Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-01-06
THE PENSION ROLL.
Its Real Caus=--In Answer to the Demo
cratic Herald.

cratic Herald.
EDITOR CITizES:-The Herald oflast week
prints some extracts from other papers
(and thereby makes the matter its OWN on
the pension question, that for malicious
cussedness and downright lying takes the
cake. The Democratic and mugwump pa
pers have for years kept up a TRADE against
and misrepresentation of the pension ques-
tion 70 such an extent that il is nauseatiug
to fair minded people everywhere- One Of
the Heralds clippings calls for published
list of pensioners alleging that many
fraudulent cases would thus be discovered.
If the Herald will just think moment, it
will call TO mind that the whole list Of
pensioners was published several years ago
in Tespous. to Just such false assertions a.
the Herald has now given place IN its col
umns. How many fraudulent pensioners
were found on the list at that timer Not
one was To be found in this section, and
We heard of none in any other part Of the
country, and the very best evidence that
the pension roll contained no fraudulent
cases was the fact that the Democratic pa
pers did not publish any. Had there been
any unesrthed, sou can rest assured it
would have been publi-hed from Dan TO
Beersheba,' with great headlines By these
worthies, for if there is anything that
comes near parallel with shaking a red
rag before a Spanish bull il il to say Pen
siOns for Union soldiers" 10 the average
Democratic editor. But We defy the Her
aid or ary of the papers from which it
takes lis clippings to point to single in
stance where p-nsioner, regularly on the
rolls, Is drawing his pension iraudulently.
If any such there be, give US the facts and
We will warrant the roll will be cleared as
soon as the matter can be attended to. II
is true the pension roll is a large one.
A vast amount OF money is paid out every
year To the manned defenders OF our cuun-
try, their widows and orphans, but the
question naturally arises, why do We have
a pension roll at allf Why are there 80
many thousands upon thousands Of widows
II the country beTeaved Of their natural
support, that has to some extent to he
made up by the pensions that they draw
from the Government Wny so many or
phaned children that have to be cared for
in such a wayf To answer these questions
opens up wide field, and shows for.h in
glaring cOlors the record Of the Southern
end of the Democratic parry. Every
schoOl-boy knows that II was the result of
the rebellion inaugurated by the head and
front of the Democratic party-the South
ern wing of it-that for fiendish cruelty,
wickedness purpose, and want of cause
has not its equal in the history of the hu-
man race. Over three hundred thousand
lives were sacrificed by the Union lovers
of the land IN fighting this rebellion TO the
death; over two and one-half millions Of
men were called into the field before the
10. Has.rx 1.1 NH
wds finally crushed out, the UniJn saved,
and the debris Of battle cleared away,
then the people began to realize at what d
fearful cost of treasure and blood that in
iquitous Democratic rebellion was over
thrown-hundreds of thousands of homes
all over this broad land left des0late and
the inmates therof clad in the habilimeBts
of mourning for the loss of father, a son
or brother sacrificed upon the alter of their
country and all chargeable to the leaders
of the Democratic party. This il why We
have pension roll. The Democratic
party was the cause for it all, and il the
Herald had any respect for the heroic dead
whose widows are upon the list, or the
manned or crippled veterans whose hero
ism. valor and endurance crushed out the
rebellion. saved the Union, and made the
country worth living in, it would think
louE uoioic giving spaVo III It's Cpiuuho ~
such TRADES against pensioners a. IL did IN
last weeks issue The least Democratic
editors say about pensioners the better, for
every time the subject is referred to IL Is
a painful reminder that the Democratic
party was the cause of all this "tremendu-
GUS outlay" they talk so much about. One
strange thing about it all is this, you never
hear Democratic editor say word about
the Mexican pension bill that Grover Cleve-
land signed with such alacrlty. when al
the same time he refused To sign the de
pendent pension bill that would have
brought joy and gladness to many house
hold and poor widow in all parts of the
country Why don't they rail against that
piece of legislation The reason is very
plain-Democratic editors never hurt their
friends The Mexican pension bill placed
the soldiers of the Mexican war on the roll,
nine-teDts of whom had either been in the
rebel army or were too old to be, but, liv-
ing in the South gave aid and comfort IT,
the rebellion. Consistency thou arc n
jewel" For shame's sake, gentlemen OF
the Herald. have some decency about you
and don't insult every living soldier,o or the
widows and orphans of those
that are dead, by printing such false and
libelous clippings from other papers as last
weeks Issue OF your paper contained.
JUSTITIA