aud failed to sign 524. President
Harrison signed 1877 private pension bills
passed by the 51st Congress-both Houses
of which were Republican-and vetoed
none. Thus he signed more than t,eice as
many pension bills passed by his first Congress
as Cleveland did Of his first Congress. The
House of the SD Congress is Democratic,
and though more than l, 900 private pension
bills were introduced, referred to the Invalid
Pension Committee, and a large proportion