The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-01-22
EVERETT POST RESOLUTIONS.


OF series OF resolutions purpor;ing 10
have been passed by John Buford Post.
No. s. @. A R.. at its regular meeting
January IS They are as follows:
Whereas. the Seattle Post Inteliigencer
has published many unwarranted ana
false statements relative 10 honoraely as
charged Union soldiers who served the
country faithfully from thirty-three 10
thirty-seven years ago. and who are DOW.
in their old age. drawing pensions from
the government IN accordance win t.1e
honestly executed laws thereof. such pup
locations being calculated and intended 70
bring contempt upou veterans anu pen
sioners generally by holding them up as
frauds and cheats before the young gen
Grafton. teaching that veterans as
class, and especially pensioners. are, &c. q
very large and continually increasing eS-
tent. dishonest pretenderS; canpans tAs
climax Of said slanderous publications. ~
its Issue OF January IL under the tIsiS,
The Pension Issue wherein IL quotes ~
length and fully Endorses a TRADE or Vie
abuse of old soldiers and pensioners from
one DIR. Stebbins, which false and vliialia-
Gus TRADE the Pos,-Infelligencer charac-
terizes as the most important or receh'
contributions 10 the vsxed subject Oh pen
sions; and
fuses TO publish any statements argu-
ments or facts contributed by old sol
diers or pensioners themselves, Tor ths
purpose Of showing the oasenesS ana
refusing such free and open discussion
takes occasion TO reply. through its cob
umns TO such communications. iaisiIy-
ing and misconstruing the statements. ar
guments and facts thus supmitteu' ho",
therefore be Il
Resolved by this post at regular
meeting thereof that we condemn the
action OF the Post-inteliigencsr n tiis
ardly and that OF necessity We must class
it with the 'soidier-hating' papers or the
country which are a disgrace 10 civiiiza-
ton and blot upon the fair escutcheon
u '"e II. p. BuDD. Commander.
.eR. X. BEECHAM, Adjutant."
The immediate occasion for the passage
of the resolutions is the daclination OF
the Observation-Disclosures to publish letter
from Mr.. Beecham so offensive n tone and
expression that it could not be admitted
to these columns In its original form.
Here IS the Introductory sentence; and it
suffices to illustrate the general character
of the letter:
II read the article IN your issue of
yesterday under the caption The Pension
Issue with a feeling or disgust for
doctor of medicine who makes the SIAN
derous and false statements with which
you credit him, and also for the editor
of a great daily newspaper who will re-
hash, republish and commend as truth
full such vile and extravagant statements
and insinuations.'
Reference to the Post-Intelligencer Of
January II will disclose that with single
unimportant exception the Post-Intelli-
gencer did not vouch for the assertions
of DR.. Stebbns; but 1t did agree with
his conclusions.
e. In h1 m
an editorial entitled "The Soldiers Best
Friend" and reading In part as follows:
THE Post-Intelligencer Is in receipt OF
a letter from an old soldier at Everett,
who Is a type with which IL Is exceeding
ly difficult to deal, because he Is as quick
to fight with his pen as he was with MS
sword when his sword was called for by
his country.
This veteran Is Just the kind Of SOL
der we desire ourselves TO do battle Tor.
allowed is the miserable pittance OF ss.e2ia
a month, while there was until quite re-
Gently pensioner who, according TO our
correspondent, had lost neither leg. nor
five senses. who had been drawing pen
sion of So a month. This may be mis-
take of our correspondent, but whether
the amount Is So month or ~. year;
there Is something wrong. IL IL was y
a month ii is too small for disabled sol
der: il ii was $40 month 1t was out OF
all proportion to the $S.6z12 our correspond
ent receives. -, $50
with another proof that he is on the same
side with us. He says that the widow OF
a poor comrade who was buried uay OF
so ago would only draw Siz month,
whila the widows OF generals get from
81 900 10 5000 a year. 1t IS just such IN
CAPABILITIES and perversions as make men
Indignant"
We submit that this was mild and
courteous reply. and that 1t showed un-
usual consideration for the feelings ana
prefudices OF this old soldier and Tor
others who may have sympathized with
him.
Now "a to these resolutions: II may be
supnosed that they were passed by Bu-
ford Pos, under misapprehension or
the facts. and through the guidance or
Comraae Beecham. They are silly, vici-
GUS and extravagant In spirit. and entire
iy unjust and untrue In assertion. II Is
rot true that the Post-Intelligencer has
published false and unwarranted state
nents as 20 the Id soldier. II 10 not true
that the Post-Intelligencer has refused
10 publish any statements. arguments or
facts contributed by old soldiers or any
other persons. with the exception or the
Beecham letter, which contained no argu-
ment. few facts and much abuse. On the
contrary this paper invites honest criti-
clsrn and invariably prints news articles
or communications without fear or favor.
whether they support or controvert any
position Il has taken. There Is a pro-
found and general conviction throughout
the United States that there are gross
swindes under the prevailing pension
system, and there is just now wide
spread movement to have them exposed
and the abuses corrected. To tina. end II
IL desired that the pension list be pub
l,shed. II 1t shall then be found that there
arc few or no fraudulent pensions. IL Is
not 20 be disputed that the whole system
will thereafter be in better oior. and the
present policy indicated. II 1t Is found
that there are undeserving and fraudulent
pensioners. who will object TO their be-
ing dropped? The G.. A. r.? OF course
not.
That the position OF the Post-rntell.-
gencer has been grossly misunderstood
and misstated by the Everett resolutions.
the following expressions selected at ran
dom from the editorial page OF this paper
during the past several weeks. viii indi-
cate:
The object OF pension revision "a not so
much 10 avoid payment tof pensiOnsl as TO
prevent payment TO persons who do no.
deserve observation-disclosures Jana-
airy Is.
cot course the soldiers want undeserv-
fug pensioners dropped The policy OF the
pension laws IS right and just."--post- In
teiGEencer. December y.
No rightminded and loyal citizen Oh
facts 10 liberal treatment OF the solder" 49,
Post-inteihEeHcer December =
at is an Insult 10 them cine soldiers a.
class 10 say that they desire the United