The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-02-04
TIE MONEY POWERS ASSAULT.

| it necessary to hate President Roosevelt
pass without it making an assault upon
him in which the cunning is only equaled
by the yiciousness. Last week it had a
double-leaded leader under the head of
| The Most Stupendous of Campaign
Funds" 1t starts off in this way:
a service pension law, such as is now
said to have the earnest approval of Pres
| ident Roosevelt in this year of his candi-
dacy for the Republican nomination. might
carry the annual expenditure for pensions
mp from about $14O.OOO.OOO to 100000
coo. and it might carry the same up even
| to S20O.000.Ooo. No human being can
| foretell the financial result of such legis-
| lation."
1t will be perceived that the first ami
mus of this screed is to assail the Presi-
dent. and secondly to attack the service
| pension. 1t does not say directly that the
President favors the service pension law
it only assumes that he does. The vet
Grams would certainly he glad to have the
Suns assumption true, and the President
Strenuously in favor of the bill prepared
by the G. \. r. National Pension Com
mittee. He has said nothing. however, to
| make us affirm such an attitude.
The Sun then proceeds to make clabor-
tie calculations to the effect that the pas
sage of such law would add 100000 Il
ear to the present expenditure for pen
>ions, carrying the aggregate up to 5000.
29o, 161. OF course these figures are gross
y perverted The largest estimate of
hose who are i'll position to know.
makes the contemplated expenditure. nj
he very utmost. less than one-third of the
figures the Sun gives. From this there
re important deductions to be made i'll
he saving which such n bill would make
such as approximately 81 600. 900 for En-
mining Surgeons, $JOO.00 for Special
Agents, and 4 large amount in the reduc
ion of the force employed in the Pension
Bureau, etc.
No person is justified-certainly no
,apcr that claims to present facts to its
eaders--in making such grossly exag-
gerated estimate of the cost of an act of
National justice. 1t is so easy to exag
serate when talking about things we may
not like. that young and crude writer's are
EASILY betrayed into gross distortions. But
his is Il wicked temptation which a paper
If the standing of the Sun should certainly
esist. The Suns editorial concludes with
his vicious sheer:
In fpDp ntr,ot
% assert that this would be an excessive
rice to pay for the continuance Of Theo-
dore Roosevelt as President of the United
States for four years longer. We only
suggest in view of the cramping effect of
the project upon Government expenditure
COR other and necessary purposes and in
Jew of the fact that the Secretary of the
Treasury is now pointing to deficit. that
The additional cost of the proposed service
enSion law he assessed upon the States
~ direct taxation.
This can be done constitutiOnally pro-
viding the assessment is laid on the States
in proportion to the enumeration by the
preceding census. Then the existing
sources of Government revenue would not
he Overstrained. and the people will know
exactly for what they are paying the tax"
If President Roosevelt is in favor Of
pressed himself. he has done no differently
from what Presidents Washington. Adams,
Jefferson. and Madison did with regard to
4 like measure of justice for the soldiers
of the Revolution; what Jackson, Van
Buren,, Harrison. and Tyler did for those
Of the War Of 1912. and what Arthur and
Cleveland did for those of the Mexican
War 1t was their duty as executives
of this Nation to favor National justice
and gratitude to the men who saved the
Nation when it needed men. They would
have been recreant to their duty if they
had not
The cost of the service pension is not
a material factor. There was 10 thought
Of how much it would cost when il was de-
cided that the bondholders should be paid
TO the last cent Of the face Of their obi
cations. and this decision cost the Gov
eminent about 1000. CGO, 900, or more than
by any possibility the pension system can
cost the Government, 10 matter how lib
eral it may be made.
The only question then before the peo-
holders. and they proceeded to pay it. The
question now before the President Of the.
United States and Congress is what is
rightfully due the men who saved the Nj
tons existence. The size of the payment
is not material. only the question whether
it is Il debt or not. To have the Sun plac.
this act Of National justice upon the low
plane OF advancing the Presidents politi-
cal aspirations. shows Il moral pervcrtress
Of the lowest order. Probably scurrilous
journals said the same thing OF Washing
ton and the Presidents who followed him
with regard to their support Of pension leg
islation. but the papers of to-day should
be OH a higher plane than those vicious
sheets which too often disgraced our pco-
! pie in our earlier history.
THE FIGHT BEGUN.