New-York tribune., 1904-09-27

Scarcely less characteristic than Judge Par
ker's bid for the soldier vote with promise of
q service pension is the attitude to"aru that
promise Of the Parker organs. Whlch ordinarily
foam al the mouth on the mere suggestion OF
any addition TO the pension rolls Seheme
which if proposed by Republicans woulu De ue-
nounced as extravagant and demoraHzih8 Is
quietly accepted when il emanates from the
hero of EsOpus who would rather be right than
be President. as they have so often loid US.
While commenting Oh Judge Parker letter
The Herald" fails 10 discover that he favors
any such pension. convenient blindness which
we commend TO the emulation of lis cohtem-
poraries The Times is unable tn say more
than that Judge Parker declares that he shouid
feel il necessary 10 invite the cooperation OF
Congress in establishing such pension pol
icy" as now exists by executive order anu
does not hint that he actually declares Tor whaI
a mounts 10 a service pension. scheme con
corning which the sentiments of The Times
are not In doubt The World" says: NO Shut-
fling. 10 equivocation here But the candl-
date adds that when the law has been thns
"vindicated he will try 10 secure the passage
'of an act under the provisions Of which
pension may be accepted with dignity Il he
World" however forgets to mention mat the
act in question embOdes pension scheme OF
the sort which II denounced as vicious laSt
March Al that time the very idea of service
pension drew forth from it such phrases as
Our gigantic popularity and-party y-campa'Gn
payroll is already scandal, and "subsldlZeo
patriotism is an insult 10 American love OF
country" Now il accepts Judge farker 81
gantic popularity nd-party campaign oid WIN
out a murmur. and is ready 10 see him suhsi-
die patriotisu. or the Parker organs, The
Evening Posi- alone makes WHY face as was
10 he expected. but even The Post" swallows
the dose with only the mild protest: we are
bound TO say that we do not like such an ap-
'proach 80 the promise Of service pension.
That is all. How THE Post" would scream II
such an approach To promise were made d!
a Republican candidate. Last winter when
the Suoway bill for a service pension much
on the line apparently, of what Judge Parker
favorS was under discussion. Il he Evening
Post talked about the Grand Army mendi-
cants'' and pension grabbers. and on March
Il thus characterized the scheme;
In itself a service pension is demorazing
enough II in way distinguishes between the
worthless .bumrner'' who skulked when his
regiment fought and The brave soldier |tto .
served on the great battlehelds. It does not Oil
fereotiate between the veteran OF a dozen cam
paisns and the ninety-day soldier VINO passed
his time in a recruiting camp any more IMAM
n does between the millionaire and the day "a
borer the physically vigorous and the phySlcaIY
incapacitated At no time has the ma
legislature
tension for veterans Of the Civil War. The mere
Introduction of Mr. Sideways bill on January -
was sufficient to bring out such q chorus OF pro
tests from all newspapers which recognized the
seriousness of this years raid on the Treasury
that there was a prompt change OF opinion IN
regard TO its advsability among Republican
leaders.
But now that the raid on the Treasury is
proposed by Judge Parker, the man AT last.
tho demoralZing scheme IS accepted with aS
good grace as possible What would have been
shameful" in Theodore Roosevelt Is merely not
liked I'm Judge Parker. And as for its being an
indecent bid for votes" rs il would have been
If proposed by the President. II Is just 10 be
calmly Judged as an academic proposition
about which good men may differ.
How disappointed must Judge Parker be with
his organs. They have been urging him 10 put
more ginger into his campaign. and now they
try their best TO ignore the most startling and
sensational feature Of his whole letter Nhat
are they afraid OF? DO they like even the dead
ly dulness of judicial dignity better than the
liveliness OF the bidder for voteSf