The National tribune., 1893-03-09
MIR. CLEVELAND on PENSIONS.

been indicted into Office can be simply
stated and easily understood. We stated
it very clearly last Fall, as soon as the re-
suit of the election was known.
We were strongly opposed to Mr. Cleve-
lands election, but not upon any partisan
grounds. We had no dispute with him
because he was Democrat, any more than
we had with James b. Weaver because he
was a Populist, or with John Bidwell be-
cause he was Prohibitionist. Nor did we
support Benjamin Harrison because he was
a Republican. Our opposition to Mr.. Cleve-
land was based solely on his attitude to-
ward the veterans and their dependent ones,
and we stated our reasons very distinctly.
Mr.. Cleveland's supporters declared these
reasons to be without foundation, and that
in reality he was true and reliable friend
of those whose cause we championed. When
the poll of the vote showed his election we
announced that we should accept the decla-
rations of his friends in good faith, close up
the books of his past record and wait with
out prejudice for his future course. We
should treat his past as if it belonged to an
other man, and only Judge of him by what
he should do or say thereafter.
That we have consistently adhered to this
determination, our readers will bear wit
ness. No criticism whatever has appeared
of Mr.. Cleveland since election day.
1t is but fair to say that Mr.. Cleveland
has been equally reticent, and though the
question of pensions has been stormily de-
bated in the past few months, he has said
nothing upon the subject until he felt called
upon to outline his policy in the address he
made upon taking the oath of Office. Then
he said:
II leads us to challenge of the wild aud reck-
less pension expenditure which overleaps the
bounds of grateful recognition OF patriotic service.
and prostitutes to vicious uses the peoples prompt
and generous impulse to aid those disabled In
their country's service.
We cannot suffer snch an utterance by
the Chief Executive at the moment of his
entrance into power to go unchallenged and
uncontradicted.
In the first place, we deny utterly, and in
the most emphatic manner, that there has
been any wild and reckless pension ex-
penditure.n On the contrary, the pension ex-
penditure has been strictly in accordance with
legislation upon the statute books of the
United States, and which was placed there
after the most exhaustive and thorough con-
sideration ever given legislation in the his
tory of Congress. 1t was placed there
after it had been demanded by the people
for years. 1t was enacted by men who
had been elected upon that issue Sub
stanially in the fern that it now appears, it
had been considered by four different Con-
crosses, had been exhaustively discussed in
the Committees rooms and on the floor of
both Houses, and had been repeatedly passed
by both Houses, in different Congresses,
which, after doing so, had gone back to the
people for Judgment upon their acts, and
had been returned TO power. Mr. Cleveland
himself, as long ago as before his first cleo
tion to the Presidency, is on record as
petitioner for pension legislation similar to
that which he now characterizes as wild
and reckless"
1t is simply incomprehensibIe how he can
bring himself to speak of legislation with
such history as wild and reckless"
He says the pension expenditure over
leaps the bounds of grateful recognition of
patriotic service" Whether this be true or
not depends wholly upon what he may
think is a grateful recognition" of the
services of the men who saved the Nations
life. He had no hesitation whatever in
signing a bill to give every man who served
so much as 60 days in the Mexican war, and
10 the widows Of such, pension of So
month. Congress recently, with scarcely
any opposition, decided that this was not
generally sufficient, and raised the pensions to
Mexican survivors to s12 month. Yet the
pensions TO the men who fought long years
to save the Union only average Sill
month, with hundreds OF thousands getting
much less than that sum. The Mexican
pensioner gets s12 for 60 days. service
whether he ever so much as saw the borders
of Mexico or not. He need not have ever
heard gun fred in anger. Now, compnre
this with the pensions paid Union soldiers
OF the 667, ,s62 OF these on the roll June 30,
1892:
1901 got 81 month or less.
g., ,354 got s4
1s0,5lS got Sc
317,741 got So "a Z"