Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1902-10-02

Only Nineteen Democrats Endorsed
His Course.
Harrisburg, Pa, Sept 3O - 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 political and a partisan past.
1t is for this reason that almost to
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 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.
| can act authorizing and requiring
the county commissioners of each
county in the state to appoint a suffi.
! 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.
sary burial expenses"
Governor Pattison, then in the ex-
ecutive chair, wrote this veto mes
sage:
Harrisburg, May s, 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 a
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 head.
70 he ho1 90 II.
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 'suffi-
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 arc
required to erect over every such
grave 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
a warrant to the amount of SIS, which
shall be paid out of the funds of the
county in which said soldier, sailor or
marine died
This bill is remarkable eXhibi-
ton 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 well as die
tated by the spirit of liberal human
ity. The United States and our own
commonwealth have carried this prin-
ciple into their laws with no niggardly
hand
DONE ENOUGH FOR THE SOLDIERS
Thoughtful patriots have not hesi-
tated to say that all has been done in
this direction that the most generous
and grateful of governments ought to
10 consistently with common prudence
and wise public policy, and that the
limit has been reached beyond which
iiberality will become extravaganza
and beneVolence breed abuse. The bill
herewith returned is striking proof
Of the justice of such warnings, and
An illustration of the thoughtlessness
and crudity that may characterize leg
islation enacted under the pressure of
misguided charity. BY this bill. any
man who fought in the United States
army In any war, and who dies in any
county Of the state without leaving suf-
f1ciant means for his burial, immedi-
ately becomes charge upon the county
for his burial to the amount of fifty
dollars. He may never have had
residence In the county; he may even
never have been a citizen of the state;
be may not have been wounded, or be-
come diseased or disabled in the pub
lie service; he may die as the result
of his vices or his crimes. by accident
or by his own hand; ne may have en-
joyed and wasted the bounty of the
Federal government or the state for
years; he may die in the perpetration
q