The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-04-21
RICKEL REPLIES.
To Congressman Anthony i'm Connec-
ton With Pension Bill.

! To the Editor of the State Journal.
In your yesterdays issue you make
! the statement that Il have been writ
ing letters to Congressman Anthony
! criticising Anthony's pension bill and
attacking the Republican party's rec
| ord on pension legislation. And you
! further state '.Rickel evidently pro-
| poses to take a hand, in the political
| contest now going on in Kansas as he
has had his letters published in papers
unfrien6ly to Anthony's candidacy etc.
| etc
Now I hope the State Journal will be
fair enough to its readers and to my
self to print my reply. In the hrSt place,
1 only wrote letters to Anthony in re-
ply to letters he wrote to Ine; second,
] have 20 personal interest IN Anthony s
election or defeat. as / am not resi-
dent or voter in the First district, and
have never during the year past SAID 4.
word or wrote line on partisan poll
tics, and finally I will say that my re-
ply to one of Anthony's letters, that was
printed before he sent it to me, where
in he sought to create the impression
that I was opposed to pension leg1Sla-
ton was offered to papers friendly to
his candidacy as well as to those OPP
posed-.lo distinction being made or
thought Of
Now let us pay no attention to An
thongs bi1lingsgate and abuse and state
the facts as they occurred. First. An
thony at late dav of the last session
of the congress to which he was elect
ed introduced a pension bill. 1t was
Objectionable in every way. 1 had the
tenn rity after consulting with many
comrades to say lit was without mer-
it, Mr.. Anthony then changed his
bill and eliminated the worst features
and proceeded to abuse me as means
of helping himself politically. 1 then
said, and I now repeat, that the vet
Grams are tired of these buncombe pen
sion bills that are only introduced by
dnc6IVa the VOt-
ers.
This whole proceeding of Anthony's
is an insult to the intelligence or the
veterans and their friends for he knew
when he introduced it and knows now
that he did not intend to even try to
have it passed. He knows the Grand
Army of the Republic have a standing
committee on pension legislation IN
would have refused to endorse his
monstrosity had he presented it to
them, and he knows the Grand Army
has asked all friends of pension legls-
lation to cooperate with that commit
tee and thus avoid the Introduction OF
these freak and buncombe. bills. And
Anthony knows that a resolution was
passed by the Grand Army of the Re-
public in our national encampment
with the view of preventing the intro
duction of these buncombe bills. Ana,
finally, it might be interesting to the
comrades to know which one OF his
bills Anthony is now defending. Is II
the one objected to? Or is it the last |
joke that he is now trying to work on |
his constituents?
hope Mr.. Anthony will not really |
read me out of the party as 1 would |
be utterly lost outside of it, having |
been a Republican of the straightest |
cect since it's organization, and al |
though the elevation of such men as
Anthony to represent the party is DIS
gushing and discouraging to honest, de-
cent, sensible self-respecting Repubi-
cans. it is a mistake thew will not be
likely to repeat in Anthonys district.
And, finally, as nv only interest II
this matter is the interest of my COM
rades L will make Mr.. Anthony this pro-
position: We will print his first bill and
my objections and comment thereon
with a copy of his second bill and all
the subs equent correspondence in PAM
t,hlet form and send one to every COM
rade in his district and he and 1 viii
personally and jointly bear the ex-
pense Of the same.
JOEL H. RICKEL,
Department Commander. Department
Kansas C. A. r,