The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-11-07
The PENSIONER
A Complete Answer to One Of the Special
Pleas of the Goldites.

Pleas of the Goldites.
Of all the special pleas made by the
goldites the one addressed to the PEN
sioner is perhaps the most reprehensible.
From whatever standpoint we approach
t the plea is not only devoid of merit
in e%oonnmics, but it is open to the &C.
yerest condemnation because Of the
spirit in which it is made.
In the first place the millionaire
bankers who, the world over, are at the
head of the gold standard movement
endeavor to delude the old soldier into
the belief that they are peculiarly and
exclusively his friends. Men who vir.
tually control the worlds limited sup
ply Of gold, and who realize millions Of
dollars profit on a single bond dicker,
seek to make it appear that a policy
which gives them such advantages is
just the thing for an So per month pen.
sioner. The fact that all of their inter.
ests lie on the side of approaching gold,
while the pensioners s. per month is
generally but a small part of his inter-
ests, is studiously kept out Of sight. Let
us make a comparison. A mans wealth
consists mostly OF money and money OBJ
legations, and it amounts to, we will
say, 81, 900, 900. If that money can be
so appreciated as to add 10 per cent to
its purchasing power it is equivalent to
adding 800, 900 to his wealth. The
same process will, Of course, increase
the purchasing power Of the old SOL
dier's pension. His IS will be enhanced
10 per cent and become worth So. 80. So
the millionaire says to the old soldier:
"Pard, our interests are identical. We
are both Of us benefited by big dollars
I make 500, 900 on my money invested;
you make 80 cents a month on your
pension. Hurrah for honest money!
Shakel'
But it SO happens that the pensioner
owns a little farm worth perhaps 81, 600.
As the money goes up the prices Of his
products go down. A crop that was
worth last year $500 shrinks to $3.50,
and the farm itself drops in the same
ratio. He has gained 80 cents a month
on his pension and lost 81 a month Oh
his crop. Ultimately he may lose his
farm through inability to pay the mort
gage, if there happen to be one on it.
"Oh," says his banker friend, ''that
cannot be helped, it is simply the vicis-
situde Of fortune. You see there is over.
production Of the things you are raising.
Hence the low prices. But don't think
Of that. Just look at the big dollars
you are getting on pension account"
But" replies the pensioner, 'these
big dollars will not pay any more
debts or taxes than they used to when
they were not SO big, AMI as a result l
have lost my home" "Well," answers
the banker, "that is too bad, Of course,
but then you know we must have hon.
est money, and we are determined that
you shall not be swindled by these sill
yer knaves on your pension. That must
be held sacred"
Again, this plea to the pensioner pro.
ceeds upon the theory that the old SOL
der is thoroughly and Internationally
selfish. That no matter how b~lighting
the effect upon the nation, how de-
structive to the prosperity of his friends
and neighbors the gold standard may
be, the veteran who rlsked his life for
his country's salvation is perfectly in
different to its prosperity now and ut
terly callous to the suffering around
him so long a he can get his pension
Of So, So Or $12 a month in appreciated
money.
Every pensioner in the country ought
to. and every really deserving pensioner
will, resent such an imputation upon his
patriotism.
The pensioner is entitled to ''honest
dollars, - but he is not entitled to any,
thing more. A dollar that is growing
bigger all the time is not honest, and
neither the %pensioner nor any other per-
son has a right to exact pay in such
money.
The writer is not himself a pensioner,
but he was an humble member of the
army of the Union, and his heart beats
in perfect sympathy with every just and
proper measure for the benefit of his
comrades in arms. But he knows that
an approaching standard of values ex-
torts from every debtor more than he
owes, burdens every taxpayer with more
than he ought to pay, and robs every
honest producer of a portion Of his just
due. A system that leads to such results
must be destructive of national prosper
ity and cannot be defended upon any
principle ever taught by the Saviour Of
man.
If. in any case, the old soldiers pen
sion is too small, let it be increased, hut
it should never be allowed to increase
by a rise in the purchasing power OF
money, for a rise Of money means a
fall in the prices of those things out Of
which the pension must be paid.
If the %pensioner expects to retain his
hold upon the affections of the Ameri.
can people, who so ungrudgingly con-
tribute to the payment Of his monthly
allowance, he must place himself on the
loftiest plane Of patriotism and prove
by his actions that he loves his country
as we'll now as he did in the days Of
long ago.
Every day men come into this Office
wearing free silver buttons and Grand
Army badges side by side on their
breasts, and it is a pleasure to believe
that in this great battle for struggling
humanity the veterans of the Union
army will not be blinded by gilt edged
rhetoric, by appeals to the war spirit of
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