The National tribune., 1910-04-14
NATIONAL ECONOMY.

NhS upoH tiit ldAptg SI liiS
necessity that every dollar taken from
the people shall be wisely and carefully
expended. They understand how q GER.
tain retreLchment is necessary on ac-
count of the lavish expenditures in the
past and the diminution of revenues re.
sulting from the crisis. With deeper
love for the Nations prosperity an6
proper standing among the Nations oi
the earth than can be possible with
those who have not given such proofs
of devotion to the country as they have
they heartily approve of a proper Navy
a sufficient standing Army and the in.
ception and carrying forward of inn
provements which are absolutely re.
ouired. Affirming all this, there still
remains a great debt of justice and
mercy toward the men whose unlimited
self-sacrifice laid the foundation of all
this and made possible all that is now
being done and enjoyed. All economy
must be tempered with wisdom and JUS
tice and both these demand that the
burden of economy shall not be placed
unduly upon the veterans and their
widows This class presents peculiar
emergener While we ought to have
! two battleships a year and the present
generation should bear the expense of
! them. the burden of improving our
waterways and establishing a great rec
| lamation system can be very properly
shifted on to the generation which is
| to receive the benefits of these improve
ments. If it is necessary To begin those
works at once, then let their expense
be represented by bonds. of which the
coming generation shall bear the prin-
cipal and interest.
During their youthful and productive
years the veterans cheerfu!Iy bore bur
dens incomparabiy heavier than these
of to-day. When the young soldiers re-
turned from the war they found that
everything that they used in their daily
life. everything that they ate, drank,
wore apd was necessary in their homes
was taxed to the limit of endurance.
They paid taxes on everything, from
the matches with which they lighted
their fires in the morning to the sooth-
ing sirup which they gave to their
babies at midnight. A very large part
of what they earned or made in any
way was taken by the Government to
meet the principal and interest of the
war debt. Thus. in a way, pensions to-
day are only a repayment of heavy
taxes which the veterans paid for the
benefit of coming generations.
aF
middle age. and too many of them have
ended the harvest season of their lives
They are in need of the actual neces-
saries of life. which must be supplied
them from outside. They naturally turn
to the Government which they served
with such utter disregard to their own
personal and pecuniary interests to
make a return to them in some meas
ure Of what they once gave freely and
unstintedly to it. 1t cannot, of course,
pay them, nor do they ask for any pay
ment for the heroic and patient service
which they rendered. There can be no
such thing as payment for their heroic |
facing of death on thousands of bloody |
battlefelds There can be no repay |
ment for the privations they endured, |
the terrific, body-wrecking hardships to |
which they were subjected on the |
march, in camp and on picket, but there |
can be repayment for the sacrifices of |
their wages and money-making oppor-
tunities at home, for their acceptance |
of a deprecated currency which cut |
their scanty allowance in half, and for |
a part Of the physical disabilities in
CURED by their long and arduous ser
vice. This is strictly in the nature of |
debt. and a debt OF honor.
The Nation very properly assumed |
that the money 1t borrowed from its
creditors during the war was a debt of
honor. and with the strong approval of
the comrades repaid to the last cent
all that the most exacting creditor could
demand. Where the bondholder had
taken advantage of the Governments
necessities to lend il dollars only worth |
from SO cents to 40 cents. he was paid
back dollars worth 100 cents. with in
terest in gold amounting at times to as
much as IL and Is per cent. Altogeth-
er the bondholders did not lend the
Government anything like the amount
that the veterans voluntarily gave it In
sacrifice of their wages and business
opportunities. For less than $1,000
100000 in gold which the bondholders
lent the Government II has repaid
them something like $4,000, 900, 900 in
principal, interest and premiums. Large
IS the pension payments are figured out
10 be, yetthey do not equal the amount
which the Government has paid the
bondholders for a much less monetary
than was made by the vet
erans. This fact should be kept in
mind when studying the misleading fig
lres as to the amount OF pension pay
nents. Is
The supreme difference between the
payments now becomes evident. If the
pensioners are not given justice now !
hey will be eternally defrauded of it,
while the payment to the bondholder
:ould be deferred for any length of ,
inc without injury to him or his heirs.
Therefore, every consideration of Ma
ional justice and gratitude demands
hat these aging veterans and their 7
Widows be considered in all the schemes |
# economy, and the fact of the inroads
hat death is making upon their ranks
,e given its proper Importance. Any t