Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-01-19

lar spent by this great government go
towards wars, past and future Ihls az
5itlonaI st5,0oO.0O0 will take several more
cents out OF every dollar from the de-
velopment of the country In the olrection
of commerce and the arts OF peace lrTl-
cation, the deepening OF our waterways,
the conserving of our national resources
all Of these will be hindered by these
additional pensions, to suggest only
few of the forms of governmental activ-
ty by which the country would other
wise benefit. These same Millions and
those TO be wasted on the fortificaton
OF the Panama canal, Will be fresh argu-
ments why the scientific bureaus at
Washington shall remain underpaid and
undermined. why our llfe-savers can
not be properly rcmunerated for rtskng
their lives, why more national parks can
not be acquired-in short, the pouring
out of money for pensions means that
this country must continue to lag behind
foreign governments In those matters
which are truly humanizing and that
make for real national greatness.
And all of this additional burden Is
borne by all tho people: the taxes IT
calls for, whether direct or indirect, are
assessed upon the whole community
Now. If the United States had been mig
Gardly towards its old soldiers; If 1t had
been an ungratcful republic In the treat
ment of the mon who saved the nation,
no one would object to additional APP
preparations. AS matter of fact, no
country in the world has been so gen
erous and no other pension system has.
we venture 10 say, been so demoraliz-
Ing and so corrupt Congress day by
day seeks to make black white by Civ
! Ing to dcscrters military records they
never possessed. More than that, as we
have heretofore shown Congress does
not hesitate to furnish ready-made rec
ords and pensions to men who never
even went to the war. The whole pen
sion business is tainted with fraud and
dishonesty 1t has debased instead of
ennoblng true patriotism; 1t has made
, of self-sacrfice for ones country a mat
ter of dollars and cents, OF filthy lucre.
The lesson of this wild scramble IS not
that one should come home on his
shield. but with the beginnings of a
disease or a wound which thirty years
later will produce n nice little pension.
The three hundred of Thermopylae wero
soon; they should have waited until they
could have had another motive for dy-
Ing for their CONTRIBUTING for its pen
sions. But for those who do not die, we
can conceive OF nothing more demoraliz
ing than this pension scramble; for their
dependents who draw pay pensions are
as demoralzing ndiscriminate char
ity. Upon our political life the 'old-sol-
der vote" has had only lowering effect
The passage of special pension bills is the
easiest way of doing out directly t.
constituents the government pap. Nothint
sounds so well, when It comes to cam
paign speeches and reelection argu
ments
All of this Is an oft-told tale; yet 4
must be told anew. on July las
there We're %62, 4S3 able-bc1iod Civil Wa,
pensioners--each with Vote--in addition
to 12l5Sl invalids ON the roll besides 29l
600 widows, AS minor children (of me,
who fought forty-siN years ago.. 2.3a
mothers. 2GS fathers, and over 5000 help
less children. brothers, and sisters. Their
were over 200 survivors of the war will
Mexico drawing pensions. Although TIT
average annual pension had risen from
Sl3S.lS to S7l.90 In five years. the Sullo
way bill would have the country Civ
every man who served ninety days in tn
civil War or sixty days in the Mexican
War, and who has reached the age o
SlXty-tWo, a pension of ST. a month o
Sc more than now paid under the act q
i9o1. At siXty-fiVe the bill would give tn
pensioner $40 month; at seventy h
would receive $25 and at seventy fiV
this would be increased to $3.50 n month
: Again nothing said about fitness o
} worth; the worst drunkard. the man wit
Jail record. the man who is a mora
t cancer in the community. and the mil
lionaire alike may receive this aid
What better opportunity could Nj
. Taft ask to demonstrate to the countr
that he has the courage of a Cleveland
= that, thought. ho seeks reelection tn
old soldier vote" means nothing to hir
: in the face Of a plain public duty?
the Senate passes this outrageous meas
ure, the opportunity will become a ties
as well. Mr.. Taft could not ask n bet
ter one to prove that he has backbon
and force; that he will not consent t
e the perve"Sion Of the gratitude OF Il
country into betrayal of all the pee
:. pie in favor of n few--the further or
= dowins Of an already privileged elias
. with still greater privileges. There
;, here to be taught lesson OF econofn
q as we'll a lesson in true patriotism.
.