The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1911-12-21
THE PENSION OUTRAGE.

Il 4
Many people in this, part OF the
, country were astounded one day last
week to hear that the Sherwood SER
vice pension bill, which contemplates
| an increase of something like 100000
900 to the annual expenditures for PEN
sions. by the government, had passed
i the House. The benefciaries will be
Mexican and civil wal. veterans, on the
basis OF length or service. ~ follows:
For service for 30 days to six months,
e15 per month: from six to nine
! months, so per month; from nine
months to one year, IS per month:
more than one year. ESQ per month.
Secretary Fisher, OF the Interior, ea-
Inmates that IL the 100000 veterans
. eligible take advantage Of the increas-
| cd allowance, the Sherwood bill will
add SIS, 600, 900 to the already alarm
ing sum of $14O.oOO.00O drawn from
the Treasury every year for this pur-
| pose, under the general appropriations
bill. OF course, the bill met with de-
termined opposition from leading dem
ocratic members, but there were q Suf-
fcient number OF the spineless variety
amongst them to carry the monstrous
measure through. EiEhty-four demo-
Gratis and eight republicans voted
against it, which means that 14S DEM
ocrats and 15S republicans either sup
ported the bill or held their peace
while the cowardly act was being per-
petrated. Be it said to their credit,
Democratic Leader Underwood and
Representative tzgerald,o of New York,
chairman of the appropriations COM
mittee, strenuously opposed its pas
sage. We cannot simaSine how any
Southern representative could stifie
his conscience by favoring the passage
OF a measure so utterly devoid OF merit.
Surely few, if any, of them have COM
mitted such grieYious blunder, which
could have been prevented If all the
democrats had done their duty. But
the deed has been done and House
democrats must take the Responsible
ty, even though republican votes maed
its accomplishment possible. Just
what influences were invoked to make
possible this unexplainable departure
from democratic precedent, we are un-
able to say. The G. A. r. Is known to
be a powerful organization in the
North and West, but attempted intimi-
dalton from that source should not
bring terror to Southern Democrats, or
those Of any other section, for that
matter. For have not democrats been
denouncing the pension steal all these
years? No patriotic citizen would de-
prive the worthy Union veteran of a
reasonable reward for services render
ed, but the indiscriminate distribution
of the peoples money, authorized by
republican congresses heretofore and
this further raid upon the Treasury
provided in the Sherwood bill, is in
tolerab1e and indefensible. 1t is true
that the republicans are estopped from
criticising the democrats for following
| in their footprints, but this fact can in
no way appease the righteous indigna-
ton of outraged constituencies
throughout the South and elsewhere.
In extenuation Of their action, some
House democrats claim to have voted
for the measure in the belief that the
Senate would not pass it. Such po-
sftion is not only untenab1e, but cow
ardly. The public will doubtless hold
each branch of congress responsible
for the action of it's members. The
Senate may exhibit greater wisdom in
dealing with this proposition than the
House has shown, but this is by no
means certain, with a republican ma
j0rity in that body. President Cleve-
land once prevented similar drain
upon the governments resources, by
the exercise of the veto power, and
perhaps PresidentTaft will come to the
| rescue in this instance, If the matter
is put up to" him. He would be rem
dering distinct service to the country
in declining to approve the Sherwood
bill.
| ho - A.