San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-10-13
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Oct. II. 1894.

which political craftsmanship
should never be introduced, is now
being used to coerce applicants for
pensions to vote for Democratic
candidates for Congress. Certainly
a more shameful abuse of au-
thority has never been known in
Washington. 1t is stated that no
applications will be acted upon
between now and the date Of the
Congressional election, except
those endorsed by the Democratic
candidate for Congress in the dis
trict in which the applicant has a
vote, and in order that Democratic
candidates may have a chance to
try to influence the vote of every
applicant for pension in their dis
trict they are furnished with lists,
giving names and addresses, by
the Pension Bureau. The number
of names on these lists furnished
| to the Democrats in single state
-Indiana-eXceeds $4,000. There
is double ignominy 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
| pittance for which they have APP
piled. Second, in taking up the
| time of clerks in the Pension Bur-
eau to prepare lists Of applicants
to be used by Democratic candi-
dates, thus lessening the number
of applications granted and rob-
| bling the old soldiers out of jus
that much assistance. And all
for the purpose of making votes
for the Democratic party, which
has during the short time it has
been in power managed to do the
country more harm, aside from
actual loss of life, than did four
years of war. AS rule the old SOL
diers are thoroughly patriotic, and
for that reason it is doubtful
whether these tactics will influence
many of them to vote to send a
Democrat to Congress, thus help
ing to continue the Democratic
time of the last year and half.
The roorback season began a
little earlier in this campaign than
it usually does, but there is reason
for the belief that the publication
of the first one, that charging the
chairman of the Republican Con-
gressional campaign committee
with being mixed up with the dis
tribution of A. P. A. literature,
was premature. The Democrats
were quietly nursing it with the
intention of using it in all dis
tricts where the Catholic vote is
heavy a day or two before election,
when it would have been too late
for it's correction, but newspaper
man got hold of it and having
more desire to furnish his paper
with a sensation than to serve the
Democratic party he sent it out
and it was printed. OF course the
story is too silly to be accepted by
any but the most credulous. 1t car
| ries its own contradiction on its
face. No man not an idiot in Chair
man Babcock's position would
hold any relations with the A. P.
| A. or any other organization with
similar object in view, and Chair
man Babcock is so far removed
from being an idiot that he is re-
garded as one of the best campaign
managers the Congressional COM
mittee has ever had. Mr.. BabcOck
will this week go to his own dis
trict, to look after his reelection,
leaving representative Apaley, OF
Mass, vice-chairman, in charge of
the Congressional committee.
The result of the Georgia legis-
lative election has put the Demo-
cratic campaign committee into
what closely resembles panic. Its
members now concede the loss of
one Georgia Congressional dis
trict to the populists and other
Democrats say they will be lucky
if they do not lose at least three.
There is disposition among DEM
ocrats to make Senator Faulkner,
who is chairman of their cam
paign committee, the scape. goat
for the unpromising outlook Of
their Congressional campaign.
They say that he either Intention
ally misrepresents the situation or
or is such confirmed rainbow
chaser that he is unable to see
things as they are. The do
not object to his making
his talks for publication rain
hued, but they say that he
talks the same way to them
when they know better, and they
think If he doesn't know any bet
5 ter that he isn't fit to be at the
head of the committee. Hoke