Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-04-28
Circulation Every 1880
Evening Yesterday AOOOO
THURSDAY, APRIL rs. 1921.
pRNsIONING EX-PREsIDENTS.

Y
representative l.. {. Dyer of st. Louis.
no introduced the House bin pro
ding $4,000 yearly pension for
K presidoutr. stated IN Washington n
aN aso that national self interest was
NJ prime motive behind his action.
,sd Mr. Dyer
Though the bill calls for a pan
sion "a $4,000. / think the amount
hpuld be $4,000 and ! should be
slad 10 SEE an amendment to that
nr,t Ten thousand dollars was
4gtra,stcd in the House bill because
mat Is the sum provided for IN
similar hfl introduced in the Sen
.t, is senator calder of New York.
>at cuIl sentiment hut national
.ot.rcst should lead Congress
+. .,Iurt this measure. mean that
tn. ,ouutr, ought ti make con
.r ausly a,ajlnhl" 90 itself the
.u.aunt ~ information which
I...sI,icut stores IN To this end
mould 81, ~ j that every for
n. president IS comfortably set
u.t IS thtf vhou occasion arises
+. ,r th, rl,h mine - his @Nperi-
.r.. 4, ,.n rtl, from the ullness
aad clarity IT an undistracted
#f,
coneral pension, freeing a ior-
President from any possible
-sil IL havne to pcddle h'S
l..rts III 4 market place, would
+. an tuducement to him 70 settle
down IN Washington. where ne
.,,ld he ~ unique service to the
visiting administration by giving
,b.7 called upon. information ac-
.,,tr,i during his term of office and
,asScssed perhaps. by him alone.
should think that pcnsioned ior-
mo, President should live part OF
~, time az least at the capital. for
sccrns 10 me highly important
.r,t his intimate knowledge o.
.t.te affairs should be easily acces-
-ihlc 10 his successor in Office
We have consistently urged this pTo-
,.,-cd pension. W are glad that Mr
l,,.r i willing to raise the sum 70 s25.-
f. the amount which We advocated
Nyhon We recall that many Of our ex-
Presidents l,cd IN almost penury dur
inc their closing wears. it would seem
that this nation could afford to take
ere ~ the meu who once directed its
anars
of our PRESIDENTS only few were
/, slth, jefferson retired from public
liz. AZ - wears Of age. after having beer
ii publ service for ~ years. Before
from Washington ne wrote
70 friend that he was in an agony o.
uortiacation. because Of his debts. anC
feared that ne would be arrested by
ords. Il his creditors. He sold his H.
brarv ~ Congress for s23 900 near th'
lose ~ his life in order TO obtain fund
lpon which 10 live Shortly before h'
died he was threatened with bankruptcy
and public collections were taken VI
il Baltimore. Philadelphia and New
York city 10 save him.
General Grants banking ventur
f,iied. through no fault Of his own
the picture Of the impoverished oil
warrior trying to recoup his losses b,
writing his memoirs while racked witt
deadly pain. is one of the most heroi
harrison had to practice law afte
leaving the White House. For a tim
r Icctured Al Leland Stanford, Jr
aIversity and then was appointe
counsel by President Mckinley in tn
Anglo Venezuelan boundary contro
Versy Cleveland practiced law betwee
terms. and then hung out his shingl
H. Princeton when nc finally retire
from politics. President Taft finds
necessary 10 write for the newspaper
and 20 lecture. in order TO obtain enoug
funds upon which TO live in the dignit
that befits him, without being forced I
call upon his family. Woodrow Wilso
is going 10 practice law in order ths
h. NAV save what few dollars he has
The United States is the wealthiei
nation today II seems that we cou
afford TO pay $4,000 a year from OF
national treasury TO enable an EXPIRES
dent to live in the dignity which b
position required. Every logical arg
ment favors such a pension beir
granted. II is to be hoped that Congrei
VIII make this provision. 1t is very po
sible that hatred 10 Woodrow Wilsc
may cause the present Republican Coz
gress 10 refuse to act in this matter. b
such refusal would be boomerang
thc party, for Mr.. Taft is a Republica
and of course would be entitled to Il
pension the same as MIR. Wilson.