The Republican journal., 1916-11-02
ChiIdreTA CIV
FOR FlETc..sRs
CA s TO = 4 =,
Democratic PENSION Record.


Democratic Party is making most des-
perate efforts to convince the people that
they are entitled to their support for an
other term. Some of the points which
they endeavor to establish in their favor
are far-fetched indeed. One, on which
their speakers lay great emphasis, is
their new-found interest in the aged We
terans. They lay great stress on the
fact that the Republca! did not say
anything about pensions in their last
platform The idea that an old saint has
christian charac ter!
Heretofore the great thorn in the
Democratic side has been that the Re-
publicans have been such great stickiers
for The Union soldiers. The attitude of
the Republican Party towards the old
soldier and sailor for the past fifty years
has been one grand emphasis Of that
great banner that met their gaze as they
marched down Pennsylvania Avenue be-
fore Gen. Grant on May 27, 1865, which
read: "There is one debt this Nation
owes which it can never repay: that is
the debt it owes to its soldiers and
Sailors" That sentiment the Republican
Party has sacredly kept. And there is
no need of its popping up every four
years and calling attention to it. Deeds
and not words has been its motto on this
que stion. With the enactr e of the first
IA great pension bills, beginning with that
of July IA, 1862, and signed by President
Lincoln, and ending with that great law
signed by President Harrison on June
27 1890, the Republican Party has full
filled its sacred promise, ITO provide
against the possibility that any man who
honorabIy wore the Federal uniform
should become the inmate of almshouse
or dependant on private charity"
Lest the Democratic party should
''point with pride,' to their record on
the passage of those bills through Con-
gress, let US examine their record. The
combined Republican vote on those IA
bills was; Ayes, 1868: noes, none, Demo
cratic, Ayes Alt; Noes, 64S. Thus we
see that the Republican vote was unani-
nous, the Democratic vote was more
than two thirds against them. For the
passage of the so called Sherwood Pen
sion Bill, the Democrats are taking to
themselves great credit. Let US examine
their record on that bill, which was in
troduced by Democrat, and passed by q
Democratic House. They have charged
that that great Republican, the late Hon.
Serene E. Payne of N. Y, voted against
that law. He did vote against 1t as it
came from the Committee on Pensions,
as it contained restrictions which he
could not endorse. But when it had been
perfected in the Republican Senate, and
later was endorsed by the Democratic
House, he gladly supported it. The joint
vote on the bill was: Ayes, Republican
l49, Noes, Republican none; Ayes, Dem
ocratic, 70; Noes, 80.
So here we again see that there was an
unanimous Republican vote, while the
Democratic vote was sixteen majority
against it. Surely not record to which
they can ''point with PRIDE" For it
would have been defeated had it depend
ed on the Democratic voter!
The bitter prejudice of the Democratic
Party to pension legislation was we'll
manifested by President Cleveland in his
vetoing of $50 pension bills. His record
in this matter was as offensive to the
American people as is that of President
Wilson's international Correspondence
School. But let the poor drowning body
clutch at its last straw. Its doom is
sealed. The verdict has gone forth.
Maine has spoken in no uncertain tones.
The Nation only awaits the fast approach
ing day in which it can register its en-
phatic reputation of the vaciliating
Democratic policy. This is but another
illustration of the fact that the Demo-
cratic party has been one-term party
for the past 81 years, with about twenty
years between. But it does not seem
that the intelligent voters of this Nation
could so far forget as to give them an
other lease of power at the end of the
next 20 years. C. E. SMITH.
Augusta, Me.