The National tribune., 1894-08-09
LET rs HAVE 1T SETTLED.

next Congress is now opening. Some OF
the members of the present Congress
have already been among you, giving an
account of their stewardship, and the
rest soon will be.
You have now an opportunity OF say
ing who shall constitute working major
ity of the next House, and just what
their policy shall be. The 100000
surviving Union veterans hold the bal
ance of power in sufficient number OF
the Congressional Districts to make sure
that enough of the right kind of men are
sent to Congress to secure their rights.
Now comes the day for accounting for
the past and making sure of the future.
1t is sufficient characterization of the
policy of the past Is months to say most
emphatically that we want and will have
no more of it. We have no earthly use
for any man who even attempts to ex-
cuse it. Every man who is a member
of the present House must take his share
of the responsibility for this odious pol
icy, for it was within the power of Con-
gress to have ordered change at any
time.
Let us also have it as clearly under
stood as words can make it that we want
absolutely not one syllable more Of the
wretched, lying palaver of two years
ago: Observing veterans need have
no fear" True soldiers may rest
easy" "Only the bountyjumpers and
cofee-coolers will be purged from the
roll they disgrace" @The pension-roIl
must be made roll of honor" etc.
1t is scarcely to be believed that any
man will have the hardihood to attempt
to repeat any Of this noiseme rot, but if
he does, it simply should not and will
not be endured when veterans are pres
ent to resent it.
Let the comrades make it unmistak-
ably plain to every politician that every
where, and to the last man, they are
mad all the way through" at the
shamelessly-wicked treatment of which
the veterans have been made the victims
that they are solidly united to obtain a
revolutionary change Of policy; that
they will not be put off with any more
sounding palaver or tricky antiquities
but that the man who expects single
vote from them must repudiate and con-
denim entirely the course of the past Is
months, and pledge himself clearly,
specifically, and without mental reserva-
ton, equivocation or evasion to secure
at once the rights to which veterans are
entitled.
To begin with, we wanted the laws
already on the statute book erecuted-
carried out in good faith and promptly
In their entirety. We want them Loyalty
applied in letter and spirit, just as they
were passed by Congress and approved
by the President. Where they say that
man fulfilling certain requirements
shall be given pension We want that to
be considered as a mandate, to be obeyed
promptly and to the letter. We want
this thing stopped at once of considering
it merely as a permission-a privilege
given the subordinate appointed to exc
cute the law of giving the pension to
those to whom he feels inclined, and
at such time as suits him, and refusing
it to others. The laws must be made
to mean just exactly what they say
not what sundry officials and certain
party policy decide they ought to mean.
No official has the slightest right to alter
or amend the laws or choose his own
time and way Of executing them. No
subordinate official has any justification
whatever for the arrogant assumption
that the laws do not really mean all that
is implied in their language, and that it
is his business TO construe and mutilate
them and apply only such portions of
them as please him and those associ-
ated with him. The thing is simply
monstrous to American ways of think
ing, and let US have American ways of
thinking in the next election.
Particularly we want the act of June
q, 1890, enforced strictly according to
I