The National tribune., 1893-10-12

Bureau can be greatly accelerated, it is IN
evitable that great proportion of these
myriads of broken men and women, who
| gave the dearest and best that they had to
the Nation in its day of imminent peril, and
are in consequence now unable to provide
for themselves the necessaries and comforts
of life, must continue for years yet in grind
ing want.
There is a still more appalling fact. The
death rate of pensioners and applicants for
| pensions is about 80 per Thousand per an
mum. This means that those I'll $50 claim
ants are dying at the rate of "a, SS5 year,
and in seven years and six months the enor-
nous number of 195, 63S will have died.
Think of it, that every month Of delay
sends more than 1000 veterans or their
widows to their graves, bereft of that which
| grateful country promised them more than
80 years ago! Think of what mass of
heart-breaking disappointments this means
what hopes, long deferred, making the
heart sick! Think of the cruel denials to
these dying men and women of the food,
medicine, clothing, and little comforts that
their slender pension allowances would have
provided them!
Let anyone multip.. by 711150 the
worst case of suffering poverty and death
within his knowledge, and he can gain some
idea of what delay in pension granting means
Let him remember then that these are men
and women to whom the people declared %
years ago that they could never be suffi-
GENTLY grateful, and that caring for these
veterans and their families would be the
Nations sweetest and most sacred duty |!
Let him remember, too, that every political
convention since the war has solemnly re-
solved "in favor of a just and liberal pension
system, including within its scope all needy
aud deserving veterans What a bitter
mockery of all this fulsome rhetoric is the
spectacle of over 1000 veterans and their
widows sinking into the grave every month,
denied the relief promised them by this
maryelously grateful country!
Not merely common justice and decency,
but common humanity demand that this
scandalous delay shall cease If National
gratitude be more than a sounding phrase,
if National promises and pledges have more
force than 'diceIs' oaths," then this should
be manifested by such an acceleration of busi-
ness in the Pension Bureau as will clear the
docket of these I'll, $50 accumulated cases
with the utmost rapidity.
Unless the Government wants to make the
shameful avowal that it is trying to save
money by waiting until its creditors die of,
settle these cases this year than seven years
from now. Then why not obey the dictates
If it is necessary to double the force of the
Pension Bureau let it be doubled, or trebled-
sand employees for two years will cost no
more than 5000 for four years.
Let US have it done with Let US have
every case made special" and let US have
every home where disease, want, and anxious
expectation now reign, made glad by the
announcement that the long waited for has
at last happened, and that the dying veteran
or widow has been at length substantially
remembered by the Government in fulfill
ment of the pledge made more than quarter
of a century ago.
Comrade Lochrsn. your position is one of
momentous responsibility toward these men
and women. A combination of circum-
stances has given you unusual power to pro-
mote the rendering of justice to them.
Yourself gallant soldier, you have still
farther won the country's esteem and con-
| idence by your career as q jurist. The
| party TO which you belong has been very
critical of The pension system. Much will
| be given you that was denied your prede-
cessors. Even if you did not fully realize ii
before, yonr experience since you have en-
tered the Pension Bureau has fully i'm
pressed you with the truth of what we
| have said about the overwhelming serious
ness of the situation. Whatever you may
say to Congress will be listened to with the
| deepest attention. We urge you to appeal
to it to give you the means to clear out all
the cases now incumbering the files of your
Bureau, and finish the whole of the pension
business by the end of the coming calendar
year Der. 81, 1894
That you are in full sympathy with your
old comrades we do not doubt for an instant
But we ask for nothing ON the ground Of
ympathy-everything on the basis o.
simple, even-handed justice. We ask you
to deal with this matter precisely as you
would with any business coming befor,