The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-06-19
ASK NO FAvoR.s.

Most emphatically, the veterans ask no
favors in the administration Of the pen
sion laws. They only ask the simple, or
binary fulfiIIment Of the laws, and the
honest execution OF a contract. They arc
only less opposed to the bestowal OF
pensions as favors than they are to with
holding them as a matter Of hatred. preJu'
dice, and to advertise some cheap amb'-
tious man as an economist.
They only want to be placed on exactly
the same footing under the laws that all
other citizens of the country stand on.
What the laws give them they want
awarded, without fear, favor or affection.
They want the same rules OF evidence,
Interpretation and execution applied to
them that other citizens enjoy in the ordi-
nary courts of the country in suits involv-
inc the title to land, a horse, COW, or
some other species of property. Inc
Quality before the laws of all Americans
they want applied to them, and their par
ticular claims. They expect and require
That the Commissioner of Pensions shall
treat them precisely as any Judge treats
the suitors who come before him. They
ask that the pension laws be read, inter-
preted and applied precisely as the stat
utes of Kansas, Ohio and other States
are read, interpreted and applied in the
ordinary judicial business of the country.
If the laws are defective. then they have
the same remedy that other citizens have
an appeal to the law-making power.
They have as little desire for Commls-
sioner who will make the laws mean more
than they do, as they have for Com
missioner who will make them mean less.
Both are contrary to true Americanism,
and the principles for which the veterans
have battled.
They gave the very best of their young
manhood toward making this a country of
absolute law, before which all men should
stand on absolute equality, and they are
not at this late day expecting that an eX-
ception shall be made in their favor.
The Commissioner of Pensions will re-
ceive their highest applause who comes in
to his Office absolutely without prejudices
or prepossessions, determined only to
study and understand the laws enacted
for his guidance, and administer them ac-
cording to their obvious intent and pur-
port, precisely as he would if Commission
er of Customs, Commissioner of Internal
Revenue, Commissioner of Indian Affairs,
Commissioner of Patents, or Commission
er of the General Land Office.
The Commissioner Of Pensions who
shall do this-who shall do his plain, OBJ
vious duty. as other officials do in execut-
ing the laws, need have no fear as to his
reputation or his popularity, any more
than any other official who does his duty.
The veterans will be as quick to recognize
this as they are to understand official
fidelity in other lines. They have never
failed to give the heartiest support to any
man who honestly tried to do his duty as
he saw it. The veterans are unusually
discriminating men. They have been
trained to long and close observation of
public men, beginning with their own Off
GERS, and the Captain or Colonel who did
at all times his plain duty stood highest
in their esteem. They have applied this
test with unfailing sureness ever since
their return to civil life, and no man can
hope for fairer and truer verdict upon
his official acts than is given by the veter-
ans OF the country.