Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1894-10-13
WASHINGTON LETTER.
An Abuse OF POwer-The Georgia Elec
tion-New YOrk's Politics, the
Centre OF Attraction.
(From Our Regular Correspondent. }

(From Our Regular Correspondent.)
WASHINGTON, D c., Oct. s, "a -
The u. s. Pension bureau. a branch |
of the Governments IN which political |
craftsmanship should never be intro
duced, is now being used to cosrce |
applicants for pensions to vote for |
democratic candidates for Congress |
Certainly q more shameful abuse of
authority has never been known In |
Washington. 1t Ia stated that no
applications Will be acted upon b i
tween now and the date of the Con-
gressional election except those en-
dorsed by the democratic candidate
for Congress In the district In which
the applicant has a vote, and In or
der that democratic candidates may
have q chance TO try 20 influence the
3v1ts of ersrv applicant for pension
in their districts they are furnished
With lists, giving names and adj
dresses, by the Pension Bureau
The number of names on these lists
furnished to the democrats In sin
gle state Indlana-exceeds $4,000
There Is double ignomY in this sort
of thing for the administration.
First, In trading upon the necessities
of old soldiers. many of whom are
known to be sadly In need of the pit
tance for which they have applied.
Second, In taking up the time of
clerks In the Pension Bureau to pre-
pare lists of applicants to be used by
democratic candidates, thus lessen
ing the number of applications
granted and robbing the old soldiers
out of Just that much assistance.
And ali for the purpose of making
votes for the democratic party which
has during the short time 1t has
been in power managed to do the
country more harm, aside from ac-
tual loss of life, than did four wears
of war. AS a rule the old soldiers
are thoroughly patriotic, and for
that reason it Is doubtful whether
these tactics will influence many of
them TO vote to send democrat to
Congress, thus helping TO continue
the democratic times of the last year
and a half.
The roorback season began little
earlier In this campaign than it usu-
ally does, but there is reason for the
belief that the publication of the
man of the Republican Congression-
al campaign committee with being
mixed up with the distribution of A
p. A. literature, was premature
The democrats were quietly nursing
IL with the intention of using it I'm al
districts where the Catholic vote Ii
heavy day or two before election
when 1t would have been too late fol
It's correction. but a newspaper mar
got hold OF It and having more de
sire to furnish his paper with a SEN
sation than TO serve the democratic
party be seDt IL ont and II wa
printed. OF Ecourse the story is toe
silly to be accepted by any but the
most crsdulous. 1t carries It's owT
contradi ction on It's face. No mar
not an idiot in chairman BabcOck'I
position would hold any relations
with the A. p. A. or any other or
ganization with similar objects II
view, and chairman Babcock is 81
far removed from being an lido
that he is regarded as one of tn
best campaign managers the Con
gressional committee has ever had
Mr.. Babcock will this week gu to hi
own district, TO look after his re-slec
ton. leaving Representative Apele,
of Massachusetts, vice-chairman II
charge of the Congressional commit
tee.
The result of the Georgia legissa
tive election has put the democrati
campaign committee into wha
closely resembles a panic. It's mem
bers now concede the loss of on
Georgia Congressional district t,
the populists and other democrat
say they will be lucky II they do no
lose at least three. There is dIspo
sition among democrats to max
Senator Faulkner, who Is chairman
of their campaign committee, th
scape-goat for the promising out
look of the Congressional cam paign
They say that he either intentional
ly misrepreeents the situation or
such a confirmed rainbow-chase
that he is unable to see things q
they are. They do not object to hi
making his talks for publicatio
rainbow-hued, but they say that h
talks the same way to them whe
they know better, and they think
he doesn't know any better that /
ISL III OO DC dO buo u6tt0 Vi tue COu
mittee. Hoke Smith comes In fC
most of the blame for the result
Georgia. lie Is charged with havin
unnecessarily introduced the silv,
question into the state campaie
and with having by his extreme p
sition In favor of a gold standaI
driven meny silver democrats ini
30 the pO20ilsts.
- situation in New York as gl
iog the democrats much troubl
largely owing to their uncertainty
to the real position of the admin
tration. 1t is presumed that the a
ministration will be compelled In Sc
defence to aid Hill to the full exte
of its.power, but it is not known tn
twill do SO, and the democratic cal
paign committee is in consequen
afraid to commit itself, although
is overwhelmed with letters and tel
grams asking what it proposes
do. All OF which is entirely unobi
tionable to the republicans.