Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1904-09-30


duty imposed upon the president by
Get OF congress-" but the provision
making the imposition Is not pointed
out The act to which the order re-
fer1. which is the one refating to pen
sions to civil war veterans, does not
authorize pensions Oh 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 incapuci-
tates them from the performance Of
manual labor us to render them una
bic to earn support" This specified
requirement OF tncapacity is IN effect
oet aside by order No. u as to all r.r.
sons over stXty-tWo
The war closed nearly forty years
ago. In the meantime many of var
soldiers and sailors long survived. the
age OF siKty-two and PASSED away
without receiving any pension. tx ):
fol pension attorneys, hunting tilr,r Ill
the statute. failed to find there l. n.",-
vision giving q pension to all " ho H.. |
reached sixty-two. Many PROMINENT
veterans urged the t.fSttce Of congress
siohai 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 tie discovery
mac the president had power to treat
the statute as If it read that when a
claimant had passed the age OF sixty
two years IN. b necessarily Disabled
one7half In ability to perform manual
labor and therefore entitled to Il pel-
sion.
The present pension commissioner tn
dlc0tod his view Of the o1>lcr when in
q recent address he thank ed the prcsi-
dent for what he had done and advised
HIS hearers to use their influence that
a iaw might be passed to the same ef-
feet Full confidence, after Gil, seems
not to have been placed OH the defense
Of justification. for 1t Is pleaded in
mitigation that former Democratic
president dki something looking In thief
direction. Even If thcf we're no, w,,t&.a
b not admitted, ON present duty
vQukl be none the hess p!;.l1 ,,snt iln
perat1ve. Our people mist never toI
sRute the citation OF one act uf usurpn
t1on OC power Us an excuse for nioth
er. The first may possibly he .lue to
mistake; the second, being based or
the first. cannot be. IN explanation.
however. n should be said that tie or
Aar r61AfkAA ~, cis
age Of seventy Ave year; should he re
garded as evidence Of Inability to Der
form manual labor. Few men are able
TO perform manual labor at that age,
but nearly all men are at sixty-two
The flrst order Is based on fact that
experience teaches; the other is based
"a the assertion OF that which is not
true as general rule,
The Old inquiry, "What are you go
ing to DO about t1r' h now stated tn a
NV foom. It b saEd hy TIE ad1ntnis-
tratioa. IN reply to the pubitc criticism
q th4s oeder. that "it b easy to test
or opponents' anceFtty b this mat
oer. The order tn question Is revocable
ae he pleasure If the executive II
oor oppoQeots oome tnto power they
Gao revoke ttxs order and announce
that theG WIN treat the veterans OF
sixty Two cod seventy az presumably
In fudi bodily vigoc and not entitled to
pension Vul they authoritativeiy
Gtate that they intend to DO thfs7 n
90. we accept the issue"
This suggests the suspicion at least
that the order was made to create an
Issues that It wqs supposed to present
strong strategic position tn the bat
tie of the ballots. But as the making
o4 that oder Vita. IN my Judgment, an
ATTEMPTED though perhaps unwilling en-
croachment upon the legislative power
and therefore unwarranted By tho con
stttution. the challenge Is accepted II
elected l WIN revoke that order. But
I 80 further and Ray that, that being
done, I will contribute my effort toward
the enactment OF a law to be passed By
both houses OF congress and approved
BIZ the executive that Will give an age
pension without reference to disability
to the surviving heroes az the ctvfl
war a4h under tho provisions Of which
pension mag be accepted With digni-
ty because of the consciousness that It
comes as just due from the people
through their chosen representatives
and not as iargess distributed BY tho
chief executive
Poretpo Relations.
1be foreign relations Of the govern
ment have in hate years assumed
special importance. Prior to the &C
QUESTION Of the philippines we were
practically invulnerable against at
acks hy foreign staens. Those tropical
possessions. however, 1900 miles from
our shores, have changed ell this and
have 10 effect put us under bonds to
keep the peace The new conditions
call tor q management Of foreign af-
0Rfrs the more circumspect in that the
recent American invasion Of foreign
markets. IN al ports Of the world has
excited the serious apprehension Of
al the great Industrial peoples. It IS
essential, therefore, more than ever
to adhere strictly to tho traditional
policy OF he country as formulated by
its first president ana never, In: my