Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-01-05
DANGEROUS CHARGES.
Republicans Writing Under Contem
piated Pension ReforrnS

Republicans writing Under Contem-
plated Pension Reforms
The republican organs are full of
sneers at the reform of the pension sys-
tenn proposed by the democrats In
fact, every reference to the need of
such reform throws the organs into
spasms, during which the country
learns once again that the democratic
party is simply an aggregation of
traitors banded together to accomplish
what the armies OF Lee failed to &C
complish, and determined to wage a
crusade OF determination against the
surviving soldiers of the union.
The organs, furthermore, seem to as
sumo that they are approved in these
indiscriminate and rancorous charges,
if not by the people, by the federal vet
Grams. They have SO long pursued a
policy of attempting to buy votes by
| turning over the treasury to pension
agents and their confederates, that
| they infer that every man who draws
| a pension or who wants to draw pen
| sion belongs body and soul to the re-
publicans, and that the people, having
apparently acquiesced in this SO long,
| will continue to acquiesce in it indeh-
nitely.
tions. They overestim ate the patience
of the people and they underestimate
the patriotism of the veterans. There
is a general and emphatic demand in
the ranks of both parties for an honest
and judicious administration of the
| pension department and for a radical
| revision of the system which already
| pours out in alleged lawful pensions
nearly one-half of the entire national
revenue in a stream which is charging
| at an appalling rate every year. More
over, it is an insult to the old soldiers
/ themselves to say that they are not in
| sympathy with the people on this ques-
| ton. Such an allegation carries with
| it the charge that the old soldiers do
not deserve pensions, but have been
| pensioned by the repu blieans through
either charity or a desire to bride
them. The truth is, thousands of the sur
viving ''boys in blue" both pensioned
and unpensioned. join heartily In the
| demand that the pension roll shall be
one of honor and merit instead of bar
| ter and sale for partisan purposes and
/ priv ate gain, and it is estimated that
fully one-third of the soldier vote was
east At the last election for the politi-
cal party making this demand
! The Grand Army Gazette, q recog
nized and reputable organ of the G.
A. R., speaks thus plainly on this
| point:
| If to-day every man and woman whose namt
| is on the pension list were required to appear
before the proper authority, there to substan
| tate their claim to pension by evidence thai
would be admitted in any court of law be al
lowed by the most lenient of juries, there would
undoubtedly be great many names takeI
| from the list altogether and far greater mum
Der Of pensioners reduced in amount
The people should have this money saved FOL
| them We believe the incoming adminlStra
! ton viii do it No honest man should object
| Assuredly 10 fair veteran will do
1.-The Gazette has always favored high pen
| sionS for deserving veterans II soldier II
actual service was m9med or disabled so that
| his power to make u living for himself and
his family was gone impaired his loss i'm
pairment should lie made good That was thS
purpose in granting pensions So long tn;
republican party did that the people sustained
them
when they left that safe ground and en-
barked on treacberous of extravaganza
| taking aboard the great army Of claim agency
| sharks, they began to lose the confidence OF the
people"
The republican party has worked
| the soldier vote to the utmost and has
been overwhelmingly beaten more than
once. If that is its dependence for a
| restoration to power it may as we'll &c
I! forthwith into Hquidation--Lsu
Courier Journal