The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-08
The Pressure Too Great.

Some Of the northern democrats are be
ginning to show an inclination to oppose
the pension policy of the administration.
They havn't given any reason yet for
their charge of front The reason. how
ever, is quite apparent. They are afraid
they will lose the soldier vote in their re
spective districts.
They cannot say the policy is not just
one. They know it is not the purpose of
the administration to deprive any desery-
ing pensiouer Of his pension. No pen
sioner who is entitled 10 what he re elves
has cause to be alarmed. 1t is believed
that thousands of persons are drawing
pensions who obtained them by fraudu-
lent means. Why shouldn't such persons
be exposed and their pensions taken from
them Can any one give a good reason
why they shouldn't3
The soldier vote in the west is very
large. in many congressional districts it
holds the balance of power. Democratic
congressman from those and other dis
tricts are afraid that this vote will be
turned against them and the Democratic
party if the administration pension policy
is continued. They would prefer appar-
emily that the government should con
tinue to pay out millions Of dollars an
nually than that they should run the risk
of having the whole of the soldier vote
against them.
Those ak-kneed congressman do not
seem 10 have much confidence in the
moral effect of doing what is right. They
do not take into account the fact that the
people will uphold the administration and
the Democratic party in putting a stop to
the payment of fraudulent pensions if
they are satisfied that the administra ton
and the party are influenced in their ac-
ton by pure motives.
The President has said time and time
again that he desires to make the pension
roll roll of honor, and many of the pen
sioners have said the pension roll should
be such roll. 1t looks now, however, as
if a very determined effort would be
made by democrats as well as republi-
cans to prevent it from being made a roll
of that kind. Indeed, the democrats of
the north are largely responsible for the
enormous pension charge with which the
people are burdened. When the late
President Garfield was a member of the
House, and was urging the passage of
pension bills, he declared that the pen
sion charge would never, in his opinion,
exceed $50 OOO, 600 year. 1t is over $780,
100000, and why Simply because
democrats and republicans have
favored all kinds of pension legislation
with the hope Of winning the soldier vote
President Cleveland is the only Presi-
dent who has had the courage to do what
sound craftsmanship dictated in the
matter of pensions. Abuse has been
heaped upon him for trying to keep the
pension burden within reasonable limits,
but it has done him no harm. 1t has, in
fact, strengthened him with the people
1t is notorious that vast sums are now
being paid to fraudulent pensioners. The
President says the fraudulent pensioners
should be separated from the honest ones,
and the fraudulent pensions discontinued.
The great mass of the people say the same
thing, but those democrats and republ-
can congressman who have union veterans
among their constituents step forward to
oppose what they know to be right, be
cause they do not want to incur the en-
nifty of the veterans. And yet they pre-
tend to be doing their utmost to protect
the interests Of the people.