The National tribune., 1905-11-30
NOW roR THE SERVICE PENSION.

i
the meeting Of Congress close at hand
the veterans everywhere should line up
for strong, concerted. unanimous eff
fort to secure the passage of the Ser
vice Pension bill. recommended for
three successive times by the National
F:ncampment.
AT the outset they will be met by the
objection, which will be considered ia
tai. that there is deficit in the Treas
ury and the revenues of the Govern
ment are not sufficient to meet its pres
ent expenditures. This does not at all
meet the case. The Government has
never been kept from doing what it
should do because it did not have the
cash OH hand to do it. The people have
demanded that the thing necessary and
right be done, and that the means be
provided out of the abundant resources
of the country. That there was no
money in the Treasury to prosecute the
war was not taken into account for
moment in beginning and carrying on
the conflict. AT the beginning of the
war the Treasury was empty. the Gov
eminent was without credit, and mon
eyed men refused to lend unless they
were guaranteed by the great States of
New York and Massachusetts. The first
loan could only be secured at the usurf-
Gus rate of 10 per cent. The people
demanded that the Government should
go on nevertheless and save the Union,
without regard to the money in the
Treasury and the cost.
1t was the same way in meeting the
interest upon the bonds issued and 9TH
er great strains incurred by the prose-
cution of the war. For years the peo-
pie found somehow gold enough to pay
the bondholders interest of from $780,
0G0, 900 to $780, 100000 year-that is.
from 100000 to $4,000, 900 a week
when there seemed to be no gold in the
country. With the very much smaller
population and inferior resources of
that day this amounted to at least 10
represent to-day.
They propose now 20 build the Pan
anna Canal, not out of the current reve-
rucs, but to mortgage the future for it.
This is right and proper. The canal will
be for the benefit Of future generations,
and it is right that these should pay it's
cost.
-
bill is now public emergency of a
similar nature to the others. That is,
the men who fought the war through
and saved the Nation at fearful expense
to themselves are now all at the age
when there is no longer hope of their
being able to support themselves and
their wives by physical labor. The enor-
nous strains to which they were sub
jected by their long years OF hard SER
vice for the Government have added to
this hopelessness by prematurely age
ing them and disabling them for manual
labor. They cannot have anything like
the same expectancy of continued abil-
ity for work that the same number of
civilians at their age could. These men
soldiers were ever required in any war.
but they did this at a double sacrifice
of their health and physical powers.
and of the wages and returns which
would have come to them had they re-
manned at home. AT a time when the
men at home were receiving phenome-
nally high wages these men were put
Off with a pittance that in actual pur-
cha sing power did not reach more than
SIS or IS month.
Now that the men who did this work
and sacrificed themselves SO unreserv-
edly for the salvation Of the Govern
ment are all nearly, IL they have not
already passed, the Biblical three score
years. it Is the Nations unquestioned
duty to make such provision for them
as will save their declining years from
any danger Of want This provision is
In the nature of an emergency, because
| IL the Nation is going to pay the debt
| 1t must pay 1t now. The men are dying
at the rate Of $4,000 a year, and to de-
lay payment to them is to practice the
lneanest form Of reputation. A vet
Il
ceivfng what the Government should
give him is cheated in the meanest way.
The present generation and all future
generations are reaping rich rewards
from the glorious results of these mems
services and sacrifices. and the small
amount watch they would be required
to contribute to carry out service PEN
sion is in strong contrast to the enor-
nous sacrifices made to pay the bond
holders their exaction of gold during
the years Of and Immediately following
the war. If the service pension is pre-
scented to the people fairly their sense
OF justice and right. which has never
been appealed to in vain, will unhesi-
tatingly approve Of Congress passing
the bill without any reference to The
amount it may cost.
BLUEJACKETs IN THE THEATER.
The Navy League of the United