Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-10-02
GOV. PATTISON
and THE SOLDIER
Why Grand Army Men Are Oppos-
ing His Election.
HIS VETO OF THE BURIAL BILL


Be Buried In the Potter's Field.
Only Nineteen Democrats Endorsed
His Course.
Harrisburg, Pa. Sept. 80. - Hon.
Robert E. Pattison, Democratic can
didate for governor, lives in a glass
house and should therefore avoid
throwing stones. He is an official
with a political and a partisan past.
1t is for this reason that almost to
a man the members of the Grand
Army of Pennsylvania are opposing
his candidacy. They can never forget
some of his actions when he was gov
ernor.
In 1885 the legislature passed a bill
whose object it was to prevent hon,
orably discharged soldiers and sail
ors from being buried in a pauper's
grave. Governor Pattison vetoed it.
He wrote veto message that will live
in the memory of the old soldiers as
long as they live. To the credit of
house and senate they passed this bill
over the governors veto. Only 10
Democrats dared to stand by their
governor. The bill, House Bill No. 10,
was entitled:
TO BURY THE SOLDIER HEROES.
AN act authorizing and requiring
the county commissioners of each
county in the state to appoint a suffl-
cient number of suitable persons in
each township or ward of their county,
at the expense of the county, to look
after, bury and provide a headstone
for the body of any honorably dis
charged soldier. sailor or marine who
served in the army or navy of the
United States during the late rebellion
or any preceding war, and shall here
after die in their county leaving in
sufficient means to defray the neces-
sary burial expenses"
Governor Pattison, then in the ex-
ecutive chair, wrote this veto mes
sage:
Harrisburg, May 8, 1885.
ITO the House of Representatives OF
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:
"Gentlemen-I herewith return,
without my signature, House Bill No.
10, entitled An act authorizing and
requiring the county commissioners of
each county in the state to appoint
sufficient number of suitable persons
in each township and ward of their
county, at the expense of the county,
to look after, bury and provide a head
stone for the body of any honorably
discharged soldier sailor or marine
who served in the army or navy of the
United States during the late rebel
lion or any preceding war, and shall
hereafter die in their county leaving
insufficient means to defray the neces-
sary burial expenses
THE bill requires the commissioners
OF every county In the state to ap-
point in every ward and township in
their respective counties such number
of persons as they shall deem 'sufn-
cient,' who shall hold their offices dur
ing the pleasure of the commissioners,
and be charged with the following du-
ties: To look after and cause to be
buried in a decent and respectable
manner, In any cemetery or burial
ground within the state, other than
those used exclusively for the burial
of the pauper dead the bodies of
honorably discharged soldiers, sailors
or marines who served in the army or
navy of the United States in the late
rebellion or any preceding war, and
who may die leaving insufficient
means to pay for their burial. For
the cost of every such burial, to the
amount of $35. the county commits
sioners are required to draw warrants
upon the treasury of the county AT
ter such burial, the commissioners are
required to erect over every such
grave a headstone of such design and
material as they think proper, in
scribed with the name of the person
and the organization in which he
served; and for the payment the ex-
pense of every such headstone the
commissioners are authorized to draw
warrant to the amount of SIS, which
county in which said soldier, sailor or
marine died.
This bill is a remarkable exhibit
tion of the unwarranted and prepos-
ferrous extent to which a most lauda-
BILE and patriotic sentiment may be
carried. That principle which induces
governments to pension and provide
for injured and destitute soldiers, is
founded in wise policy as we'll as die
tated by the spirit of liberal human
ity The United States and our own
commonwealth have carried this prn-
ciple into their laws with no niggardly
hand.
DONE ENOUGH FOR THE SOLDIERS
Thoughtful patriots have not hest
tntod "a say That all has haau doua In