The National tribune., 1899-06-08

It's mimic splendors and its cloud-like bars,
There shall free labor's hardy children
stand,
The equal sovereigns Of a freeman's land"
With fertile lands yielding an abundant
increase; with splendid systems of trans
portation; with commerce extending to
almost every section; with. a mighty popu-
lation increasing in wealth, annually-ln
the presence of blessings like these, thrill
ing with the consciousness Of citizenship
in Government more glorious than any
that ever existed, surely We should be
thankful for a privilege so great.
All this is the result of the
HEROIC WORK OF THE DEFENDERS
of the Union. Had they failed the Union
would have been dissolved, the silver cord
loosed, the golden bowl broken at the foun-
tain: rival cOnfederacieS Of States at war
with each other; ferocious factions strug-
Cling for supremacy-hate, malice and
treachery rampant; with one flag here, and
another flag yonder, while Old Glory would
be folded up and laid away among the
memorials that preserve the memory OF
the dead Republics.
When think of what these men have
done l feel that if the poorest and hum
biest of their number were placed i'll rags
| by the side Of the most exalted son Of roy
atty arrayed in the finest raiment OF the
L
| of the old soldier OF the Union and hail him
noblest of men, for none are titled nobler
| than the man who is but an American.
Surely it is right, just and proper that
our Government has provided so literally
| for caring for the defenders Of the Union
| i'll their old age by the establishment OF
Soldiers Homes, and by
PROPER PENSION LEGISLATION.
The money paid for pensions nearly all
remains in this country, and it goes di,
rectly into the channels of trade, and
greatly reduces local taxation for the sup
port Of the poor; some Of it goes to poor
| farmers and farmers widows. In every
country hamlet and village, as we'll as in
every city, the physician, the druggist,
landlord, all are directly interested, for as
soon as the pensioner receives the pension
money the first duty is to pay for the neces-
saries of life, which have been furnished
by their neighbor tradesmen in expectancy
OF the forthcoming pension.
| During the awful financial depression
in this country, a few years ago, all the
banks locked the money up in their vaults,
and poor people could get no work, be-
cause there was no money in circulation
with which to pay them, or to carry on
business. Everything was at stand
everywhere. Then it was that the PEN
sions proved of such great benefit to poor
people. for that money came regularly
from the Nations Treasury, and scat
tered contentment and peace throughout
the homes of thousands Of poor men and
friend the poor people have to-day in this
country.
We are told that men are getting PEN
Sions who don't deserve them, because,
Judging from appearances, they seem not
| to be deserving. But who can tell, by
looking at the man,
| WHAT HIS WOUNDS
or ailments may be? l assert that no
man could pass through the hardships OF
war, on march, in the camp, and on the
battlefield, and emerge therefrom the same
man-physically or mentally-that he
was when he enlisted. He may never
have received a wound, may never have
| been confined in a hospital; but, never
| theleSS, no human body can Withstand the
shock and strain OF war and be as good as
| it was before.
| We hear so much, also, about the large
number of frauds on the pension roll. or
| course, there may be some who are frauds.
| There are nearly million names on the
pension-roll, and it would be very re-
markable if there were not some which
ought not to appear there. Can you gather
| together a million men and women in this
world anywhere and not find some who
are frauds? But if the frauds are as
numerous among the pensioners as some
people assert they. are, why are they not
| brought to punishment? We have a
| strong Government, which is ever ready
with a mighty force of officers, sworn to do
4 their duty, skilled and well equipped foI
| the purpose OF bringing criminals who
| violate the laws of the country to justice.
Let them proceed to arrest all these frauds,
and let them be punished to the full extent
of the law;
LET NO GUILTY PERSON ESCAPE.
But when one may be discovered, and
brought to the bar Of justice, let him or heI
be dealt with as an individual pension
fraud-not in such manner as to cast q
stigma upon all other persons who may
be drawing a pension. Because one mem.
Der of large family may become Grim.
inal is no reason that any one should in
innate, by insinuation or inuendos, that
all the other members Of that family are
criminals.
We do not believe that any person
should be given a pension who is not en-.
titled to it under the law. We do not be-
lieve in throwing open the United States
Treasury to the pension seekers. No, moi
by any means. We want to protect the
Treasury; SO do these old soldiers; they
are just as loyal to-day as they ever were;
they protected that Treasury once with
their arms and with their lives, and would
do so again, if need be. They do not want
4 cent 10 WHICH tney are nOt enIltleu. but
if one of them is entitled under the law to
a pension, even but So q month, let the
great, rich, and powerful Republic which
they once saved give it in a princely way,
as though it were genuine pleasure to
do so. and not in a grudging way, as
though he was not entitled to it.
MOST OF THE OLD SOLDIERS ARE POOR;
they did not have an equal chance for &C
formulating wealth with their fellow-citi-
zens who remained at home while they
went to war.
Then those who remained at home and
lprospered should raise no objection to a
grateful Nations properly and justly car
ing for those who bore the brunt of the con-
lfiict which rendered the existence of this
mighty Nation a possibility.
| Certain laws have been enacted by Con-
gress granting pensions to disabled sol
diers and their dependents. The mem
bers of Congress represent the people
they are bone Of their bone, flesh of their
flesh, and blood of their blood-they know
what the people want, and they are held
Irresponsible by the people for what the
they do in Congress. 1t was evidently in.
tended by Congress to render Justice tc
whom justice is due. Therefore, in the ad-
ministration of those laws, q generous and
Il r.s,A-