The National tribune., 1900-02-15

no protuson and have remained sound and
well ever since. Heartily recommend DR.. Rice
to every sufferer" Do not fail to write at once
for the free trial and thus cure yourself at home
| without pain danger or detention from the day
work. Write at once. Commence now, and be;
fore the heavy work of Spring begins you will
Write to DR.. W s. Rice, 500 L. Main ST., Adams
N Y; you will never regret having done so.
breathe an atmosphere of security, of pride
| over the financial victories of our great past,
and when he leaves this famous center of
great historic associations, he feels that he
has been in touch with inspiring memories
of great deeds and great men. So of the
| Department of State and the Department of
| War and the Department of the Navy and
| the Post Office Department and the Depart
ment of Justice, but when the Department
of the Interior is reached, in which the Pen
sion Department has its place. then the foul
| air of loudly-proclaimcd fraud is foundi
| Grim faces are Seen-Steeled to resolute
battle against what? So-called frauds in
pension applicants. So great has been
this hateful "cry" that every veteran. with
n heart of valor and n soul surcharged
with true patriotism, abhors the gross in
justice in the past, which has made possible
| this humiliating and offensive state of
things. Why should tho pension frauds"
be singled out for special spreading over
the Nation, and frauds on the revenues in
the other departments Of the Government
go unnoticed? Let a poor colorcd woman
sin against the law in an application for a
| pension, and at once the facts are sent out
with great flourish of newspaper trumpets,
while the internal and customs revenue
| sinners go free of such public condemna-
ton? [Applause.l
Alas, my comrades and gentlemen, this
unjust and unworthy system of abuse of
applicants for pensions is far beneath the
| liDnity pf Nation
doubtless frauds on the pension rolls; so
are there on the internal revenue, on the
custom revenue, and on the Post Office
| revenues; but hold that the frauds of the
comparatively few should not be harped
upon to the great injury of the great ma
jority of honest and worthy applicants for
pensions. Such way of doing injustice
to honest defenders of the Nation and
suffering applicants under the law for pen
sions is simply unjustifiable. Burke said
in a great crisis in English history, that
plain words are best; and in this presence.
and at this time, shall fall short of my
duty If i do not speak out, in plain and jlIst
words, in indignant condemnation of this
unholy policy of detraction in the conduct
of the administration Of the pension laws
Applause.
The trouble arises over the system now
In force in the Pension Office, in my opinion.
| There is too much circumlocution and too
| little loyalty TO the plain intent and mean
ing of present pension laws, in their execu-
| ton. For this reason the present admins
| tration OF the Grand Army of the Republic
| is earnest in its demand for a Pension Court
Of Appeals, to adJudicate the vast number
of pension appeal cases, before a ma ioritv
Of these aggrieved veterans pass beyond
the shores Of time and all decisions of
earthly tribunals. Such court is in keen
| ing with the dignity of great Nation, and
| those who saved the Republic are worthy
| to have this Just way opened TO their appeal
| for their rights under the laws and proper
| judicial decisions of the Government they
re-established on the broad bulwark of
| righteousness. i hate the pension fraud
| as keenly as any man can, for the veteran
who will perjure himself in his attempt to
secure pension he is not entitled to is an
object lesson of degradation Of the most
| shameful sort. What | plead for is the
impartial execution of present laws in a
spirit of an honest purpose to do quick
justice to every applicant for a pension.
Then deal short and mercilcssiy with
proved frauds in the pension laws precisely
as all frauds should be hunted down and
punished in other departments, without
creating prejudices against the honest
many in contra-distinction to the sins of
the comparatively few. Loud cheering.
HONOR TO WHOM HONOR IS DUE.
At this time and place | desire to express
my Official tidIhS IOT t!e 1Oydl services of
comrades and friends, who have done so
much in the1nterest OF our noble Order /
have been greatly impressed with the fact
that comrades of large business affairs
freely respond to every call made upon
them in behalf of Grand Army matters.
The Pension Committee especially has been
called upon to give much valuable time in
connection with the most important and
vexing problem of PENSIONS but each mem
Der has been faithful to every duty, and
with ready presence when summoned to
this Capital by your Commander-in-C Chief,
of such splendid devotion to the aging com
rades OF the Nation. And what is true of
the Pension Committee is equally appli-
cable to the Executive Committee of the
Council Of Administration, and all officers
of the Order. The Legislative Committees
Patrick and Eldridge-is also serving the
comrades in a way worthy of all praise
Nor is this all. When the bill introduced
by Senator Gallinger was before the Senate,
several Senators discussed it in a way cali
ing for special commendation on the part
of the Grand Army, for the reason that CON
vincing proof was given that party lines
are happily broken down in the patriotic
consideration of worthy pension legisla-
tion.
ADMIRABLE SPEECHES BY SENATORS
ALLEN AND TELLER.
will read from the Congressional Record
of Jan. 8:
Mr.. Allen. do think il is almost mex
cusable that great Government like this
should permit the remnants of the great
army of 35 years ago to become practically
mendicants and supplicants at the door
of Congress for relief.
Respecting the other proposition, want
the Senator to understand, as he does
understand. that am not as fully informed
about this matter as he is, and as hope to
be in the future; but it has been my under
standing, since we voted some years ago
that the minimum pension should be So
a month, that the Pension Bureau, where
the rating did not under the former law
entitle the applicants to So a month, has
dropped such pensioners out; that the
s4 men and the 81 men have entirely dis
appeared from the pension rolls. That
was not the purpose of the law.
MIR. Gallinger. Mr.. President
Mr.. Allen. Excuse me moment. The
view at that time presented to the Senate,
distinctly remember, was that as to Der.
sons who were drawing pensions at all the
amount allowed them should be brought