The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-04-20

old soldiers in Kansas should look
after is the election of q RAN as COM
mander-in-chief of the Kansas G. A.
R. who is big enough to refuse to al
low himself to be used by scheming
and designing politicians.
zone Mr.. RickeI, who now occupies
that position. has evidently been un-
able to withstand the clever machin-
ations of certain Topeka politicians
and they are using the man vino oc-
cupies the position as commander-in-
chief of the Kansas G. A. R. for self
ish political ends.
.sWhat the old soldiers of Kansas
want to do is to put men at the head
of their organization who are willing
to work in harmony and in sympathy
with those who are the real friends of
the old soldiers and who are honestly
desiring to help them in every possible
way.
iRickel has put himself in the fool
ish position of opposing bill now
pending in congress which has simply
taken the qualifications of the commit
tee on invalid pensions for the con-
sideration of special private pension
bills and which would make it pos
sible for any old soldier who could
meet the requirements of the commit
tee, to get $40 per month by direct
application to the commissioner of
pensions instead of having to wait on
the personal favor of some congress-
man or senator and the slow action of
congress to get relief where relief is
both urgently and immediately neces-
sary.
This bill was introduced by Repre-
sentative Anthony and his political
enemies at once recognizing that it
was a sane and sensible piece of pen
sion legislation, have determined by
means of Misrepresentation and by
using plant tools like Rickel, the
present commander of the G. A. R.. to
stir up sentiment against the bill and
thus injure Representative Anthony
among his old soldier friends.
"Rickel shows the dishonesty of his
criticism of he bill by declaring. in
one sentence in a recently published
letter, that the terms of the proposed
bill were NOT liberal enough, and in
another sentence saying that he was
tired of 'buncombe' pension bills.
which is the term generally used to
characterize bill which promises
more than it can deliver.
1.-THE sum total of the whole matter
is that Rickcl has allowed himself TO
be used as a rolitical tool and his ac-
ton should he repudiated by the old
soldiers of Kansas at the first oppor-
tunity by the election of a man for
commander-in-chief of the Kansas G.
A. r. who will have both the courage
and the honesty to represent the inter
ests of the Old soldiers of Kansas in
stead of a few political wire-pullers
who would make use of him for their
own selfish purposes.
Ing AcCOtd VI tlAS HNepuOllcdH par
ty in the enactment of pension legisla-
ton is so generous that the assaults
upon the party by men like Rickel only
serve to call ienewed attention to the
Republican party's extreme ltberality
toward the volunteer soldiers who have
fought the country's battles. With this
years appropriations for pensions of
one hundred and sixty millions of dol
lars and a total of three billions six
hundred millions of dollars paid to old
soldiers and their widows since the
Civil war by laws enacted by Republi-
can congresses proves Rickell both a
liar and an migrate In his attack on the
Republican party" -