The Press., 1893-10-26

then, in the main, in the prime and vigor of young manhood, with all the honors and possibilities of life before them, with all the hopes born of lofty courage and patriotic and successful achievement beat ing high in their bosoms; and they little needed and still less cared for material aid from the country they had preserved and made free, save where loss of life or limb or impaired health and broken con- stitutions were presently visible; and for such, in the main, ample and prompt provision was made by that country.
 But as the years passed by, middle life too freequently developed into premature old age, and youth passed into riper years with galloping feet, and alas too soon the exultant and hearty soldier found that in the race of life there were weights up- on his feet and burdens upon his shoul- ders, as the result of premature and over heavy draughts upon his vitality, that sadly interfered with successful competi- tion in the crowd and jostle of the fierce struggle for advancement. And still the nation sought to keep abreast of the neces- sities of her heroes, and by additional en- actments to measurably make provision for the necessities of those who "had borne the battle."
 A quarter of a century had elapsed. The young had become old, the middle aged had become feeble, and the old had crossed the river. Time, with it's ruth less fingers, had joined hands with the ravages of war, and the two combined had proved burden upon the aging sol dier greater than he could bear; and the cry went abroad that in too many in stances for the credit, honor or good name of the nation, many who had followed the flag and faced the fiery furnace of battle, had in want fallen by tho wayside, and in the poor-houses were looking longingly for the relief and comfort of the grave.
 Their sympathizing comrades and a pa- triotic people, with one accord, voiced the sentiment that such was not humane administering of the sacred trust recog- nized and announced by Lincoln. As to what the remedy should be, mems minds differed. Many, possibly a majority of the, survivors of the war, believed that the time had fully come when the name of every honorably discharged survivor should be placed upon the pension roll. Others, denying the right that they should receive aught from their country through the pension roll, stoutly resisted the demand.
 It was under such circumstances and dealing with these conflicting opinions, that congress enacted the disability pen- sion law of June, 1890. This act was &C., cepted by the surviving soldiers and by the people in general as a settlement of the question. Under the administration of that law, the poor-house gave up it's veteran-he who had borne the battle was cared for; and thus the sacred trust &C., cepted and left as a legacy to the nation was faithfully administered
 Within few months we hear with pro- found sorrow and regret that all this must be changed; that the construction of the law has been changed, and the regula- tions and rules in regard to proof and ratings, under which more than three hun dred thousand claims have been allowed and paid, have been revoked, and another | construction of the law has been estab- lished, and new regulations for proof and ratings, less favorable to claimants, have been adopted; that board of revision has been organized in the pension office, charged with the duty of revising all these adjudicated claims in accordance with this new construction, and such changed regulations as to proof and ratings; that under these changes thous- ands of pensions have been suspended without notice, and thousands of pension CTS have been dropped from the rolls. It is claimed that an adjudication of pen sion settles nothing; that the secretary of the interior and commissioner of pen sions are invested.by law with absolute power over the pension roll, and that it is within their legal authority tore-open and revise pensions allowed by their predeces-
 
 whenever they see fit to change the rules of evidence and the scale of ratings under which the allowance was made; and this in country of law, where from the very States, by its organic law, is in terms de- nied the right to deprive any person of property without due process of law, mo- tice, and an opportunity to be heard, and where in every other relation and condi- ton in life fraud is never presumed, but must be clearly proved, and every person shall have the right to face the accuser. To emphasize the viciousness of the situ- ation and accusation, we learn that it Is said, as though by authority, that "it is expected that many of the pensioners so summarily suspended or dropped will be able to prove that they are still entitled to the pension of which they have been deprived ," thus saying in no uncertain voice that the burden is not upon the party alleging the fraud, but that the gov- ernment which they had preserved shall first brand with infamy by the charge, then sentence, and after the stigma has been effective, then concede to them whose barriers and support of character have been thus undermined, the pitiful privi- lege of moving for new trial upon the ground of newly discovered evidence :; and this not upon strangers, aliens or foes, but upon our own flesh and blood, our comrades, the savers of the nation those who, in the language of Lincoln, the immortal, "have borne the battle."
 We deny that the secretary of the in- terior and commissioner of pensions have any such power. We insist that the ad- judicating divisions of the pension office, acting under the direction and supervision