Rocky Ford enterprise., 1908-10-30
WAR VETERANS AND
PENSION LEGISLATION
Republican Party Wholly RESPONSE
bio for Caring for Old
Soldiers.
Democrats Opposed All Friendly Aid
-Damning Record-Taft Great
Friend Of q. A. 3.

the aid Of patriotic men from other
parties 1t waged to n successful con-
clusion, the greatest war Of modern
times.
1t has never ceased to honor the
officers and men who composed the
victorious army. Every Republican
President elected since the close of
that war had been n conspicuous off,
Ger of the Federal army, with the ex-
ception OF President Roosevelt. whose
brilliant record In the Spanish war Is
a matter Of just pride to the American,
people.
Republican Pension LeEisIntiOn.
Republican legislation for the old
soldier, his widow and his minor chill
dren hns been generous and bountiful.
The Invalid Pension Law OF July IA.
1862. and the Dependent Law OF June
%. 1890. are monuments of Republi-
can achievement and bear witness to
the country's tender care OF Its soldiers
and its sailors and their families.
The Act OF June %. 1890. is n fitting
illustration OF the generosity of the
Republican party toward the veterans
of the Civil War. This law was passed
by n Republican Congress, was signed
by Republican President. and through
Its administration there was expended
during tht next fiscal year a total
amount Of SGS. .79S. .S,;O.Tl. The number
OF soldiers receiving the benefit Of this
act amounted to 4i3.I2l. while the num-
Der of the dependents relieved by this
Act was 1.2a0. The gain in the num-
Der OF pensioners under this Act, over
the previous year was S,643 and the
gain from June 80. 1890. to January s,
1901. was 1893.
The Republican party passed the Act
Of April 10. 1908, increasing pensions
Of all widows from IS to Sl2 per month
and granting pensions without refer
ence to the value Of property or In
come. The Republican party also
passed the Act OF February 8. 1907,
granting pensions to soldiers by reason
Of nge alone. without regard Of dis
ability.
The Democratic party. as such. has
opposed every measure voting appro-
priations for pensions. Its record for
the past forty years Is one Of oppo-
sition to those men who bore the hard
ships Of war and jeopardlzed their
lives that the Union might be preserv-
ed. Here II brief list Of their off,
cial, adverse Acts In Congress towards
the veterans Of the Civil War:
In 1878 n bill passed the House re-
pcnling all limitations of time in which
applications for arrears Of pensions
should be made. This was opposed by
n majority OF the Democrats. The bill
increasing the pensions for widows
from eight to twelve dollars per month
was opposed by the Democrats. The
Amputation Bill passed August 4, 1896,
was opposed by the Democrats and vot-
ed for solIdly by the Republicans In
the House. The Widows Arrears Bill.
the Disability Pension Bill were both
fought bitterly by the Democrats.
In the Forty-third Congress a De-
pendent Pension Bill was voted on in
the Senate. the Republicans supporting
1t solidly and the Democrats opposing
, 1t by a two-thirds vote. In the House
this bill was voted for solidly by Re-
publicans and opposed by a majority
Of the Democrats. After 1t had passed
the House and Senate 1t was vetoed by
President Cleveland. a Democrat An
effort was made In the House to pass
the bill over Cleveland's veto. the Re-
publicans voting 13S for 1t and the
Democrats voting 125 against II.
This vote showed that twenty-nine
Democrats who had originally voted for
the bill hastened to avail themselves Of
the opportunity afforded by the presi-
dents veto. to vote against 1t. thus tes-
tifying their real sentiments, while
twenty other Democrats who had dodg-
ed the first vote came up promptly and
supported the veto. The Dependent
Pension bill! was bitterly opposed by
the Democrats. the Republicans putting
II through despite the opposition. This
bill. as the old soldiers well know,
was promptly signed by President Har-
rison.
Dsmosrats Dislike Veterans.
To sum up. the following gives the
total OF fourteen votes of Congress
upon the most important of the various
pension measures presented since the
war, VIZ:
Democrats for the bills. .......... AIT
Democrats against the bills. ..... 64S
Republicans for the bills. .1O66
Republicans against the bills. None
The ofiicial records Of national legIs-
lation show that Of all the Republican
presidents since the war, only one has
withheld his signature from any pen
sion bill, and that was General Grant,
who was forced to decline to approve
dve Of these bills. The Democrats have
only been in power for q few brief
veora kince the war and their preSi-