Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-26

constructing the canal. That duty should
be promptly performed.
American Shipping.
Our commerce in American bottoms
amounts to but nine per cent Of our total
exports and imports. For forty years prior
to 1861. when the republican party came
Into power. our merchant marine carried
an average of eighty per cent of our for
eign commerce. BY 1877 1t had dwindled
10 twenty-seven per cent. Now we carry
out contemptibly small fraction of our
exports and imports.
American shipping III the foreign trade
was greater by almost one hundred thou
sand tons in 1S1Q-nearly a hundred years
ago-than 1t was last year. In the face of
the continuous decline in the record of
american shipping during the last forty
three years, the promise Of the republican
party to restore It is without encourage
ment. The record Of the democratic party
gives assurance that the task can be more
wisely entrusted to it.
II Is an arduous task to undo the effect
OF forty years Of decadence, and requires
tne study and investigation of those best
ntted by experience to find the remedy
which surely does not lie in the granting
OF subsidies. wrung from the pockets of all
the taxpayers.
Investigation Of Government Depart
ments.
augmentation of government expenditures.
show need Of an investigation of every
department of the government. The demo-
Gratis in Congress demanded it. The re-
publican majority refused the demand. The
people can determine by their vote I'm Mo-
vember whether they wish an honest and
thorough investigation. democratic Con-
sress and executive will assure it.
Army and Navy.
We are justly proud Of the officers and
men OF our army and navy. Both. how
ever, have suffered from the persistent in
Jection OF personal and political influence
promotions and appointments have been
frequently based on favoritism instead of
merit Trials and court-martials have been
Set as1oe under circumstances indicating
political interference. These and other
abuses should be corrected.
Pensions for Our Soldiers and Sailors.
The national democracy favors liberal
pensions to the surviving soldiers and sail
ors and their dependents, on the ground
that they deserve liberal treatment 1t
pledges by its platform adequate leeisla-
ton to that end. But It denies the right OF
the executive to usurp the power of Con-
gress 70 lesislate on that subject. Such
usurpauon was attempted by Pension
Order No. 70. and effect has been given to
1t by Congress that dared not resent the
usurpation. 1t is said that this order was
mace IN the performance OF duty i'm
gress, but the provision making the impo-
sftion Is not pointed out. The act to which
the order refers, which Is the one relating
70 pensions to civil war veterans, does not
autnorize pensions on the ground of age
It does grant pensions to those suffering
from any mental or physical disability. or
disabilities. Of permanent character, not
tne result or their own vicious habits,
winch SO lncapacttates them from the per-
romance of manual labor as to render
them unable to earn a support" This
specified requirement. Of incapacity is in
efrect set aside by Order No, Is as to all
persons over sixty-two.
Inc war closed nearly forty years ago.
In the meantime many of our soldiers and
sailors long survived the age Of sixty-two
anu passed away without receiving any
Ing through the statute failed to find there
q provision giving pension to, all who
mad reached sixty-two. Many prominent
action giving service pension to all vet
Grams. 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 al If 1t read that when
a claimant had passed the age of sixty-two
years he is necessarily disabled one-half in
ability to perform manual labor and there
fore entitled to pension
Inc president of the civil service COM
mission, Gen. John c. Black, formerly
commissioner of pensions and commander
ln-chief of the Grand Army of the Repuh-
lie. indicated his view of the order when In
a recent address he thanked the President
for what he had done, and advised his hear
ers TO use their influence that law might
be passed to the same effect. Full conf
dence after all seems not to have been
placed on the defense Of Justification for
1t is pleaded in mitigation that a former
democratic President did something looking
in that direction. Even If that were So
which Is not admitted-our present duty
would be none the less plain and impera-
tive: Our people must never tolerate the
as an excuse for another. The first may
possibly be due to mistake; the second,
being based on the first cannot be- In ex-
PLANTATION. however. 1t should be said that
age OF seventy-five years should be re-
garded as evidence of inability to perform
manual labor. Few men are able to per-
form nI nm manual labor at that age but nearly
10 pased on q fact that experience teaches,
the other Is based on the assertion Of that
which is not true as general rule.
do about it?' is now stated in a new form
1t is said by the administration, in reply
to the public criticism of this order, that
1T Is easy to test our opponents sincerity
in this matter. The order in question is
revocable at the pleasure of the executive.
If our opponents come into power they can
revoke this order and announce that they
will treat the veterans of sixty-two and
seventy as presumably in full bodily vigor
and not entitled to pension. Will they au-
thoritatively state that they intend to do
this? If so, we accept the ISSUE
This suggests the suspicion, at least that
the order was made to create an issue
that 1t was supposed to present strong
strategic position in the battle of the bal
lots On the assumption that the order.
as stated by the administration, is reyoca-
Bile at the pleasure of the executive, it
having been an attempted, though perhaps
unwilling, encroachment upon the legis-
lative power. and therefore unwarranted by
the Constitution, I accept the challenge.
and declare that If elected l will revoke
that order But go further. and say that
that being done, l 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 pen
sion without reference to disability to the
surviving heroes of the civil war: and
under the provisions of which pension
may be accepted with dignity because of
the consciousness that 1t comes as a lust
due from the people through their chosen
representatives, and not as largess dis
tributed by the chief executive.
Foreign Relations.
The foreign relations of the government
have in late years assumed special Inn
<Nvk S~~ N-kA -