The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-09
"A VICIOUS VETERAN.

The weight of more than three fourths of century is plainly weigh ing heavily on the mind, of General Sickles. and he is falling into grumbling weakness of dotage. Nothing else can account for such a deliverance as the following which he lately gave out to newspaper reporter:
 This crusade against the old soldiers be- ing made by papers like the New York York is disgraceful. If in any part of the South a newspaper should make such wanton attacks on the Confederate veterans as are continually being made in the North upon the men who saved the Union, the office would be wrecked by mob inside of twenty-four hours. And If l were twenty years younger, wouldn't hesitate to take part in pursuing q similar course of treatment here in the North. I would lead the column.
 Now the crusade" of which this out of-date advocate of lynch law com plains consists. on the part of the two papers mentioned. of criticism and con- demnation of the shameless and open rascality which has lately marked the business of pension getting. Those pa- pers in common with all other honest journals in the country. have shown the enormous frauds which have been perpetrated, the wholly illegal and inde- fensible pensions which have been granted and the damnable rascality practiced by some of the pension at- torneys to make fees. Neither of the papers alluded to has ever opposed granting pensions to deserving vete- rane, but both have condemned the robbery of the government which has been going on and which Is continually increasing. That is the whole extent of their offending.
 The doughty Generals supposition or assertion of what would occur in the South if our newspapers should make such wanton attacks on the Confed- crate veterans" is too far afeld. He might as well predict the dire things that would happen if the sun should cease to shine. Confederate veterans would be ashamed to attempt such bare faced rascality as marks many of the pension claims of Union veterans. and any attorney down here who would at- tempt to rob the treasury by getting up fraudulent pension claims would find himself in Coventry or the peni- tentiary in short order. And we are fully of the opinion that if such meth ods were attempted in the South as are openly and successfully used in the North, the Southern newspapers would expose them more plainly and uneQufvocally than any Northern paper has done for that section.
 The rhodomontade which Sickles in- dulges in is amusing. He seems to feel himself back in the war times when newspaper offices were wrecked in New York for daring to criticize the Government and tell the truth about the war. Such course would hardly be allowed in that city now. lenient as the authorities are to the lawless ele ment. and we expect if the General were twenty years younger he would be too careful of his skin to risk it in leading mob. His declaration that he would lead the column" is the idle vaporings of a powerless and malevo- lent old man. Like others who have outgrown their usefulness and outlived their powers he can talk flippantly or rampantly of what he would do if he
 were twenty years younger, knowing full well that he can never be put to the test. Sickles is a first-class gas- conader.
 The entire trouble with Sicklcs and few more of his kind lies in the fact that Pension Commissioner Evans stands between the Federal Treasury kand those who would rob it. He and those who side with him want to oust Evans. who is faithful and fearless, and ! put in a man who will practically be the tool of thepension- grabbers. The best men in the Union hope the Presi- dent will remain firm and defeat the | nefarious project.