Democratic Sentinel, Volume 11, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 August 1887 — The Pension Record of the Democratic Administration. [ARTICLE]

The Pension Record of the Democratic Administration.

Now that certain blatherskites of the Tuttle-Fairchild stripe are seeking to transform the Grand Army of the Republic into a Republican partisan machine, by assailing President Cleveland’s record for the purpose of showing that he is an enemy of the veteran soldier, says a contemporary, it becomes a patriotic duty to present the facts to the public, so that every veteran soldier may appreciate the ineffable scoundrelism of those who would obscure the truth for the sake of partisan ends. An official document has been issued which will enable all who want to know the truth to comprehend at a glance what Mr. Cleveland’s administration has done for the Union soldier in regard to pensions and positions. It is stated that “an investigator with a keen regard for figures has g :ne over the statutes of the United States and Pension Bureau, and by actual emut has made up these statistics regarding the Pension Office business, which shed clear light an that part of President C eveland’s administration.” These figures, as to private pension acts, are of a character to silence all adverse criticism. They force the conclusion that Mr. Cleveland has st nod ready to sign every meritorious claim for pension. No veteran soldier can contemplate the record for a moment without realizing that in President Cleveland the brave, meritorious soldier has a conscientious, indexible friend. The records relating to private pension acts

and the employment of soldiers are as follows: Gen. Grant, from 1870 to 1877, inclusive, a period of eight years, approved 485 private pension acts; President Hayes, from 1877 to 1881, inclusive, a period of four years, approved 303 private pension acts. Presidents Garfield and Arthur, from 18s2 to 1885, inclusive, a period of four years, approved 73 j pension acts, while r resident Cleveland, from 1880 to 1887, inclusive, a period of only two years, has approved 863 private pension acts, This is <7 more than Presidents Grant and Hayes approved in twelve years, and 127 more than Presidents Garfield and Arthur approved in four years. President Cleveland has also, to begin with, appointed more ex-Union soldiers to office than any other President. He approved the act of March 19,1886, wh ch increased to sl2 per month the pension of 79,989 widows, minors and dependent relatives of Union soldiers of the late war. He approved the act of August 4, 1886, which increased the pension of 10,030 crippled and maimed Union soldiers of the late war, He approved the act of January 29, 1887, which placed upon the pension rolls over 25,000 survivors and widows of the war with Mexico. We challenge the entire Republican party to show the foregoing figures to be incorrect. There they stand—figures for the people—figures for the veteran soldiers—figures for the present and for all time. But this is not all. The work of the Pension Bureau, during the past two years, should be studied by the people, and by the Union soldier. Here they are: Prom July 1, 1885, to Juue 30, 1887, inclusive, 268,699 pension certificates of all classes were issued by thd Bureau of Pensions. From July 1, 1883, to June 30, 1885, 129,517 pension certificates of all classes were issued—an increase of 139,180 certificates in favor of the first two years under Democratic over the preceding two years under Republican rule. From July 1, 1885, to June 30, 1887, there was disbursed, on account of pensions, $139,584,270.45. From July 1, 1883, to June 30, 1885, there was disbursed on account #f pensions $122,967,243.46, showing an increase of $16,617,026.99 for the first two years under a Democratic administration over the last two years under a Republican administration. On July 1, 1883, there were 303,658 pensioners on the rolls. On July 1, 1885, there were upon the rolls 345,825 pensioners, being a net increase to the rolls during the last two years under Republican rule of 41,467. On the Ist day of July, 1887, there were upon the rolls 402,000 pensioners —unofficial, but a low estimate—or a net gain to the rolls during the first two years under Democratic rule of 56,875, or a net gain of 5,408 to the rolls during the first two years of President Cleveland’s administration over the last two years of President Arthur’s administration. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1887, 112,360 certificates of all classes were issued by the Bureau of Pensions, of which 54,194 were “original,” being 5,017 in excess of the highest number ever before issued in the history of the bureaii. With such facts and figures in view, comme'nt is not required—they for themselves. Partisan ity may assail them, but they will glow the brighter by the assauit, and will become more conspicuous. Democrats may well feel proud of the record. The truth is always more powerful than a lie. The truth grows in public favor. This being the case, the Democratic party has only to keep the truth before the people.