The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1893-09-28
THE PENSION QUESTION FROM A SOL
DIERS STANDPOINT.

Gov. Mckinley does not treat the
pension question fairly in his present
| political grafton. He evidently does
not intend to discuss it fairly, as such
a discussion would make no votes for
his party or himself. Neither do any
of the Republican stump orators, In
this campaign. They all seem to take
their cue from the Governor, and will
misrepresent and demogogue the mat
ter to the end of the campaign.
That this plan will fool some soldiers,
goes without saying; but it is due to
truth to expose misrepresentation and
fraudulent practices, just the same.
When the so-called pauper pension
act passed, In $780, the NEws-DEMo.
oRAT asserted and continued to assert
that this law was not satisfactory to
the veteran soldiers of the Republic,
and we then asserted that the Grand
Army of the Republic did not want
this law. We proved by the record of
two National Encampments of the
Grand Army, and the petitions of over
100000 surviving soldiers of the Grand
Army, that the service pension bill, or
the per diem bill, was the only measure
the real soldiers asked for. We also
proved from the Congressional
Record of May, 1890, that
VIM. Mckinley. Jr,, then Con-
gresham, had voted against
the service pension bill, and as the
leader of the Republican party on the
lloor OF the House, was responsible for
for the defeat of the service pension
bill.
Had the service pension bill been
passed in 1890, as il ought to have been,
no party in this country would ever
have attempted to disturb it, Had the
service pension bill been enacted every
soldier would have been paid a pension
In the exact ratio of his service. This
bill was so equitable and just that none
of the mercenary monopoly newspapers
of the country would have dared to at
tack it.
The views above expressed are not
only the views of the NEWS DEMOCRAT
but of every veteran soldier of the
United States, including Generals Sick
les and Slocum of New York, Gen.
Stanley of the regular army, Gen. Rose
Grams, Gen, Paul Van Dervoort of Ne
braska, Gen. Corse of Massachusetts,
Gen. Rice of Ohio, and nearly every
prominent and enduring soldier of the
country.
Gen. Paul Van Dervoort of Nebraska
was in Canton on Sept. oath, and in a
conversation with the NEWS. DEMO
Graf he said he had made the fight in
three National encampments for the
service pension bill, and he said
Congressman Mckinley, of Ohio,
Burrows, of Michigan, Tom Reed,
of Maine, and President Harri-
son were largely responsible for the de-
feat of the service pension bill. He
also stated, that in the Presinential
campaign Of 1888, he (Gen. Van Der
voort) had spoken in six states for, ,Har-
rison, at Harrison's personal request,
and that Harrison had authorized him
to say to the old soldiers, everywhere,
that he (Harrison) approved the service
pension bill, as endorsed by the Grand
Army.
AS this question has been discussed
in Canton and Stark county for the
past three years, and the position of the
| News. DEMOCRAT has been controvert-
ed by the Republican newspapers, we
ask all old soldiers who want the facts
to interview Gen. Van Dervoort, when
he speaks in Canton on Wednesday
evening. Gen. Van Dervoort is the
highest authority in the United States
on the pension question. He has been
In favor of liberal pensions, ever since
the war closed. He served gallantly in
the war to the end. He was prisoner in
Andersonville, and he was honored
with the highest gifts and honors OF
the &. A. R-that of Commapder-in-
| Chief. He was friend of Gen. Grant,
of Sheridan, and Sherman and Logan
and Gen. Grant, when President, made
Gen. VanDervoort Commissioner of the
Railway service of the United States, a
position he filled with great ability fol-
nine years.
Any soldier can approach Gen. Van
| Dervoort, Ask him who killed tht
service pension bill in Congress.
We will agree to print his answer.