Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1893-11-30
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gard to proof and ratings, under which
moro than three thousand claims have
been allowed and paid, have been re-
voked and another construction of
the law has been established, and
new regulations for proof and ratings,
less favorable to claimants, have
been adopted; that u board of re-
vision has been organized In the pen.
sion Office charged with the duty of
revising all these abjudicated claims In
accordance with this new construc-
ton, and such changed regulations as
TO proof and ratings; that under these
changes, thousands of pensions have
been suspended without notice aud
thousands of pensioners have been
dropped from the rolls, 1t Is claimed
that an adjudication of n pension set
ties nothing; that the secretary of the
interior and commissioners of pensions
are invested by the law with absolute
power over the pension roll, and that
IL Is within their legal authority to re-
open and revise pensions allowed by
their predecessors under regulations
adopted by them, whenever they see
tit TO change the rules of evidence
and the scale of ratings under which
tho allo vance was made: and this In u
country of law, whore from the very
infancy of the government the United
States, by it's organic law, in its terms
denied the right To deprive any person
of property without due process OF the
law, notice and opportunity to be
heard, and where in every other rela-
ton and condition In life fraud Is
never presumed but must be clearly
proved, and every person shall have
the right Ia face his accuser To em-
phasize the vlciousness of the situation,
we learn that ID Is said, MS though by
authority, that ut 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 tho burden IN
not upon the party alleging the fraud.
but that the government which they
had preserved shall first brand with
infamy by the charge, then sentence,
and after the stigma has been eff
fcctive, then concede TO them, whose
barriers and support of character
have been thus undermined, the pitt
full privilege of moving for n new
trial upon the ground of newly-dis-
covered evidence; and this not upon
strangers, aliens or foes, but upon our
own flesh and blood, our comrades,
the saviours OF the nation, those
who In the language of Lincoln, tho
Immortal, have borne the battle.
We deny that the secretary OF the
interior and commissioners of pensions
have any such power. We insist that
the adjudicating divisions of the PEN
sion office, acting under the direction
aud supervision of the commissioners
of pensions and secretary OF the in-
terror, are tribunals established by
authority of law for the settlement of
pension claims. and their decisions
are entitled to full faith and credit,
and cannot be legally impcachcd
when change Of administration oc-
ours, except for fraud, upon charges
preferred and evidence adduced In
support thereof We insist that where
changes are made In the construction
of the law, rules of evidence and
schedule OF ratings, unfavora-
BILE To claimants, they must
and should be limited in their
operation 10 the future work of the
office, and not the post An OK post
facto regulation is as rcpugnant to
our sense of justice as nm cx post facto
law, and we protest against the adop-
ton and enforcement OF any such regu-
lations In the matter of pension claims.
Therefore, The Grand Army of the
Republic, in national encampment
assembled, speaking for that great
army of beloved comrades, many OF
them too poor, too bruised, too broken,
To withstand the strong arm of the
government when administered with
an unfriendly hand, proud of the good
name and fair fame of the Amer
lean volunteer soldier, interested
far beyond any other person
or organization that the pension
roll shall i'm truth and in fact
bc-what IT is in theory - a roll OF
honor" and ever mindful of the car
dinal principle, ITO preserve honor
and purity in public affairs" scouts
and denies these iDdiscriminate
charges of universal fraud and re-
sents the imputation that because
some unworthy survivor may be found,
that discredit shall be east upon the
entire roll, and this great body OF
patriotic citizens shall stand disgraced
tefore the country. We demand, that
there shall be no backward step in
pension legislation or administration;
that no pensioner shall be deprived OF
his property without due process of
law; that the presumption shall be IN
| favor of honesty and fair dealing; that
| the poor and lowly shall not be put to
unnecessary, expensive or oppressive
process to preserve their meager pit
tances. that the sacred trust in favor
| of those who "have born the battle
shall be sacredly observed aud sacred
ly administered; and we do now SOL
emlny and deliberately
Resolve, That the Grand Army of
the Republic looks with solicitude,
not to say alarm, upon the proposition
| that after sufficient tribunals have
been established by law before which
questions have been presented and
adiu dicated6 upon evidence submitted
and examined and upon which a
grateful nation has accorded pensions
in this their hour of need to those who
in its hour of need stood between 1t
and death the officers of that nation.
administering public trust. have
arbitrarily deprived, without notice
or an opportunity to be heard, our
needy and distressed comrades of the
rights thus solemnly adjudged and
confined to them.
We Declare, That every presump-
ton should be made in favor of such
records so made; that no presumption
OF fraud shall be INDUCED in against