The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1893-07-19
EDITORIAL.
What the Editor Thinks OF
Matters of Interest to the
People of the County.
LEONARD s GODDARD; Eorror.
SHOWING THEIR HAND.

SHOWING i Eih HAM,
We can at last see the true policy
of the present burbon administration
toward the old Union Veteran. All
the time they have been crying that
there were unworthg men on the pen
sion roll and it was their intention to-
wipe out the fraud and make
it roll of honor and on this
false and ingenious plea they deceived
a number Of Republican papers and
they have joined in the false cry. If
they had done as they represented
they would do, carefully cleaned out
the pension list, it would have been
alright. But the people ought to
know by this time that the Democrat
ic party can be no more relied upon
to do as they profess they will do, un-
less it exactly suits them, than two
months old child can be relied upon
to solve problem in quadratic equa-
sions. And of course it would not
suit the confed-demo party to do any
anything for the benefit of the defend
ers of the nation. And they are
showing their hand this early in the
game by suspending the pensions of
over two hundred thousand veterans.
Such course as this is grossly unjust
and unreasonable. Some of these
broken down soldiers have only their
small pension as a support and now
this is tqken away and they are re-
quired 10 go before board, hire
anotheK attorney, submit their proof
and go through the form Of securing
their pensions over again. They will
also have to wait their turn just as
they had to do when they filed their
original claim. We do not have to
90 outside our own county to lind
worthy veterans whose pensions have
been suspended; so this is not merely
guesswork but an actual fact. Others
may look out for their suspension be-
fore long and many Of these old fall
tering, gray-haired defenders of our
republic will have tottered into their
graves long before they can again
prove their service and right to lit
tie, stingy pittance. Such unquali-
fed, unpatriohc meaness was never
before exhibited by any nation to-
ward the men who saved it. Such
baseness has never been recorded in
the pages Of history and it should be
the prayer of all the good people OF
the land that this sin of the
present rulers of our country may not
rest upon the nation and cause it to
be byword to future generations.
If the party in power had not sus-
pended the pensions only where they
were sure of fraud, but had gone on
and investigated quietly, with the
pensions continuing, going on the
theory that it is better that number
of guilty should escape rather than
one innocent suffer, there would have
been nothing to criticise in their con
duct. No this reasonable course
could not be persued by the present
administration. 1t is already an es
tablished fact in its own mind that il
was crime to be union soldier anC
they are going to punish all. The n,
Y. Press says, "that these men are,
without any evidence, presumed to
be guilty of fraud, punished on tha
finding by the suspension oftheir pen
sions and then told to bro7e their IN
notenee before partial and prejudica
examiners, or be dropped from the
rolls altogether. No criminal ar
raigned at the bar on charge, how
ever heinous, is treated as it is pro
posed to treat these heroes of oul
country"
The only way for the country to es
cape punishment due it from such un
grateful, ungenerous and despicablt
actions is to Overwhelmingly defeat
the present administration at the bal
lot box at the next election. We
should clear our skirts of this outra
geous sin at the first opportunity. Il
we do not, we say let the punishment