The Indianapolis journal., 1893-06-26
THE WAR AGAINST PENSIONS.
The Attitude of the Administration and the
Kind of Men 1t Is Putting in Office

To Editor the Indianapolis Journai;
A statement of few facts that are OF
record will make the present W ar upon PEN
si0ns by the Cleveland administration 40
PLAIN that q child can understand them,
and so ridiculous that the Nation will re-.
buke it. as no other administration ever
has been In our nation al history, when the
next election takes place.
First-Neither President Cleveland nor
his Secretary of the In terror was a Union
soldier, while his Secretary is the son of
one who tried TO shoot the Nation to death
and who fought the men whose pensions the
son seeks to cancel because it takes mon ey
to pay them. There are degrees in rldic-
ulousness, but 1t is impossible to think Of
any thing more ridiculous than to place
the son of q confederate soldier IN charge
of the Pension Department OF the govern
ment thet threshed that confederate soldier
into obedience to the laws of that Govern
ment. and yet tnat Is just what President
Cleveland did.
Second-In 1890 the Fifty first Congress
increased the clerical force of the Pension
Office by about 49, This increase included
the medical board. You will pardon this
DEPRESSION. hate the whole civil-service
system; it is un-American; 1t is a Ii bel on tn Q
intelligence OF our people. Ours is a gov
ernment by parties. and believe W hen the
Democrats win the Democrats should have
the offices, and when the Republicans are
in power they should have the Offices. and
not be in the position of the Census Office,
where. under the adm lstratiOn OF Presl-
dent Harrison. on the hrst of last J January.
out of LOO hundred employees $50 were
Democrats,-but in 1890 the civil.service
law was in force and President Harrison
had to execute 1t. ana 80. when this addi-
tional force was sent to the Pension Office
clerk came from tho South, and
nearly every additional member of
the medical board came from the South.
These clerks are in the main the sons Of
confederate soldiers. These medical Gentle-
men were sons of confederate soldiers and
Smith to start the gulllOtine in operation.
and Smith. Secretary of the Interior,
orders the Commissioner of Pensions to SO.
lect twenty-four medical men out of the
medical force, and these twenty-four men
80 selected are to take up adjudicated
GASES and decide whether they have
been properly rated, and IL not,
to suspend them. Is it any
wonder. then. that such plumbers as that of
the suspension of the Hamilton county vet
eran should followl If 1t be true that in
the ordinary trial of a cause between par
ties for the enforcement of demand for
money a party 10 not permitted to sit as q
Juror who is pre- udiced, how can it be pos
u
who was thrashed into obedience by these
Union pensioners to be qualified to
SIT in judgment upon the claim OF
these pensioners for proper recognitioni
The party that would tolerate such man
in such position 10 ) far removed from
patriotism the east Is removed from
the west The President who would, hav-
ing stayed at home while these Union vet
erans fought TO q successful termination
the war that made it necessary to pension
them, now insult them by placing the son
OF one OF their enemies in control OF the
Pension Department, deserves. as he will
receive. the execration of every true
Union soldier and his descendants forever
and forever. Ii cannot be true that the
sordid greed Of gain has chilled the love of
justice and fair play. so ch teris tic of the
American people. until they will cit idly by
and permit this outrage 10 be perpetrated
upon the claims of the men who In the
mightiest war of all the ages, saved to
them the priceless heritage of liberty pro-
tected by law.
The Union veterans do OF want one single
pension claim TO be granted that is not au-
thoriZed by law and justified by the facts
in the case. While this Is true. it Is lao
equally true that the Union veterans de-
maDd. as OF right, under the Constitution
and laws of the country. the trial of their
claims by loyal, fair. i'm partial and unpreiu-
diced triers. This Is the plain and sim le
demand of all Union veterans. Who
but cowardly stay-at- home like
Grover Cleveland would deny this legal
right. right held sacred
that il is granted to tho meanest criminal
or the landi horse thief. = burglar. q