The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-12-12

lie of all the reputed very rich families.
They have never made any very great
display of their wealth. They have new
er Haunted their riches i'm the face OF
the public lin an offensive manner. They
have never oppressed or quarreled with
labor. They have always paid literally
to those whom they employed. The VAN
derhEts have perhaps given more TO
charity than any other single family IN
tina United Staltes and less has gotten
in ITO the newspapers about It, They
ars' as different from The Rockefellers IN
their business methods as day Is brill
liant over night.
1t is to be hoped that the pension List
will be printed. That is the name OF
every person drawing a pension. rms
will make good reading. 1t will display
the names of some of the most giganu-c
frauds of the pres nit century. 1t VIII
show the names of thousands of persons.
living upon the bounty of the govern
ment who are not entitled to 1t. 1t will
show the names of men who have per-
jured themselves time and time again
that they might receive money from the
government. 1t will show the names
of men who never did days service
as soldiers. 1t will show the names OF
men who have lied and swdndled in order
to defraud the governm. mt. 1t has oreen
been remarked that the pension roi
should be one of honor. So 1t shouIa.
If the pension list be printed lit will show
a magnificent roll of d.shonor EVERY
man whose name is upon the pension
roll. and who lis not entitled to pen
sion should be exposed.
AS the pension roll now stands nearly
one-half of the entire federal revenue
is employed to pay pensions. The pres
emit estimate by congress to meet the
pensions for the next year, WIFI exceed
$14O, 000, 900. There are now 100000 appM-
cants for more pensions. 1 have great
respect for the men who fought. 1 don't
care upon which side. A soldier was
soldier. He fought for what The believed
was right. Both political parties, es-
pecially the repu bffcans, have used the
pension office as a political lever. When
Garfield was a candidate for the prts.-
dency in 1880, more than one thousand
employees of the pension office We're
placed in field service in Ohio and In
diana for the purpose of aiding in car
ryfng those states at the October cleo
tons In 1884, when James g. Elaine
was a candidate for the presidency. Will
liam w. Dudley, of "block-of-five" fame,
was practically manager Of the republ-
can campaign in THE state of OHIO. lie
granted pensions by the thousand While
travelling through the state. His nat
was his office. Every applicant, II he
were a republican, had his petition I'M
medately granted. If HE was doubtful
but promised to vote the republican
ticket the result was the same.
The democratic party at the north rs
cowardIy upon the subject of pensions.
The old soldier vote in the northern
states holds both parties up by the tall
There are many republicans in the
northern states who would like to re-
form the pension rolls If they dared TO
do lit. Upon this question every man
who occupies a seat in congress from
northern state is a moral coward. The
method that has been pursued by the
pension department is nothing less than
Infamous. 1t has paid every beggar who
applied. All the pensioner had to do was
to proclaim politics in harmony with
that of the chief of the pension bureau
The pension department has been little
less than a political machine pt IS
proper to pension those who fought, but
in the name of the people throw out the
names of the camp followers and other
thieves who rendered no service what
ever.