The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1899-02-02
THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE ON PENSIONS.

There has been no especial occasion fol
it. There never is for any Of them
The Tribune does not need an occasion
Its normal condition is that of angry
dissatisfaction that the men Of tn,
Union army should be paid anything
for saving the country. and when it has
for the moment, nothing else to abuse i
pours out its wrath upon the pensioners
Many reasons have been given fol
this chronic hostility of the Tribune
Three of the most plausible are:
/. The veterans of tho West, will
whom it had large weekly circulation
in $40, dropped it in a body. when il
turned against Gen. Grant, and thei'
detection was so fatal that it had to
cease the publication of its profitable
weekly edition. 1t has never forgiven
them this.
2. 1t has always had strong Free
Trade proclivities, and recognized, with
other Free Trade organs, that large pen
sion payments were a powerful obstacle
in the way of its pet policy.
8. 1t has always aimed to be sort OF
a Chicago replica of the New York
Evening POSt-the organ of the "cul-
cbahed clahses," as against the masses OF
common people. Pensions 60 almost
wholly to common people. Therefore,
they are vulgar and low, consequently
wrong.
The following are portions of the
Tribune's latest screed against pensions
Pensions have been bestowed on the unde-
serving as well as the deserving Men who
were in the service so short time that they
never saw skirmish or had a davis illness
have been put on the penson-roll. or where
they have died their widows, parents. and
children have been pensirned. Men who
were unfit to serve when they enlisted, who
never rendered any service, and never should
have been accepted are being taken care of
by the taxpayers Men who have recovered
fully from all the disabilities they labor-d
under once and are earning a good living
without difficulty still draw their pensions.
While the people have been grumbIing. in
low tones at first, and then more loudly.
a out the cost of the pension system. the
demaSogues in Congress have been on the
lockout for opportunities TO swell the pension
rolls, in order to gain votes Nobody in
Congress has dared to propose to reform the
evils Of the pension system for fear OF being
called an enemy of the old soldiers ~ and
becoming unpopular. The hour is coming,
however, when the people will demand the
abatement Of pension abuses and Congress
will have to attend to the matter.
A prominent pension attorney states il as
his conclusion, based on 90 years experience,
that one-fourth of Those now on the rolls
could be dropped if the law provided that
pensions should he made payable only to
those who heing otherwise entitled BY reason
of military service disability. etc, are with
out the means of obtaining comfortable
support independent of their own daily labor
He states that there are thousands of pen
sioners who own property enough to make
them independent aud many who are actually
wealthy. There are instances in this city,
If one-fourth of the names on the pension
roll were striken off there would be saving
in round numbers of nearly 40, 600, 000 IL
the names of mcn-or their iamilies-who
receive pensions, but DO not need them, and
Of those who, whether they do or do not
=" need F" pensions, are not entitled TO them
were striker off the rolls, there would he a
saving of "a, 900, 600, or the increased cost of
the military establishment. Why should
not that saving he made?
The next Congress should revise the tax,
fraud-begettiDg pension laws. The pension
roll should be purged, so that it may be a
roll of honor. The names OF the unworthy
should be stricken from it in spite OF the
interested protests of those pensioners and
their friends and the shrieks Of the dema-
gogues who want their votes. The money
which has been paid oct improperly cannot
be recovered, but the Government and the
taxpayers can be protected against future
spoiation. The people have been slpgularly
patient, but they cannot endure any longer,
especially when new claims are to be made
on their resources. the payment of tens of
millions in the form Of pensions to persons
who should not get cent.
This is merely repetition of similar
articles which it has published from time
to time, with nothing new in statement
or manner of putting its false allega-
tons. For aught we know to the
contrary it may keep the article stand
ing and reprint it yerbatim whenever
the mood strikes it.
1t is as wanton and reckless in its
falsehoods as the paper it initiates
the New York Evening Post. 1t cares
absolutely nothing for the facts. Facts
are also common, low and vulgar
They are the things that common
plebeians use in arguments. "Cul-
chahed clahses should disdain them
as they disdain eating pie with knife,
or crumbling bread in their soup.
The Chicago Tribune simply cannot