Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-10-02
PENSIONS TO SOLDIERS
RECORDS of the Two Parties
l'u.ly D seus5cd.
FIVE LJsDl3p L ILI5N DOLLARS

| trasted In work of Pension i;Irpuu
More than $500, 100000 is a masn.f-
cent amount to be paid out in less tnan
10 years under a single pension act,
additional to what was paid during tiit
same time under the regular pension
acts preceding it. This is the money
that the pensioners of the United
States have had under the act of June
27, 1890, passed by Republican con
gress, and signed by Republican
president, and so literally admins
tered by the succeeding Republican ad-
minstrations, that there are now 420,-
912 soldiers and sailors, and 1870. .266
widows receiving its benefits, who
would not be entitled under the gem
eral pension law. This is only a single
evidence of the persistent care of the
| Republican party fer the pensioners.
Not one Republican is on record,
with even one adverse vote, upon the
entire IA important pension measures
voted upon by congress since the civil
war; while LOGS Republicans voted in
favor of these different measures. On
the other hand during the same time
and upon the same bills, more than
| so per cent of all the Democrats in
congress, or GAS, are shown by the
Congressional Record, to have voted
against these same pension bills, and
less than 40 per cent of the Democrats,
or only All, to have voted for them.
TThiC OF ho l.
tween the parties in their actual votes
in congress since the great war in
flicted such vast suffering upon our
immense armies and nay!es. and made
the enormous pension list an inds-
pensable part of the price paid by the
country for secession and treason.
caused by the Southern Democracy.
In 20 years of Republican rule,
neither Presidents Lincoln, Hayes,
| Garfield Arthur, Harrison nor Nc
Kinley ever vetoed a single pension
bill. In his entire eight years General
Grant, the great soldier withheld his
signature only five times from private
pension bills. Cci trast this record OF
| % Republican years with the only
eight years the Democrats have had
| since Buchanan-for during his two
terms President Grover Cleveland We
toed 524 pension bills. Cleveland's ad-
ministration acted in complete keep
ing with his own warfare upon the
pension list.
Hoke Smithism means to the Amer
lean soldier persistent warfare upon
his welfare, and in that antagopism
Mr.. Smith, as is now clearly known,
only obeyed orders. In consequence
CT it, however, during Cleveland's first
year of his second term, 6Sh per cent
of all pension claims adjudcated were
rejected, or Si,562 out of 1851. Dur
ing the first two years of this Demo-
cratic administration the notorious
Hoke Smith board of revision dropped
S,694 pensioners from the rolls, and
reduced 23702 pensions, the vast ma
jority for bitterly unjust reasons, as
was evident in every community where
cases occurred of this kind.
Cleveland's pension commissioner
reported for the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1895, the issuance of 90. .337
pension certificates, and the rejection
of '103,355 claims of all kinds. These
are his own official figures. How mag
nificently they verify and attest the
depth and strength of the Democratic
love for the Union soldiers!
Contrast, with these reflections of
pension claims, the dropping of pen
sioners and the decrease in their rates
of pension, by the last Democratic ad-
ministration, the fact that from April
l, 1897, to June 30, 1900, under McKin-
ley's commissioner CT pensions, Hon.
Henry Clay Evans of Tennessee, more
than 10000 names of pensioners drop
ped by previous administrations were
restored to the rolls, and are now re-
ceiving S2100000 annually During
the past fiscal year alone 1852 such
names were restored to the rolls. This
contrast is even more strongly shown
by the fact that while in Cleveland's
three years-1S94, 1895 and 1S96-only
1854 original pensions were allowed
during the entire three years; in Nc
Kinleys three corresponding years
years the number was $4,000 greater.
In Cleveland's last year only 33,749
original claims were filed, for the pen
sioners had got tired Of being thrown
down. But when Mckinley came in
the claims that had been held back for
four years were rushed into the bu-
reau, and in one year 81, ,613 original
claims, and 226,05l claims in all, were
| piled in upon Commissioner Evans. In
! his first three months he disposed of
30,53S claims, or half as many as the
Democratic commissioner got rid of
in nine months preceding. With all
this increase i4 claims. and all the
business growing olt Of the Spanish
war, the pension bureau under Nc
Kinley has gained upon its work by
200, 900 cases within the past two years,
SO that applicants stand a better
chance than ever before of having
their matters disposed OF promptly.
In the fiscal year inst ended the pen
sion payments were near S140, 900 900,
while in Cleyelands first year the PEN
sion payments were s17 900, 600 less
than in Harrson's last year just be-
fore 1t.