Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-06-22
HONEST PENSIONS.
Equitable Measures Adopted by the Cleve
land Administration.

Equitable Measures Adopted by the Cleve-
land Administration.
The decision of Mr.. Cleveland's adj
ministration with respect to pensions is
simply this: The government will not
undertake the support of ex-soldiers
whose disabilities or infirmities did not
originate in the service. when the disa-
bility or infirmity not due to service
does not prevent the ex-soldier from
earning his own living.
A more reasonable, equitable and
proper measure of reform it would be
difficult 10 imagine. Loose and inju-
dicious as were some of the provisions
Of the disability pension act of 1890,
the congress which passed that law
never contemplated any such abuses of
the system as were fastened upon it by
Commissioner Raum, under Gen. Harri-
sons reckless management of pension
affairs The resembling OF Raum's or
der restores the rating of disability PEN
sioners to the standard established
by the law which has been persistenly
misconstrued for the past two or three
years
The estimate that from SIS, o0o, 900 to
s20, 0O0, 900 viii be saved to the treasury
annually by following the law itself
ton of that law, may prove excessive.
But whether the saving of $50, 900, 600
or g, 900 600, 1t should be effected. The
most liberal Interpretation of the gov
ernment's duty to its former soldiers
does not require that citizens shall be
taxed to support other citizens who are
capable of supporting themselves,
merely because the name of the latter
once appeared on the army rolls, al
though the war left them unscathed.
In any effort to check the unparalleled
extravaganza which threatens to bank
rupt the treasury in the name of graf
itude to the unions defenders, Presi-
dent Cleveland will have the support OF
all right-thinking citizens, including
the veterans of the war. He NAV be
sure of this In honest pension reform
no worthy dependent upon the govern
ment's bounty has anything to fear
3. Y. Sun
Gov. Mckinley, whom the re-
publicans nominated at Columbus. feels
very bad over the unsatisfactory condi-
ton of the country. 1t is natural that
he should If there is any one man
who is responsible for the unsatisfac-
tory state of affairs that man is William
nomination the other day he attempted
to shift the responsibility for the finan-
cial stringency on to the shoulders of
the present administration, disregard
ing the fact that the tariff and the cur
rency are just as the republicans-led
by Gov. McKinley-lef. them, and that
nothing can be done to change them
until congress assemblies But Gov.
Mckinley don't believe all that he said.
Whatever shortcomings or frailties
have been imputed to him, no one has
yet charged him with being a down
right fool-Chicago Herald
Ohio Is now agitated over the in
vestigation, in progress, of a charge
that the funds of the state were largely
dr=-Nn upon last fan to help win the
narrow majority of ten thousand by
which the republican ticket pulled
through Very damaging developments
are already reported, and it is promised
that any lingering doubts as to the rot
tsnness of the stSte administration viii
be removed Tt looks like wholesale
raid on the treasury for the republican
sizens OF war.-Detroit Free Press