The National tribune., 1901-04-11
DEFENDING THE GAR.
Gen. Minty Takes Up the Cudgsls for Com.
rades.

The gallant Brevet Maj.-Gen. r. II.
G. Minty has set a good example to the
comrades, by Immediately resenting in the
local press the slurs sent out from the
Pension Bureau, and published in the
papers of the country. AS soon as one Of
these appeared in the Tucson, Agiz Star,
Gen. Minty wrote to the editor as follows:
| Tucson, Ariz.. March 90, 1901.
My Dear Governor Hughes: In your
paper, The Star, of this morning, / find
| and article dated Washington, d. c.,
March 10, under the displayed heading,
| Pension Sharks" which does gross in
| justice to the Grand Army of the Repub-
| lie, that noble association of which both
you and l are members.
The article In question purports to be
the outcome of an interview with Com
| missioner of Pensions. III. Clay Evans.
and the puh of it is this: The Grand
Army of the Republic, backed by the pen
| sion attorney sharks is hard at work ad
vocating fresh schemes for despCiling the
Treasury, both by means of new legisla-
ton an, and by putting new interpretations on
This is simply falsehood cut out of
whole cloth.
There is no class Of citizens more OPP
posed 10 Illegal or fraudulent pens.o
than are the members OF the Grand Amy
of the Republic. The great mass Of the
Oiu ana entlEely SdllS-
he'd with the pension laws as they now
stand. They consider them liberal. But
they are opposed and object to the arbi
trary and unjust rulings of the present
Commissioner of Pensions and of his
predecessor, Lochrane which practically
nullify the laws as passed by Congress.
The one point of all others that has
caused the present bitter feeling on the
part of the Grand Army men against the
present Commissioner is the rulings and
custom with regard to INDECENT widows.
The Bureau rules that if a poor widow
has the munificent income of S96 per an
mum (about 20 cents per day., she shall
not be allowed the pension of So per
month granted to her by the laws of our
country; and lf she makes oath that she
is not worth the $96 per annum she is
then subjected to a series OF questions
disgraceful to manhood and humanity.
The requests, or If you will have it so,
the demands, made by the Committee of
the Grand Army of the Republic, which
were submitted to and approved BIZ P esi-
dent Mckinley and the Senate Committee
OF which Senator Gallfnger is Chairman
were voiced by such men as Gen Dan.
Sickles. that grand old Democrat, who
left leg on the battlefield of Gettysburg,
are
First. That IL widow has not to ex.
ceed $3.50 per annum she will not thereby
be considered unpensionable.
Second. That an immediate stop be put
to the propounding of improper and in
delicate questions such as should not be
made to any virtuous woman.
Third. They ask for n court or tri-
bunal to which the old soldiers can appeal
from the dictum Of the Commissioner Of
Pensions.
The worst criminal in the land has the
right to appeal from the decision of
regularly organized court or the findings
of legally drawn jury; and on review Of
tho case, if the slightest technical error
is found, new trial is granted Yet, the
men who saved the country from destruc-
ton and placed it where it now stands,
in the very vanguard of the nations of the
earth, are compelled to bow TO the deci-
sion of one man, and that man one who
has no sympathy for those who gave the
best years of their young manhood to the
service Of their country. and who. as a
natural result of the hardships then suffer
ed, are today prematurely old men,
broken down and unable to earn, / will
not say living, but mere existence.
The statement with which Senator
Gallinger is credited is so absurd that no
sensible man will believe that it ever
emanated from or was made by him.
am yours very truly.
r. Fl. G. MINTY,
Department Commander Arizona G. A.
R.; late BTt. Maj.-Gen. U. s. V.