Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1894-01-19
LOCHREN CKSDOWN
JUDGE LONG RESTORED TO THE
PENSION ROLLS.
consre.. 1,ad Left No Doubt of til. 1n,u.-
tice-His Was Vested Risht-Thou-
sands of sufferers Throughout tho West
Interested in tho Case.
Holse smithlsm Routed.

Judge Long, Of Michigan, has been
restored to the pension rolls. The
Pension Offics issuel a notice that in
view OF the act of Congress of Dec. 81,
1883, 1t no longer had right to with
hold from him the money due him from
the government. This action of Com
missioner of Pensions Lochren pending
an application In court for a mandamus
to compel him to do SO is a surrender
In advance of his entire position. Law
yers generally were of opinion that the
court would grant the mandamus. II
Lochren shall come into court and
plead that Judge Long has been re-
stored with full arrearages, he will
confess the whole case and be sparrd
the humiliation of heing driven to that
action by mandamus.
The passage of the law cited by
Congress, decla ing pension to be q
vested right, has taken the ground out
from under Commissioner Lochren's
pension policy. The truth is that Sec-
retary hoke Smith, who came into of
flee determined to defeat the Union
soldiers If he could, has been driven
from his position by an indignant pub
lie sentiment that forced the recent
legislation by Congress; and now Com
missioner Lochren, alarmed by the
same public sentiment, and threatened
by serious demonstration against him
in Congress, is seeking to run away
from his own record by restoring Judge
Long to the pension roll.
Judge Longs case has been taken by
the pensioners of the country, suffer-
ing under the injustice of the Lochren
rulings, as q test of their rights. He
was suspended peremptorily by Loch-
rem. because total helplessness was not
proven. This in the face of the fact
that he had lost an arm at the elbow
and has a gunshot wound in the left
hip which gives him such trouble that
a trained nurse is in almost constant
attendance on him. His pension of $72
q m nth would not pay the expense he
Is put to by reason Of his hurts. That
mat.ered little to Lochren. Judge
Long was under suspicion, and his pen
sion was suspended pending the de-
cisien of the Pension Bureau.
The confession of the Pension Office
in this case that under the act of Dec.
q the suspension of pension pending
an Investigation OF charges against its
recipient is illegal, is important to ev-
cry veteran on the rolls. Thousands
OF crippled and otherwise penniless
soldiers of the Union army throughout
the West have been deprived of their
means of sustcnance through the ca
prices of the Hoke Smith class of re-
formers in the Pension Office. To them
the news will come as happy New
Years gift that the small return made
by the Government for their unself-
ish services in the days when the
country was in danger is notdependent
on the whim of q seeker after certain
kind OF notoriety.
Judge Longs vigorous prosecution
of lis aim before the courts entities
him to the thanks ofall these sufferers.
Commissioner Lcchren sought shin
ing mark when he made IN example of
Justice of the Supreme Court cf
Michigan. He wanted u reputation
for "purging the rolls, and Re saw no
way to bring his presence in the de-
partment so prominently before the
country as to select man of Judge
Longs prominence for victim. Then
it twas "me and the bear." Judge Long
set the wheels of the courts in opera
tion in his application for mandamus.
1t became Il case of "the bear and me. !"
After his disgraceful backdown Loch-
rem will probably acknowledge that
the only object in the field now is "the
bear"