The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-10-21
To the Old Soldier.

10 Jne Old soldier.
Editor Of the Watchmdu;-I advise all
soldiers who saved the Constitution and
the Union in the War OF 1861, democrat and
republican alike, to vote for Major McKin-
ley for president in the int rest Of pensions.
Moreover, the soldiers vote was never as
solid, never AZ large, including the votes OF
sons and Of other relatives Of veterans,
and never played a more important part in
any, election than in vim ing the recent
grand, unprecedented republican victory in
Vermont.
The soldiers are men Of family, of church,
Of state, Of honor and integrity, found in
every post, camp, city and town in this
country, retaining the power, in peace as
well as war, to protect law, regulate liberty
and to save the nation.
They belong exclusively to neither OF the
great political parties. When no grave
question Is in issue they vote for fair hon
est and prompt administration of existing
pension laws, the measures and acts OF both
parties, sustained by the Cons titution and a
/ grateful people, and have generally voted
for the successful candidate in every presi-
dental election since the war
! Immediately on the election of Gro yer
| Cleveland, the great author Of pens ion
vetoes, in November, 1892, the democrats
/ who opposed pensions, unmindtul OF the
unpopularity Of the Harrison adminstra.
! ton Of pensions with the veterans whose
! commissioners of pensions had been in
]
| the view of his removal from office, con-
| cluded the soldiers vote had lost it3 signif-
canoe in elections, and showed their colors.
! The Hon. William j. Bryan wrote for the
eve OF the presiden'-rlect and published in
! his paper the Omaha World-Hefdid, Novem-
Der IS, 1892 an article on pensions in which
he said:
"The appropriation that congress must
make for pensions next session must ag-
prepate not less than S1S6 100000. This
tratnanhoua OH m wOul1 in itSplf he pn0nUh
/ to run reasonable government. One
would not complain If it were an honest
debt but a large portion is not debt, be-
| cause it was never carr ed by any act OF
patriotism or heroic service. The govern
mrut 10 held up and despoiled Of no mi can
D, + ion of this, and it seems helpless to
defend itself One cannot help being curl
! Gus to know how many more years 1t will
tax to exhaust the generation which feels
Itself in jured by the war. 1t is safe to say
that never did generation display such re-
markable longevity
Grover Cleveland became PRESIDENT in
March, 1893 He continued his opposition
to pensions in Ste tie paper to congress,
ca ling attention to well known pension
frauds in thousands Of neighborhoods, that
should be exposed and corrected with
prom tness and vigor. From Anderson
vile, Ca, to Fort Smelling, Mimi, he Sc
lected men adverse to giving pensions to
Union soldiers for heads of the bureau of
pensions With the pension laws az libe raj
az they ever were, with 800 900 applications
waiting consideration GOO 600 OF which were
said to be complete, ready for pensi ion
certificates to issue), with the usual appro-
priation for the payment Of pensions already
made. with 1900 willing hands in the bureau
of pensions ready 10 continue the gladstone
work of giving pensions TO needy soldiers,
the granting of pensions well nigh stopped.
Not content ia rejecting pending claims,
the anti.pension administration reviewed
the completed work of all prior administra-
tions, cutting down and cutting off PEN
sions Special examiners and special de-
tectives from the pension Office located and
travelled in all parts OF the country, search
ing for pension frauds, which they did nj
find The pensioners, aged and respected
citizens at home, who should have been
allowed to enjoy their pensions in peace,
were bounded and Swallowed like criminals.
The withholding of pensions that the law
gave the veterans at the end OF the first year
of this al ti-pension policy, left S25 900 600 of
the appropriation unexpended in the treas
ury. Every salary and very other debt of
the government had been paid in full. This
Reputation of pensions carried distress and
grief in to thousands of neighborhoods. 1t
filled the soldiers and charity homes to
OVERLOOKING, and the owe rtiow it consigned
to the poorhouse and to pauper graves.
The great search for frauds in the pension
rolls found none worthy of mention, but
the Withholding of pensions has con tinued.
The cry OF fraud was a sham, and the sol
diers understand it, The Chicago demo-
cratic convention condemned many things
in Clevelands administration, but his anti
pension policy it did not condemn. Bry-
ans letter of acceptance favored pensions
to worthy soldiers but worthy soldiers with
him appear to be the dead soldiers. No
amount of praise for the dead can atone for
lack of kindness to the living
Major Mckinley is soldier with good
war record. He is kindly disposed towards
his comrades in arms. He is in favor of
fair, honest and prompt adjudication of pen
sion claims and in favor of good govern
ment for all, and deserves the vote of every
veteran in the present contest,
T. j. DEAvITT.