The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-29
Republicans Have Favored n Liberal
Always stood ON the Other Side.
TRUTH FROM THE RECORDS
THE OLD PENSIONERS OWE NOTHING
TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY,
And IL They Are Wise VIII Cast Their
Proved Its Faith by Its Deeds.

with malice toward none; with charity
for all, with firmness in the right, as God
gives us TO see the right. let Us strive on
the Nations wounds; to care for him who
shall have borne the battle, and for his
widow and orpShans; to do all which may
peace among ourselves and with all ma
TONS" &
These were the last official words of
Abraham Lincoln-the closing Of the Sec
ond inaugural OF that great and good Pres
ident. In view Of subsequent tragic events.
1T was an inspired prophesy-and his dying
charge to the Union and nation-loving peo-
pie for all time. When uttered. the war
had not ended. but, with prophetic vision,
he saw it's end and set forth the duties
which must follow the triumph of the
Union cause. They were, first, ito bind
up the Nations wounds second, "to care
for him who shall have borne the battle.
and for his widow and orphans" Than
this last. when the first had been accom-
plished no higher duty. in the judgment of
Abraham Lincoln, devolved upon the Ma
ton than to care for the Union soldier-to
care for him.
LINCOLN'S WORDS Needed.
How has the party of Abraham Lincoln
needed the dying injunction Of its greatest
leader? Let us see. Before the close Of
the war his party in Congress enacted a
liberal pension policy for those who re-
ceived injury in the service, and for the
heirs OF those who died for the Union
cause. This was followed after the war b.
the establishment Of the National Soldiers
Homes. In the course of time seven of
these were established. To-day they cannot
care for ten thousand needy and homeless
veterans who nave applied for admission.
Why is this? Because the party which
holds the Nations purse-strings turns a
deaf ear to the entreaties Of these needy
men. But that party is not the party of
Abraham Lincoln
In this connection let us examine the rec
ord and see how the party of Abraham
Lincoln in Congress in all these years has
needed his last charge regarding him "who
bore the battle"
Between July 1. 1862, when the first PEN
sion act was passed, until the House be-
came Democratic. in 1876. fourteen acts were
passed by Republicans charging and i'm
proving the pension system. Under these.
acts by far the greatest expenditure for
pensions now being made was authorized.
They were all Republican measures.
OF the first ten acts In the interest Of pen
sioners passed by houses which were Dem
~ocratic, between 1875 and 1889, only three
were of general application-the Mexican
pension, the arrears. and the widows in
crease bills. Let us see by whose votes
they were passed. The arrears bill was pre-
scented by Mr.. Cummings, a Kansas Repub-
lican, and was put upon it's passage by an
other Republican, Mr.. Haskell, of Kansas.
The vote on the passage of the bill in the
House was made up as follows:
Psmoerats Tor the 4s
Democrats against the bill. ............... 81
Republicans against the bill ............... 0
That is. If none but Democrats had voted,
the important arrears bill could have been
killed.
The bill increasing the pensions Of widows
from 50 to s2 per month was passed by
the House of the Forty-ninth Congress by
the following votes:
Democrats for the bill. so
Republicans for the bill lis
Democrats against the bill ................ 66
Republicans against the bfll............. 0
THE HOSTILE CLEVELAND.
Grover Cleveland was tn. first President
20 display hostility to the Union veteran.
He is not Of the party of Abraham Lincoln.
His predecessors were.
Before Cleveland the veteran of the Mex
ican war had been striving TO get a service
pension The South. where most of the
Mexican veterans reside, was solid and
strenuous for the measure. One bill passed
the Democratic House, but, because the
Republicans in the Senate made objection
to pensioning JEFF Davis as a Mexican vet
eran, the Southerners dropped the measure.
In 1866 the Mexican bill came up again
In the Senate. To 1t the Republicans in
that body attached the dependent bill''
for Union veterans and passed it. When it
came to the Democratic House the two
measures were separated, with the tacit
understanding that both should be passed.
The Mexican bill was pushed through first
and sent to the President. Nearly all the
Republicans in the Senate and House voted
for 1t. Men who had subsequently served
in the rebel army were pensionable under
the Mexican law. 1t provided that all vet
Grams of the Mexican war arriving at the
age OF sixty-two years should have IS a
month. regardless of financial condition. 1t
also contained a clause fixing a pension
to those unable to labor and in need of
help. as did the disability bill. This meas
man p~ensioned under it was General Buck
Grant.
NL@a NO
House by the insistence of Republicans.
Notice the vote passing it:
Democrats voting for the pill. ............. Go
Republicans voting for the ll...........1 ia
democrats voting against the Gill;. 76
Republicans voting against the bill. ..... o
That is. the'bill would have been defeated
II only Democrats had voted.
But the dependent bill did not become a
law. Mr.. Cleveland. who had approved a
bill for the Mexican soldiers, vetoed the
dependent bill in a message full OF in
suits to the Union veterans. Here are sem
fences from the Cleveland veto:
THE soldiers of our civil war. in their
pay and bounty, receive such compensation
for military services as have never been
received before since mankind went 10 war.
- The really needy and homeless sol
diers of the rebellion have been. to a
homes. =. 1t is sad. but nevertheless
true. that In the matter of procuring pen
eionS there exists a widespread disregard
OF truth and good faith: and there can be
no doubt that the race after pensions Of
he yetoed,) would not only stimulate weak
ness and pretended incapacity for labor,
but would put a further premium on dis
honesty and mendacity."
What think you of such insults hurled
at veterans by the man who became Pres
fdent because they saved the country?
What think you, veterans. of the cornpen-
sation you received as being the measure
Of your service? Compare such cold
blooded estimates of the Union soldiers
service with the great-heartedness OF Lin
coin. which prompted him to say. Ito care