Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1892-06-02

brave men who wore the gray and
met them on the battle. field, and it is
because they are frlends-honest and
fearless-that they oppose the indis-
crlmlnate pensloning system, or any
pension ON manufactured records,
over quarter OF q century after the
alleged disability is said to have oc-
Cured.
This is the sort of stuff to "tell to
the marlnes," and in uttering it the
llckspittle apologist shames his mas.
ter. Bankhead himself stated plainly
enough why he opposed PENSIONS and
put his whole opposition on the ground
that the pension tax was q burden on
the south and operated to drain mon
ey a6av from that section. He fgur.
ed the matter out in detail and thus
summed up the results in his speechin
tine house.
"This Congress has passed a bill ap.
propriating Sl4O,OOO,OOo for the pay
ment OF pensions. This large amount
must first be collected from the peo-
pie. 1t is a cash transaction, not cred
1t, not checks or drafts. but cash. The
amount ls more than 50 per capita,
or more than ,OOO,OOOtor the State
OF Alabama, or nearly twice the
amount collected for State and coun-
ty taxes in that State; or, put itmore
plainly, each family of FIVE are taxed
more than $40 for pensions This
money, the representative OF one
months labor for the head OF the fam
lily on the farm, or one-twelfth the
years return for labor, goes into the
pocket OF some pensioner, many OF
| whom are rich men and women
II Bankhead honestly believes that
the pension tax operates in this way
and impoverishes his constituents and
drains the South ofmoney, what abject
folly and imbecility it is to claim that
Union soldiers have no truer friend
than he! II it be true that he is q
friend OF Union soldiers and wants to
, maintain their pensions at the ex-
pense OF MS own suffering constituents
1t follows Inevitably, according to his
personal statement and claim, that
ne must be the treacherous betrayer
OF his own people who he conspires to
make paw tribute and to load with
| taxes. This is the attitude in which
Gen. Bankhead is left by his super
serviceable apologists-a position he
never took himself and in which he
! will not permit others to place mini.
Holding as they do that Union pen
sionpaylng drains the South OF money
which never comes back and that to
the people OF their section 1t has no
compromising benefits, the Exon
tederates can, in honesty and con-
sistency, have only one.poicy, and
that is to reduce to the uttermost
point their power will permit. They
are at heart opposed to Union pen
sion-paying in every form and every
amount, and will welcome the oppor-
tunlsy when they can sodeclare them
selves with safety. Their over. Jealous
llckspittle apologlsts in the north
should be told that when they picture
the Confederate Brigadiers as favor
ing Union pensions they represent
them also according to their own
claim) as voting money out OF the
! pockets OF their Southern constituents
and into those OF Northern Yankees.
Where is the Northern dust-eating
admirer SO ardent in his faith and adj
miration that he will go into Bank
heads district next fall and there
openly declare that the Genearl was
e good friend to Union soldiers and
voted to pay them pensions at the
expense OF the South?
Gen. Bankheau has put himself onre-
cord, and his position Is not to be
misrepresented to his constituency
| by any fool friends, however Jealous.
Breathing the spirit of 1851, he gave
warning in his recent speech in the
House that if the North continued to
MAINTAIN such pension laws and 9TH
er legislation as is now on the statute
book and the South, being in the min
GRITTY would get no relief through the
| ballot-box, that section would again
resort to revolutionary measures.
Speaking for the South, he said: They
will do right when the right Is under.
stood by them. This is their Govern.
ment, and they will control it's des-
tiny. When it becomes oppressive
they will try to reform it. When it
! becomes UNDESIRABLE they will destroy
it and build upon the ruins another,
fashioned with their own hands. l
warn you, gentlemen, not to tempt
them too far. l remind you that it is
unwise to treat the suffarings OF the
people lightly,