The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1904-09-26


act of congress" but the provision
making the imposition is not pointed
out The act to which the order re-
fers. which Is the one relating to pen
sions to civil war veterans does not
authorize pensions on the ground of
age. 1t does grant pensions to those
suffering from any mental or physical
disability or disabilities of a perma-
nent character. not the result of their
own Vicious habits. which so incapaci-
tates them from the performance OF
manual labor as to render them una
Bile to earn a support" This specified
requirement of incapacity is In effect
set aside by order No. IS as TO all per
sons over sixty-two.
The war closed nearly forty years
ago. In the meantime many of our
soldiers and sailors long survived the
age OF sixty-two and passed away
without receiving any pension Skill
full pension attorneys, hunting through
the statute failed to find there a pro-
vision giving a pension to all who had
reached sixty-two. Many prominent
veterans urged the justice Of congress
sional action giving service pension
to all veterans Bills TO that effect
were introduced In congress. And not
until March OF this year did any one
ever claim to have made the discovery
that the president had power to treat
the statute as IL II read that when
claimant had passed the age of sixty
two years be Is necessarily disabled
one-half In ability to perform manual
labor and therefore entitled to a pen
sion
The present pension commissioner in
dicated his view of the order when In
a recent address be thanked the presi-
dent for what he had done and advised
his hearers to use their influence that
q law might be passed 10 the same eff
feet Full confidence. after all, seems
not to have been placed OH the defense
of Justification. for IT is pleaded in
mitigation that a former Democratic
president did something looking la that
Even II that We're So. which
is not admitted, our present duty
would be none the Jess plain and i'm
peratiye our people must never tot F..
crate the citation of one acr Of usurpa- /.
ton OF power as an excuse for auoth-
er The first may possibly be due to .
mistake, the second. being based on .
the first cannot be- In explanation.
however, # should bee said that the or .
der relied on simply provided that the
age of seyeutv-dvc years should be re-
rarded as evidence Of inability TO per
form manual labor Few men are able
TO perform manual labor at that age,
but nearly an men are ar sixty-twO.
The first order is based on fact that
experience teaches. the other is based
on the assertion Of that which is not
true as general rule
The old inquiry. what are You go
ug 70 do about it, is now stated in a
lew form It IS said by the admins
ration. Ia reply 10 the public criticism
If this order that 1T is easy to test
our opponents sincerity IN this mat
er The order tn question Is revocablc
It the pleasure of the executive II
,ur opponents come into power they
.au revoke this order and announce
hat they viii treat the veterans OF
,ixty-two and seventy as presumably
n full bodily viGOr and not entitled To
pension WIN they authoritatlvely
tate that they intend 10 DO this? II
10. we accept the issue
This suggests the suspicion at least
hat the order was made 10 create an 4
ssue. that it was supposed to present
strong strategic position in the bat
-
4 that order was. In my Judgment, an
attempted though perhaps unwittingeu-
upon the legislative power !
nd therefore unwarranTed by the con
tirutlou the challenge is accepted. II .
lected ! viii revoke that order But
go further and say that that being /
one. I viii contribute my effort toward
be enactment OF "a law t0 br passed by
18th houses Of congress and approved
y the executive that will give an age /
eusion without reference Co disability
@ the surviving heroes OF the civil
var aud under the provisions OF which
pension may be accepted with diguj
= because ~ the consciousness that II /
ONES AS Just due from the people
Trough their chosen representatives
nj not as largeSs distributed by the
htef executive.
oreisn Rslatton.
The foreign relations Of the govern
lent have Ina late years assumed ,
pecial Importance Prior 20 the ac.
ulsitiou " the Philippines we were
ractjraiy luvulner8hle against at
aeks ny foreign states Those tropica
however 200 miles from
ar shores have changed all this and |
ave ia eTe,t put rs under bonds 90
e.-p the peace. The uew conditions
all for management u foreign ar
airs the more circumsprct Ia that the
ecent American Invasion % foreign
aarkrtS In AL parts of tho work. ha.
xcited the serious apprehension ~
II the sr~at Industrial pssopl~~ y IL
sseutisi therwforv faoFw than ever
D sdherv strictly % the Traditional
alicY ~ The suuntFv as formulated hy
3 first president aud never. In my
adKmeut. wisely departed from 20 m
Sc friendly rriatiuas with all nations
-hile avui8inx eutaugtsux aiilauesss