The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1908-10-28
Republican Party Wholly
Responsible For Caring
4 For Old Soldiers.
Observation-Disclosures
Iy Aida DamRing Record
Taft Great Friend
Of GAR.

The Republican party has Just
cause to be proud of its pension rec
ord. With the aid of patriotic men
from other parties it waged to u sue
cessful conclusion 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 a 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 Ameri-
can people.
Republican Pension Legislation.
Republican legislation for the old
soldier, his widow and his minor chill
dren has been generous and bounti.
fui. The invalid pension law of July
IL, 1862, and the dependent law of
June 27, 1890, are monuments of
Republican achievement and bear
witness to the country'S tender care
of its soldiers and its sailors and
their families.
The act of June 81, 1890, is a fit
ting illustration of the generosity. of
the Republican party toward the vet
Grams of the Civil War. This law
was passed by e ~.,publican Con-
gress, was signed ..t Republican
President, and through its admins
tration there was expended during
the next fiscal year a total amount of
$68,79S,S6O.71. The number of SOL
diers receiving the benefit of this act
was 44S.721, while the number of the
dependents relieved by this act was
III, 1,259. The gains in the number
Of pensioners under this act over the
previous year was S643, and the gain
from June 80, 1890, to January 5,
1904, was 1898.
The Republican party passed the
act of April 10, 1908, increasing PEN
sions of all widows from IS to $12
per month and granting pensions
without reference to the value of
property or income. The Republican
party also passed the act of February
6,'1S97, granting pensions to soldiers
by reason of age alone, without re-
gard to disability.
Democratic Opposition Record.
The Democratic party, as such, has
opposed every measure voting appro-
priations for pensions. Its record for
the past forty years is one of opposi-
tion to those men who bore the hard
ships of war and jeopardized their
lives that the Union might be pre-
served. Here is a brief list of their
official adverse acts in Congress to-
ward the veterans of the Civil War:
In 1878 bill passed the House re-
pealing all limitations of time in
which applications for arrears of pen
sions should be made. This was op-
posed by majority of the Demo-
Gratis. The bill increasing the pen
sions for widows from $S to S12 per
month was opposed by the Demo-
Gratis. The amputation bill passed
August 4, 1896, was opposed by the
Democrats and voted for solidly by
the Republicans in the House. The
widows arrears bill an the disabil-
ity pension bill were bckh fought Bit
terly by the Democrats.
In the Forty-third Congress a de-
pendent pension bill was voted on in
the Senate, the Republicans support
ing it solidly and the Democrats op-
posing 1t by two-third vote. In the
House this bill was voted for solidly
by Republicans and opposed by ma
1ority of the Democrats. After it had
passed the House and Senate it was
vetoed by President Cleveland, as a
Democrat. An effort was made in the
House to pass the bill over Cleve-
lands veto, the Republicans voting
1S8 for it and the Democrats voting
125 against it,
This vote showed that twenty-nine
Democrats who had originally voted
for the bill fastened to avail them
selves OF the opportunity afforded by
the Presidents veto to vote against
it, thus testifying their real senti-
ments, while twenty other Democrats
who had lodged the first vote came
up promptly and supported the veto.
The dependent pension bill was bit
terly opposed by the Democrats, the
Republicans putting 1t through de-
spite the opposition. This bill, as the
old soldiers well know, was promptly
signed by President Harrison.
Democrats Dislike Veterans.
To sum up, the following gives the
total of fourteen votes of Congress
upon the most important of the yari-
GUS pension measures presented since
the war-viZ:
Democrats for the bills. AT
Democrats against the bills. 80. CAS-
Republicans for the bills. s......1O6G
Republicans against the bills. None
The official records of national leg
islation show that of all the Repub-
ltcan Presidents since the war only
one has withheld his signature from
any pension bill, and that was Gener-
al Grant, who was forced to decline
to approve five of these bills. The
Democrats have been in power for
only a few brief years since the war,
and their President, Grover Cleve-
>and, vetoed 529 pension bills, The