The Washington times., 1904-09-16
Report No. |.

Together with all other papers pup
lished within reaching distance, The
Times is under obligation to the
Parker Constitutional Club of New
York City. That organization has
sent to this Office Report No. 1.
Doubtless this is the first of a list
destined to attain impressive length.
The membership of the club en-
braces men Of dignity and standing.
To receive their attention is a dis
tinction not lightly to be accepted.
The object Of the body is to dem
onstrate that a proper respect for the
Constitution demands the election of
Judge Parker to the Presidency. The
ordinary citizen might have scanned
that revered document without any
such conclusion being suggested to
his mind. It is kind, indeed, for
band OF lawyers. acting without other
fee than that bestowed by consciences
tickled 10 exuberance from sense of
duty performed, to construe the i'm
mortal words.
The point sought to be made is in
relation to the executive order MAX
ing possible the granting of a small
pension to every veteran Of the civil
war who has attained the age of six
ty-two years. In a general way. it is
fitting TO remark that touching the
subject of pensions this country has
no leaning toward stinginess. It
would rather stretch a point; would
rather even reward the unworthy,
than to see one deserving veteran de-
prived Of pittance. This Report No.
1 does not appeal to popular sym
pathy.
In instances, the law assumes def
mite things concerning the individual
of sixty-two. If he is an army Of
fcer, for example, It assumes that
the time has come for him to retire.
and it retires him on pay sufficient
to provide for all reasonable needs.
The assumption, then, that the man
who served in the ranks is at least
in similar degree incapacitated for
activity loses its aspect Of violence.
Nor is there certainty that he has
been in receipt Of a comfortable sal
airy, while there is a certainty that
If he cannot work he cannot draw
half pay or any other sort of pay.
ffhe whole spirit Of the statute gov
erning pensions is that every ex-soI-
der in need of one shall have it. In
accord with this, President Cleveland
set the age at seventy-fve; President
Mckinley at sixty-flve. Precedents?
Very like it.
The teaching of experience is that
a man of sixty-two will need a pen
sion then, IL ever. In many walks of
life men are laid off, long before
this period. The man Of fifty knows
that he is likely to be classed as old
and unfit, and often in his own gray
hairs reads the notice Of dismissal.
The granting OF a trifing pension
to all veterans who choose TO accept
it would head OF countless special
pensions and Illustrate the habitual
pension sharks. It would simplify a
benign and approved process Of re-
lief.
There is full warrant in the letter
of the statute for granting a pension
TO the disabled veteran. There is.
moreover. full warrant for the SUD-
position that the veteran of sixty-two
is IN some measure disabled.
Thus the Parker Constitutional
Club Of New York, with it's lofty pro-
claimed purpose and its distinguished
personnel, does not seem to have made
out a case. But the mountain of its
has labored majestically
and none would be so cruel as pursue
with vindictive design the mouse of
its travail.