The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-12-25
MISUNDERSTANDING.

Virginia informs The Times thatH nc i.as
determined to hand in his resignation. 1e
saws that he Is unwilling to serve LONGER
,,aacr the present law. for the reason that
tho board is unable TO shut out an IN
worthy class Of professional Conieoera'es
who arc clamorins most loudly Tor pen
sions. He says that the present Ia" Is
vide opcr. and under It the pension money
IS worse than wasted.
az, my personal experience he went
-, "a class of men have come before us
VIM were on the reserve list, and never
had been, except on stated OCCASIONS
called out Many Of them were worki2s
fn machine shops and drawing wages, ana
0eY.c never in the regular army. l thi1iA
might say that at least so per cent ol
the pension money disbursed by my boaTd
wont 10 people who did not seem to necd
il or deserve it. l am just preparing 10
send in my resignation. AT the last meet
ing of tho board there were so many ap-
rlicants that We could not consider them
at all. and ! believe that under the pres
ent system the list will continue to grow. :
Is it not time for the taxpayers Of Viz
Einia to arouse themselves?
We are gratified to see that number OF
newspapers in various parts of the State
have arrayed themselves against this pen
sion-grabbing evil. We have already
quoted from the Norfolk Virsnian-Pi!os,
The Norfolk Landmark. the Petersburg
1ndex-Appeal and the Charlottesville Pro-
gross. Since that time the IndeH-Appeal
has printed another sensible and pract-
cal article in protest. The Lynchburs
News. whose editor is Senator Glass, is
now out in a, strong article of protest.
1.-TWO years ago. says our contempt
Tary. when it was proposed to increase
pensions but $4,000. making the total
amount s135. 900. the suggestion caused the
greatest concern. Strange to say. mem
bers of the General Assembly who then
seemed shocked at the idea of embark.
ing upon such an experiment led the fight
last week to jam through an appropria
ton of 5000, to be expended under an
act which had swelled the rolls from two
TO ten thousand pensioners in a little over
twelve months, and under which the most
self-evident abuses had been perpetrated.
The author of the present pension act
himself q, brave Confederate soldier, man.
fully confessed its utter failure and its
baleful effects: but. in the face of this
the Senate railroaded the appropriation
through without ceremony.
cit had been 'scotched' in the House:
hut unless the business interests and the
taxpayers of Virginia speedily become
aroused the raid on the public revenues
Will be consummated and the State WI
have fastened on it a pronigate and cor
rupt pension system that Will faint its
politics and sap its financial vitality.
Quoting a remark Of a member of the
Senate that his idea was to appropriate
900 for pensions, If there was not an
other cent left in the treasury, the Rock
bridge County News says:
This utterance and the whole proceed
ing smacks of demagoguery and senI
mentalism and want OF practical regard
for the duties of Senator. The bill more
than doubles the appropriations for pen
sions 1t is true that Virginia has tho
cash in the treasury, but such an IN
crease was deserving of being acted upon
with due dignity and elaboration Tho
reputation of self-rcliance and manhood
so credtable to the Confederate soldier
since the war. in contrast with the Fede.
raj soldier, resents attempts by Legislators
to thus pander to his real or supposed
wants in a way that suggests that he is
a pauper and a mendicant. He represents
our best patriotism. and expects what aid
is given to the needy veteran to be given
with dignity representing his high char
acter and with that regard for the in
terests of the State which patriotism sug-
geSts. Better that he never get a cent
from the State treasury than that loose
careless and profigate legislation should
afford temptation to bring scandal upon
their fair record in piping times of peace
not less then than in war The surviving
veterans are the keepers of the reputa.
tons not only OF themselves. but their
dead comrades.
The Newcastle Record reproduces ar
article from The Times on this subject
and endorses 1t with a hearty amen" II
says that the extent to which the Federal
Government has countenanced pension
grabbing has made us the laughing stock
of other nations, but the miserable bust
ness still goes on.
Such a record on the part of the Fede.
raj Government concludes DIR New
castle contemporary, sis viewed with dis.
Hrst by the few remaining brave old
Ccnfeds. who gave four years of theil
life willingly in the lost cause. There are
scne among them who are in needy cir.
ccmstances. and a State pension is not
locked upon as a gift. The widows o.
these brave men should also be entitled
TO State aid. Give to the deserving be
cause they are deserving"
We do not believe that Virginia is able
t. appropriate 100000 q year for pensions
but that is not the main question in,
VclyeG Under the new pension law tht
:,u,uber of pensioners has increased abou
tour-fold, and # The pension gra bbins
business is not discouraged it vii
continue 10 increase from time Il
time until we shall have built up IL
this State a large and dangerous pension
class, which will have an uuwholesomt
influence in the politics OF this State, if
indeed, it does not dominate our politics
Tho Legislature of Virginia is about K
open a Pandora's box, and it is high tim.
for the newspapers of the State to give
warning. But. worse than all. the grea