The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1901-02-08
A New Burden to Be Piled
on the People.
A PENSION FOR CIVILIANS,
Entering Wedge of This Dan
gerous Innovation.
RETIRE REVENUE OFFICERS ON PAY

RETIRE REVENUE OFFICERS ON PAY
Republicans Have Introduced a Bil]
to Pension a Horde of Civilian To-
vorites-Why Not Add Farmers, AR.
ttsans and Laborers to the List
Beginning OF The English system
Congressman Underwood PROTESTS
Addicils Wants Two Seats--IIyam-
PIE of Republican Manners In the
senate--'"To Quigg' New York,
Especial Washington letter.
huge and burdensome pension roll
from the civil walks of life! Do the
people want that? If they don't, they
mad better wake up thoroughly and
suddenly. for the first step, and long
one at that, was taken in that direction
last week when the revenue cutter bill
was passed. 1t is the break in the
dixie which unless closed at once will
let in the sea. Can anybody give any
reason why government employees in
the civil walks Of life are any more en-
titled to pensions or to be put on the
retired list at a good comfortable sal.
airy than are the farmers, carpenters.
bricklayers, railroad men. doctors,
lawyers, preachers, teachers, editors,
merchants and laborers of the land:
Yet that is precisely what's coming
sure as Il gun is made of iron unless
the Republicans. are kicked out of place
and power.
In the matter Of pensions for service
In the military or naval arms Of the
government the United States has been
and is more generous than any other
nation on the whole face of the earth
In all the hoary registers of time. The
people of this country tax themselves
voluntarily to administer literally to
the wants Of soldiers and sailors suffer-
ing from wounds or from disease, but
1t is perfectly safe to say that if it
were put to popular vote the PROPOSE
ton to pension civilians would be snow
ed under too deep for resurrection.
Nevertheless the bill to retire the rev.
enue cutter officers, who are mere civil
ians, is the beginning of the English
system, introduced here, to pay pen
sions to horde Of civilian fayorites of
the powers that be, and the bad and
burdensome system will grow like Jo-
nah's gourd vine. The patience of the
American taxpayer is the most amaz-
mo nhnnnn1cnnr nf on To will
wake up at last, l guess.
Undcrwood's Speech.
Oscar w. Underwood Of Alabama
comes of race of statesmen, and he is
upholding the traditions of his house in
splendid fashion. He is young man.
looks like mere boy, but he is univer-
sally recognized as leader on the
Democratic side. He is handsome, can
did, fair, reasonable and never goes off
at tangent. When the bill was up,
Underwood stated the truth when he
said:
There is no more reason why you should apply
retirement law to the revenue cutter service than
that you should apply retirement law to the
United States marshals. The United States mar
shals enforce the civil laws upon the land, and
the revenue cutter service enforce the same kind
OF laws at sea. There is no distinction. This is
merely one of those efforts that have been going
on here year after year. into which we are gradu-
ally being pushed, to create civil pension roll,
civil retirement list. We have law for retir-
ing the officers of the navy and army. 1t was but
= few weeks ago that bill was brought in here
practically and virtually to retire member Of
congress. am not criticising that bill, for
have nothing unkind to say in reference to the
md to, how,
was step which you took.
In the last session of congress we had bill be-
Tore this house to apply the retirement law to the
signal service corps and to the weather bureau
service, and now you are giving it to the revenue
cutter service and the next step will be to retire
the clerks in the treasury department and the
other departments of this government and to Gre
ate an oficeholding class in this country. Why,
they receive better pay than your average con.
stituent or mine who is rendering the same serv.
Ice and doing like work in this country, Yo,iS
constituent and my constituent, If they are pre-.
viding for the day Of their old age and their re-
tirement from the active affairs Of life, must save
their money as they go along. You and may
serve our country in the halls of congress for
years to come, and yet, when by reason Of age
and i'll health we must retire, there is no retire.
ment salary and SHOULD be none held out for lis.
Why should these civil employees, who are
merely employed at sea as civilian employees in
stead q being employed on land, be given this
right Of retirement and also have this large addf.
tional pay, which amounts to 40 per cent after
20 years servicef Practically under this bill they
will all have 90 years service pay.
Addfcks Is Twins.
That eminent apostle OF Republican
purity and sweetness, Zion. J. Edward
Addicks, alias Gas. Addicks, appears
to have the world by the caudal ap-
'pendage with a down hill pull in the
tiny and ancient commonwealth of Del
aware. He is rushing the senatorial
fo