Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1912-09-19
The PRESIDENT SIGNED MOST WILLINGLY

The industrious circulation of the falsehood that President Taft threatened
a veto Of the Sunoway bill al of the chief plays of his opponents and
there was nc truth in this every senator. representative and other public mn
could have known If he cared to inquire Yet It a a good enough Morgan
till after the nomination"
Now these same TEL are with equal industry and untruth circulating the
report that President Taft signed the act of May IL most unwtningly and al
There had beef a n overwhelming popular demand for additional pension
legislation The people were most earnest in ther wish that the Veterans h
had saved The nation should be properly cared for during the years that e.
named 10 hem n naconal encampment or hi Crane Army OF the he
public had asked fol such Legislation The remarkable fact Of the Endorsement
stonlshn development OF depth INC wide extended feeling IN the subject
Gould any president be expected to disregard such a manifestation? Ger.
tainy nt William H. Taft, whose great heart has always appreciated the
service O. the veterans and who has ever been quickly responsive to the
popular will
No ne doubted at the beginning of congress that he intended to approves
ton that the Democrats would make a strong effort to put the president and
the senate in a hole o the pension question. The fear was not anayed until
within a few days of the passage oft the at Of May IL This required the
greatest crcumspecuon o. the part of the president and his friends. But as
soon IS the act If May II began to take shape in the senate and months be
fore II actually passed there ws n % cal doubt that tn president would IGN
the bill which would be finally formulated.
At the invitation of senators I vas a constant visitor to the capitol while
the bill as going through its various stages / was also made a NEAR of
communication with the members OF the invalid pensions committee OF the
house. with m IL went most frequently asst Commander In chief Jhn r
e 8. Godfrey Arizona; Commander Granville c Fske, Massachusetts; Com
mander n. II Kingman, South Dakota: Commander N p Kineslev Pennsvl.
vaniaL and other prominent comrades who happened to be "A the city and
whom the senators wanted to see and counsel with.
We met Senators Crane, McCumber, Curtis. smoot, Burnham and others of
the presidents closest friends and advisers They yer confident in their as
surances that the president would sign the bill. The comrades named felt no
doubt of the result at least two months before the bill a signed.
AS W 9 all know, President Taft put himself to great personal Inconvenience
in order to sign the bill and let it begin at once its benefcence to the veterans
The bill was not ready for his signature when he left for Princeton, N. J. He
s ses ~m minn nesS before T Feu n, S9i0it Al AND 3 % had 20 @ isTs w bh amnea as ~ Signature X art
day. OF these facts raj personally cogniant as was present when the bill
was signed. JOHN MELROY,
Editor National Tribune.
l fully concur in the foregoing.
There Is absolutely 10 truth In the statement that the president a O r,
posed to any pension bill. On the contrary, we we're assured, Is stated above,
that he would give his approval to the bill when finally passed, which ws
evidenced by his hasty return to Washington for the purpose.
JOHN R. KING.
From b National Tribune