The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-08-20
CONFEDERATE PENSIONS.
A Strong Commentator of Con-
CHEESEMAN'S Burke's Utternnces.
To the Editnr of The Post

| strong commentator of Con-
CHEESEMAN'S Burke's Utternnces.
To the Editor of The Post.
| Columbus. Texas, August 17.--In your
issue Of yesterday your correspondent from
Fort Worth publishes the report of the
committee of R. E. Lee camp, United Con-
federate Veterans, and you head the ar
ticle. Congressman Burke Scored" 1t
seems that Judge Burke at the Confederate
reunion in Waxahachie on the Sd instant,
in speaking of the present "pauper pen
sion" law, made use of the following re-
marks:
During the time that has elapsed since
| the civil war, you have seldom seen an
| ex-Confederate soldier a pensioner upon
| his neighbors. They have succeeded in
| making living, and. as Confederate
| soldier | think this pension, offered by
Texas, Is wrong. There are men in my
| own county (Dallas) who are not entitled
to pension. ! believe that time will
remedy all these things; SO long as God
gives a Confederate soldier ability to make
a living, he should stay away from the
pension rolls. / have seen enough, as
your representative in congress, to disgust
me with pension rolls. j believe we have
Union soldiers who are entitled to PEN
have them; but when ] see, as ] have
seen, and when l know, as l know today,
that men are drawing from $50 $50 and
$40, also salary as congressman, as
United States senator, as prominent cff-
Gals of the government when know this
to be a fact | look with closene5s and
with scrutiny, for | know some of the
Confederates are attempting to draw
pension from the State government which
Northern pensioner"
These, 1t seems from the report of the
committee, are the words and the senti-
ments of an ex-Confederate comrade,
spoken to a Confederate reunion of veteran
soldiers of the Confederate army, which
are attempted to be criticised and anathe-
matized by the committee of Confederate
camp of veterans at Fort Worth.
Now in that report the committee calls
to the attention of Judge Burke, and the
Confederate Veterans association. that he
violates one of the tenets of the associa-
ton, which declares and enjoins on him
ito extend courtesies ON every lifting oc-
casion, to our late adversaries in arms"
and the report says: 'If our comrades zeal
to score a point against his present ad-
versaries would not allow him to do SO.
he should remember that all over the
State these helpless and dependent ones
are extending courtesles to Federal SOL
diers who voted sclidly for the amend
ment.'
Now. what does the committee moan by
such language? 1t ought to have sent
private letter out with its report to have
explained what its private grievance was,
Does the r. 4. Lee camp mean that I'M
der the rules of our organization We are
not to criticise the infamous pension laws
and frauds now bleeding the country?
Does 1t mean that we must not tell the
truth and expose, SO far as we can the
system that pensions million OF people
at cost of $140,000.000 each year, as the
result OF war nearly forty years ago? And 1
that the reason why we should not do 1t
is because we veterans of the lost Con-
federacy have obligated ourselves to extend
courtesies on every fitting occasion TO our
late adversaries in arms? All! my COM
rades, there Is something else behind tnis
to Judge Burke, for the reason
the committee gives for II is far fetched
and unfounded and will not be believed
BY any sensible Confederate veteran In
NY opinion every word Judge Burke ut
'ered is literally true. The result OF the
pension law In the North has brought
iishonor and disgrace upon the brave and ,
rue soldiers of the Federal army, who
ought for their country. not for plum
ler
Ask one who really fought for the Union
M he will tell you so. Examine the
FEDERAL pensioners in your own county
round your own homes. and you Will md
1 true. Then the question In Judge
3urke's mind was. is it not probable that !
,nder the new pension law of our state :
he same temptation to do wrong that the
,ension laws OF the United States onereo
he Northern man, and OF which he has
= sbundantiy awaited himself. would also
BRING dishonor and disgrace on the tempted ,