The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-09-28
MR.. PRITCHARD DID NOT VOTE
TO PENSION CONFEDERATE
SOLDIERS AS HECLAIMS,

The Republican leaders in North Caro-
INA always act upon the presumption that
the voters have little memory and less
sense. They do not treat them as in
telligent beings and regularly insult their
intellig ence at every election. OF course
such party must always be defeated. In
1900 they actually charged that the Dem
ocratic was the negro party in North
Carolina, though it had never put a ne
gro in Office and all the negroes voted
the Republican ticket This year they
make claim equally as absurd, and
every day Senator Pritchard is repeating
the statement that it is his party that is
the real friend of the Confederate soldier
In North Carolina. Shades of Vance de-
fend us from such proclamation! He
claimed that the Fusion Legislature APP
propriated $4,000 to erect the Confeder-
ate monument That was shown to be
rot true and then he declared that his
reason for voting against the Confeder-
ate pension bill was because it permitted
other persons than indigents to draw pen
sions. His objection to the bill was, he
says, because it gave pensions to all
soldiers and widows who listed for tax
alton property less than $500. The Sena-
tor said that frequently men whose prop
erty is assessed at $500 are worth $1,000
or $4,000 After explaining why he did
not vote for the first pension bill in
1885, Senator Pritchard says he was again
a member of the Legislature in 1891 and
that with the Alliance members" he
voted for an increase in the pensions
given to ex-Confederate soldiers.
Having shown that his former state
mcnt was incorrect. an examination of
the House Journal and Laws show that
he is also mistaken as to his claim that
he voted for pensions in 1891. In truth
an examination OF the records fails to
show that he ever at any time voted
a dollar to pension Confederate soldiers,
while in 1885 he4voted and spoke against
establishing the principle of pensioning
Confederate veterans and against the first
appropriation.
With reference to his claim of voting
with Allancemen for pensions in 1891,
the fact is that the Legislature of 1891
old not pass any bill increasing pensiona
to ex-Confederate soldiers. The Legis-
lature of 1889 did pass a general pension
bill. largely increasing the amount of
money appropriated for pensions, but
Senator Prtchard was not a member OF
the Legislature of 1889. The Legisla-
ard was a member, did not increase the
pensions given to Confederate soldiers
a cent Outside of three or four bills
to pension individual soldiers, the only
pension legislation passed by that body
were two laws amending the pension
law of 1889. One of these amendatory
laws simply struck out the word "indi-
gent from the law of 1889, and the
other simply created q County Advisory
Board of Pensions, to be composed Of ex-
Confederate soldiers. The first of these
acts is chapter 413. and the second is
chapter 1874. of the Laws of 1891. both
amendatory of chapter 1885, Laws of 1889.
So that Senator Pritchard's claim to
have voted for increased pensions to ex-
Confederate soldiers in the Legislature
of 1891 is absolutely unfounded in fact,
because no bill increasing the pensions a
single cent was passed by that Legisla-
ture. Certain administrative features of
the pension law were changed, and one OF
these (the one striking the word "indi-
gent from the law served to make the
law more Objectionable to Senator Pritch
ard according to his own statement than
the original pension law, against which
he spoke and voted during the Legislature
of 1885.