Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1901-07-17
CHANGE
In Political Atti-
tude
Toward the American
Pension System.
It Is Too Heavy a Load
to Garry
And Is Soon to be Thrown
Overheard.

observers begin to perceive more in the
Sickles- Evans incident than mere
sparring for spoils or the unveiling
of an unsavory election bargain. The
opinion is gaining ground that the Re-
publican party, under the careful pilot
age Of the Mckinley Administration,
is making ready to abandon Its old
time pension policy.
A veteran politician of the Central
West, and once Republican leader Of
note, today expressed that conviction,
and predicted to a group of Washing.
ton newspaper men that at no distant
day the Republican leaders will be
found actually advocating the appeal
of all pension laws.
you laugh incredulously, l see," he
truth. Ten years ago you would have
been just as incredulous had anybody
told you that the Republican party
would ever abandon the cause of the
negro. The signs that it would do 80
were already quite apparent in the
second Harrison campaign, and now
we see that 1t has practically put
itself in accord with the once Obnox-
ious mississippi plan" of disfran-
chisement, or, at all events, has ceased
to worry over the suppression Of the
black mans vote. t
NOT MANY REAL SOLDIERS LEFT.
twenty-five years ago 1t was trea-
son to Republicanism to hint that the
policy of the party toward the old
soldiers was an extTavagant and
wasteful one, on that there was any
such thing as pension sharks or pen
sion frauds. The country could not
do too much for the old boys who had
saved the Union. How is it nowi
There is a very dinerent tone regard
ing this pension question. The enorm.
Gus aggregate payments to the old
soldiers are being viewed with mis-
givings by many stanch Republican
partisans, while others aye openly
criticising indiscriminare pensions. The
language of the Republican press to
day on pensions would have broken uI
the party in 1880.
"rwo decades ago nobody dared tc
question the pension policy of the Gov
ernment as laid down by the Republi
cans. Now 1t is openly antagonize(
by hundreds of Republican leaders il
all quarters. and almost solidly by tn,
metropolitan press.
"All this, mind you, is rs yet bein,
done somewhat covertiy. All still
blandly talk about the honest and de
serving pensioners; nobody apparentl,
disputes that the good soldier shouit
havea pension if the law says so, and ),
on. 1t is only the frauds and shark
who are devouring the national sub
{, stances. Meanwhile the enormity o
the $145,000,000 annually going to tn
army of pensioners is eternally en-
larged upon by the organs of the com
e ing change. 1t is having the siniste
:. effect designed.
pretty soon. as in the case of In
dams, all the good soldiers will b
a dead ones. The Republican pension
!. policy has ceased to be a drawing card
: and 1t will eventually go just as th
strenuous Republican policy towar
> the freedom has gone.
= EVANS HAD A PROMISE.
4 1.-The very fury with which Genera
d Slekles has been attacked by the thick
r and-thm Administration organs ough
y to show you what is coming. 1t is Gel
tain that the Republican committe
q sought out the professional soldie
leaders and pleaded with them to &
i out and pacify the veterans when th
U great scare occurred last fall about til
soldier vote in Ohio, Indiana and II
v inois.
o "rhe Republican bosses themselve
: gave away the story months befol
! Sickles and Tanner began to tall
When the scare was greatest the con
a mittee cheerfully and in good fait
4 promised that Evans should not /
b reappointed. There is no doubt abo,
y that. Sickles and Tanner did not s.
licit such pledge; they were callt
In and it was volunteered to them,
Now 1t is found impossible to fu
l, fill that bargain because an arous,
u public opinion will not permit it III
: President is shielding himself behir