New-York tribune., 1904-09-26

appointments have been frequently based on
favorttism instead Of merit Irials anu ,. courI
stances indicating political interference Ahese
and other abuses Should be correcleU'
PENSIONS FOR OUR SOLDIERS AND
SAILORS.
The National Democracy favors liberal pen,
sons to the surviving soldiers ana saltoLs anu
their dependents the ground tnat Iney Ge
serve liberal treatment. 1t pledges py lCs
platform adequate legislation 10 that emo but
II denies the right OF the Executive 70 uSui
the power OF Congress to legisate on lnal @ x SoD
feet. Such usurpation was attempted py 1S.i-
sion Order No. 7S, and effect has been given 70
1t by a Congress that dared not resent the
usurpation. 1t is said that this oldeI oee " MeaS
made in the performance of a DUTY lhiPoSeu
upon the President by act of Congress, put
the provision making the imposition ~ mo-
pointed out The act to which the order IereI ,?9
which is the relating to pensions 10 ClEI
War veterans, does not authorize pensions VL
the ground OF age II does grant pensions ~
those suffering from any mental or phySlCai
disability, disabilities, OF permanent nc Nc.
acter not the result Of their own vicious naOl'S'
which so incapacitateS them from the peIIoI ~ N
ance OF manual labor as to render them uhaDle
TO earn a support" This specified requirement
of incapacity is in effect set aside by Oroer NJ
IS as to all persons over sixty-two.
The war closed nearly forty years ago. IN tne @
mean time many of our soldiers and sailors
long survived the age of siXty-tWo, ana pdsseu
away without receiving any pension 5kiiIuI
pension attorneys hunting through the slaIuIe
sion to all who had reached sixty-tWo Many
prominent veterans urged the justice OF CoI-
gressional action giving service pension 70 a.! ~
veterans Bills to that effect were introduced III
Congress- And not until March OF TINS year
did any one claim to have made the as
coVery that the President had power 10 ueat
the statute as If IL read that when claimant
had passed the age of siXty-tWo years ne Is
necessarily disabled one-haf in ability 10 per-
form manual labor and therefore entitleo 10
pension.
The president of the Civil Service Commits
sion, General John c. Black. formerly ComInlsSs
sioner of Pensions and commander IN chleI OL
the Grand Army of the Republic. Indicated MS
view Of the order when in a recent ADDRESS ne
thanked the President for what he had oohe,
that law might be passed to the same erect
Full confidence. after all, seems not 10 nave
been placed on the defence OF Justincatl0n. Iot
II is pleaded in mitigation that FORMER DeLlo
cratic President did something looking IN Ihat
direction. Even IL that were so-whlch is not
adulitted-our present duty would De none Ine
less plain and imperative Our people must
never tolerate the citation Of one act OF usuTpa-
ton Of power excuse for another. Inc
ond being based on the first cannot be- In eG-
PLANTATION. however, IL should be said that the
order relied on simply provided that the age
Of seventy-five years should be regarded as eVl-
dence of ina bility to perform manual labor. Few
men are able to perform manual laoor at tnat Ina,
age. but nearly all men are at slxty-two. me
first order is based q fact that experience
teaches the other is based the assertion or
that which is not true as general rule.
The old inquiry. What are you going 10 GO
about it?'' is now stated in a new FORM II Is
said by the administration in reply to the pub
lie criticism of this order that IT Is easy TO test
our opponents sincerity in this matter. Inc
order in question is revocable at the pleasure or
the Executive. II our opponents come into
power they can revoke this order and announce
that they viii treat the veterans OF sixty-two
and seventy as presumably IN full bodily Nigor
and not entitled to pension. Will they authori-
tatively state that they intend to do this? II So
We accept the issue"
r1,Go fhA iNfN of hat ia
order was made 10 create an isSue-that IL was
supposed TO present a strong strategic position
IN the battle Of the ballots. On the assumption
that the order. as stated by the administration,
is revocable at the pleasure OF the Executive.
II having been an attempted though perhaps
unwilling encroachment upon the legislative
power, and therefore unwarranted by the Con-
stitution, I accept the challenge and declare
that IL elected. will revoke that order. But
go further and say. that being done, I Will
contribute my effort toward the enactment Of
law. to be passed by both houses Of Congress
and approved by the Executive, that will give
an age pension without reference to disability
10 the surviving heroes Of the Civil War, and
under the provisions Of which pension may be
accepted with dignity. because OF the conscious
ness that IL comes a just due from the people
through their chosen representatives. and not
as largess distributed by the Chief Executive
FOREIGN RELATIONS.
The foreign relations of the government have
In late years assumed special Importance.
Prior to the acquisition of the Philippines We
were practically invulnerable against attacks by
foreign states. Those tropical possessions, how
ever seven thousand miles from shores
have changed all this and have in effect put
under bonds TO keep the peace. The new condi-
tions call for a management OF foreign affairs
the more circumspect in that the recent Aneri-
can invasion of foreign markets in all parts of
the world has excited the serious apprehension
OF all the great industrial peoples It is essen
tial. therefore. more than ever. to adhere strict
ly to the traditional policy Of the country as
formulated by its first President and never, in
my judgment, wisely departed from-to invite
friendly relations with all nations while avoid
ing entangling alliances with any. Such policy
means the cultivation OF peace instead of the
glorification of war, and the rnndng of own
business in lieu of spectacular intermeddlng
with the affairs Of other nations. 1t means
strict observance Of the principles of interna-
tional law and condemns the doctrine that a
great state. by reason Of It's strength, may
rightfully appropriate the sovereignty or terri
II means for other American states that we
claim rights and will assume no functions
save those of a friend and Of ally and de-
fender as against European aggressions. II
means that repudiate the role of the Ameri-
can continental policeman; that we refuse TO act
debt collector for foreign states or their citt-
zens; that respect the independent soveT-
eighty OF each American state and its right. to
preserve order and otherwise regulate its own
internal affairs in fits own way; and that any
Intervention in it's affairs by is limited TO the
single office OF enabling its people to work out
their own political and national destiny for
themselves. free from the coercion of any Euro
pean state.
REFORM IN GOVERNMENTAL ExPEND-
ITURES.
Twenty-eight years have passed since the
Democratic party Of the State of New-York, in
convention assembled. recommended to the ma
tional Democracy the nomination Of Samuel j.
Tilden as its candidate for the Presidency, and
declared It 20 be their settled conviction that
a return TO the constitutional principles, frugal
expenses and administrative purity OF the
founders Of the Republic is the first and most
imperious duty of the times-the commanding
issue before the people of the Union" This
strong expression was called forth by the ma
tional expenditures for the year 1875 which
amounted to S274 .000000-a situation which
In the opinion Of majority OF our people Justi-