Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1904-09-29

Investigation of Government Depart
nents.
Recent disclosures. coupled with the
penditures show need of an investi-
cation of every department of the gov
eminent The Democrats in congress
demanded it. The Republican MAORI
ty refused the demand. The people
can determine by their vote in No
vember whether they wish an honest
and thorough investigation. A Demo
cratic congress and executive will as
sure it.
Army and Navy.
We are justly proud of the officers
and men of our army and navy. Both.
however, have suffered from the per-
sistent injection of personal and polit-
ical influence Promotions and appoint
ments have been frequently based on
favoritism instead of merit. Trials
and court martials have been set aside
under circumstances indicating polit-
ical interference. These and other
abuses should be corrected.
Pensions For Our Soldiers and Sailors.
The national Democracy favors lib
eral pensions to the surviving soldiers
and sailors and their dependents OH
the ground that they deserve liberal
treatment. 1t pledges by its platform
adequate legislation to that end But
it denies the right of the executive t1
usurp the power of congress to legis-
late on that subject Such usurpation
was attempted by pension order No.
IS, and effect has been given to it by
a congress that dared not resent the
usurpation. 1t is said that this order
was made in the performance of a
duty imposed upon the president by
act of congress" but the provision
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
bic to earn 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 a 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 if it 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 therefore entitled to pen
sion.
The present pension commissioner in
Dictated his view of the order when in
a recent address he thanked the presi-
dent for what he had done and advised
his hearers to use their influence that
law might be passed to the same eff
feet. Full confidence, after all, seems
not to have been placed on the defense
of justification, for it is pleaded in
mitigation that 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 inn
perative. Our people must never toll
ton Of power as an excuse for anoth-
er. The first may possibly be due to
mistake; the second. being based on
the first, cannot be. In explanation,
however, it should be said that the or
der relied on simply provided that the
age of seventy-five years should be re
garded as evidence of inability to per-
form manual labor, Few men are able
to perform manual labor at that age,
but nearly all men are at sixty-two.
The first order is based on a 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
ing to do about it," is now stated in a
new form. 1t is said by the admins
tration, in reply to the public criticism
of this order, that sit is easy to test
our opponents sincerity in this mat
ter 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. VIII they authoritatiyely
state that they intend to do this? If
SO, we accept the issue"
Il