The National tribune., 1894-07-19
AN OPEN LETTER.
To the President of the United States.

Sir: The prompt and effective way in
which you have recently asserted the
majesty of the law has won you
golden opinions from all sorts of people
You did your plain, obvious duty in the
matter of the Debs Instruction. You
recognized to the fullest extent that the
prime duty of the Chief Executive of
the United States is to see that the laws
are executed and that no man or combl-
nation of men must be allowed to dis
obey them under any pretext, though 1t
may be necessary to employ the whole
National power to enforce obedience.
The resolute, unhesitating way with
which you brought TO the scene of dis
turbance enough force to overawe the
insurgents and gave everyone to under
stand that if that force was not sufficient,
YOU would draw on the limitless re-
sources of the country until you had
enough, was Renaissance of Washing
ton, jackson, Lincoln, and Grant, that
awoke the warm praise of the entire
Nation. The whole press commends
you, both Houses of Congress have passed
practically unanimous resolutions warmly
indorsing your course, and similar action
has been taken at every public meeting
held since.
The NATIONAL TRIBUNE is second
to none in its cordial approval of your
acts
The great lesson which this teaches
YOU, as well as all of us, is, that the
great American people are devotedly
law-abiding. They believe with the
utmost intensity that under any and all
circumstances the law must be supreme,
and whatever legislation is duly placed
upon the statute-book, with the pre-
scribed formalities, must be executed IN
good faith and implicitly obeyed by
every man, woman, and child within
our boundaries.
Now, Mr. President, We take the first
opportunity after the triumphant asser-
ton of the sacredness of those portions
of our laws relating to the transporta-
ton of the mails and to interstate COM
merce, to call your attention to another
set of laws which are being fagrantly
violated, not, it is true, by the rude
violence of riotous combinations of men,
but the equally effective method Of
notification by the officials appointed
to execute them.
As you are doubtless aware, Congress
and the grateful country made certain
definite, binding promises to the 2,000,-
600 men who enlisted at the eountry's
call, from 1861 to 1865, to save the
Government from the destruction which
millions of other men were striving to
accomplish
The commonest, most ordinary Justice
required that the country should make
proper provision for those who sacrificed
themselves for its benefit and popular
gratitude was raised to the highest pitch
by the splendid gallantry, fortitude and
selfabnegation displayed by those who
devoted themselves to the grand work
of rescue.
From time to time Congress passed
laws to put into practical effect the jus
tiee and gratitude of the country, and
these laws eliminated In the act of June
%, 1890. 1t was the clear, the obvious,
the unmistakable intention of that Iegis-
lation that every man who honorably
served in the Army or Navy of the
United States, and suffered on account
of that service, should receive some
measure of compensation for his injuries
The years of consideration and discussion
which preceded the passage of each Of
these laws leave their object and intent
so mdisputable that We should waste
time IN argument upon that point.
| All these laws still remain upon the
statute books They are there just a.
they were passed by Congress and ap
proved by your predecessors Not &
clause, not section, not word has beer
changed. They are just as much law
as they ever were-itrst as mich laws al