The National tribune., 1910-02-24
THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE PENSION
BILL.

Editor National Tribune: Your edito-
rial,'"A Plain Talk With the Comrades" !"
was read with amazement. 1t is not in
line with your past Jealous work for
the soldier. You say you have inter
viewed members of Congress and yari-
/ Gus officials, and that their temper
seems to be that in the present condi-
ton of the Treasury the most rigid
economy must be practiced, and all ex-
penses that can reasonably be avoided
must be cut off. And yet you speak Of
various public utilities, such as river
improvements, etc, being so insistent
that their recognition cannot be ignored.
Why not? The commercial interests of
the country got along quite well with
out the deepening of the river cham
nels, and why cannot they get Iiong
awhile longer and leave the way to give
the poor, aged soldiers the help they
so sadly need? Remember, thousands
die every year without the help tf.sy so
sorely need. But you may~say that the
railroads are inadequate TO handle the
increasing development of transports Z
ton. Why is ii, then, that few years
ago, during the business panic, so many
cars lay idle for long time? People
have to eat and keep warm. panic Or no
panic. If people went hungry and cold
il certainly was not for lack OF trans
portation, as the idle cars evidenced.
But granted that these demands are
imperative, then issue bonds You know
how that grand friend of the soldier.
John A. Logan, advocated the issue of
bonds to insure justice to the soldiers.
The Government issues bonds to get
money 10 complete the Panama Canal.
Considering his needs and what he has
done for the country, why is it not Just
as imperative to issue bonds to do JUS
tice to the soldiers? Now that you
Ia
not work with might and main? Even
If the demanded justice should Tail it
would have been better to have held
your pessimism in allegiance till the is
sue was decided. Your admission that
even yourself considered that economy
ought to be practiced was an impOlitic
utterance, 3nd your advocacy of YOUR
pension bill has tendency to impress
one as half-hearted. Now. please don't
be offended at my plain talk. / have no
iil-feeling towards you. Your noble
work in the past in behalf of the soldier
and his widow forbids such a feeling
l simply consider that you have made
a mistake. Now, go on continuing to
print the concentrations of comrades
in favor of your bill, write editorials
in its behalf, print my open letter 10
Congress" and if the bill fails at last
the comrades will feel that you have
done your best.-Geo. f. Place, Co. 3,
18th n. H., Alton. N. II.
We welcome such frank criticisms as
the above. sThe responsibility for fur
ther pension legislation is a mighty one
and requires all onr best thoughts. The
editor of The National Tribune is far
from willing to bear this responsibility
alone, and he wants the assistance CT
all the comrades. The best place to
thrash out these questions is in the col
umns of The National Tribune, where
everyone who has anything OF value to
say upon the subject can have his op-
portunity, and we are glad to have let
ters like this, which show that the COM
rade has actually studied the situation.
In the first place, it must be kept con-
stantly in mind that the question is rot
what the veterans and their widows
should have, but what we are likely to
get. This IS the all-important feature.
We must reckon constantly with the
temper of the people and Congress, and
only go so far as there seems a reason
able prospect of success When We
look all over the country and realize |
the needs of the veterans and their |
widows We would not hesitate an in |
stant to issue bonds or make any other
expenditure that would place any one
of those needy in comfort for the rest !
of their lives, but our sense of The |
temper of the people and of Congress, |
representing the people, shows concIu- |
sively that it would be impolitic to the |
highest degree to urge such a thing, |
and it would do great harm by dis |
tracing the attention of the comrades |
from things that we may get and in |
arousing an opposition among the peo-
pie. We think with our comrades that |
the deepening of the river channels |
and the Reclamation Service are not |
nearly so imperative as the payment of
the debt of the country to the men and
10 whom ii owes everything.
There are other enterprises of like ma
ure. all of which we think might either
wait or be provided for by bonds, which