Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 September 1893 — PENSION SEARCH LIGHT. [ARTICLE]

PENSION SEARCH LIGHT.

The Democratic party still be* lieves tUe McKinley bill to be a sort of a tax, and a Democratic congress will abrogate it at an early day. The repeal of the Sherman law will be the first step in the direc-. tion of securing a sound money. Then legislation looking to the freer use of silver will follow. Senators Turpie a d Voorhees oppo.ed the enactment of the Sherman silver and are now earnestly urging its repeal. No change of sentiment—no strads dling on the part of these gentles men. A Pittsburg pension attorney, in a letter to pensioners, advises that somebody go to Washington and kill Hoke Smith. This is a variation from the effigy burning business, with the satisfactory *ttac hment that the aforesaid attorney is going to land in jail.

Ii protecting the silver miners is wrong in principle and application, says Senator Wolcott, all prot?ction of industries at the expense of the people is wrong. Quite right. The’Democratic party does not believe ip fostering private enterprises with the aid of public money, Those old soldiers who sang “We’ll hang Hoke Smith on a sour apple tree,” in the Grand Army parade at Indianapolis simply exposed the grade of the pas trioUsm which impelled them to enter the service. They either enl s'ed as substitues for big pay or held out tor large bounties. Patriotism, love of country and duty wasn’t in it. Boodle, in th> shape of bounty, was the starter, pension! pension!! pension!!! is the round up wiln that class of patriots. An old and severely wounded soldier remarked to us that when he heard the singing, he said to a comrade, “Them fellows were undoubtedly 100-day men!’

The Fit auciel ChVon cle explains the action o£ the Sherman law in bringing on the financial stringency as going th.ough these stages: *'*t (1) destroyed confidence in Europe in the stability of rut enrreuey and hence in the stability ot all values hero; (2) stopped the flow of fresh capital into the United tates; (3) led to the ; witudrawai of a large part of the foreign capital invested here; (4) infected our population generatly with the same lack of confidence; (5) induced the hoard,ng of gold and cu rency by savi iirs banks, trust companies and individuals in this country, the currency being hid away also by the jess inteliin gent; (6) and as a result business transactions became impossible and so commence was a deadlock or standstill.” As declared in the Democratic platform, the Sherman silver law is a ‘cowardly makeshift,” a d while the injury it has done is not irreparable it has resulted in great busin ss depression.

In his opening speech of the campaign at Akron, Ohio, Tuesday, McKinley began by saying: “We meet in political discuskica for the first time since the overwhelming defeat of 1892. We meet with deeo concern and in changed conditions fro those happily existing when we last assembled.” Right you arc, Bill. Th > McKinley tax bill, the Sherman Bilver law, the looting of the U, S. t -eas ury bv the Hanfisonian administration and the Triors legislation of the reDobljcan dollar, congress just beginning to g£t ip their tyork, a E J MpKinlny is obliged to greet his first audi- • :ce with the announcement:“‘We

meet with deep concern in changed conditions. * * The business condition of the country has created just alarm among our people. ”

The Republican newspapers are expressing great sympathy for pensioners just now. They are .heauing abuse on Jud e Lochren, the new commissioner of pensions. Republican politicians are doing the same thing. How did Lochren serve his country? The Evansville Courier, noting the career of Judge lochren, says: “The charge of the First Minnesota regiment, ordered by General Hancock, at a critical time, whtn fifie-n minutes delay of the advancing confederate hosts was needed to permit Federal reinforcements to come up, probably saved the day at Gettysburg.— There were 262 men in lire when the charge.was made at double quick, without firing a gun and witn the concentrated fire of the Confederate army pouring a lead’n rain of death upon them. Of the 262 only forty-seven remained in line wht-n they retreaded upon the Federal reinforcements that had hastily swung into line behind them. All of the 2L5 others had been shot down by the bullets of the enemy. It was the most heroic charge in history. And who, think you, was one of the fortys seven survivors of that glimpse of hell? None other than Judge Lochren, the present commissioner of pensions, who Ben Harrison in his speech welcoming the veterans to Indianapols, meanly in sinuated was hostile to Federal soldiers and is construing the pension laws fgains them! Could petty partisanship go farther?”

Editor Sentinel— The friends of good roads made so good a showing on Saturday last that they need hot be discouraged. There were no doubt many men who voted against the building of the roads who were misinformed The hard times, the prospective ditch assessments and the dusty roads were all factors in the defeat of good roads. Letthe friends ofjprogress but be ready to do their duty when the hour arrives to vote again. The petitioners wili have to pay the expense of the election just patt, hut we will try it again, and the next time I hope every road leading into Rensselaer will be included.

That the people may be better posted I wish to submit a few figures which 1 believe are a correct showng in the matter: Total estimated cost of roads, $39,630 74 Interest at 6 per cent., 2Viyears, 5,944 61 T ota, to be paid, $45,575 5 The total taxab e property in Renssel ;@r and Marion for 1893 is $1,753,480. One-fifth of the total cost of roads is $9,115 07, or that amount would to be paid each year for five years. To ra s? that nm’t there would have to be a levy of about 50 cents on each SIOO valuation. If the valuation should increase the lev ! would be lesß. It increased about $43,000 last ear. 1 do not believe the roads will cost the full amount of the estimate.— lMr. C. C. Sigler -aid he would build the north road for Sl,ooolesß than the estimate ; cyst. It is surprising that men who are in business and wish that business to be constant and steady in order to make money and get out of debt, should vote against the tax. We want people to come to Rei sselaer to do business and we should provide good roads so that they can get here. We do not want to be | mud bound from three to five months t ach year. Respectfully, I. B Washburn.

The Latest Shoe Polish.—Tbe perfect shoe polish has at last been discovered, and just in time, too, for feminine patience with tht prepared polish, which cracked the Lather was about exnausted.g' his can be made at home, and is as conveniently cbear as it is s'mple. Mix msmdine.and lampblack (for a nickel yon can get enough to last you five years) in equal parts and apply lightly with an o,d tooth brush or soft r£g, then wipe the ahoe off with another rag, and you i have a pol'sb which lasts for days, ' end not pnly gives the shoe the ap;p trance of newness, but actually preserves the leather. No one who has used it ever goes back tp the j polishes which are disagreeably -jiipy and rqinous to fine leather. Yea will not make a mistake if you examine Clarke’s line of fine watches, clocks 1 n d jewelry before baying. 1 Please remembeT that Clarke does watch, olook and jewelry repairing.

The reports of the resolutions of the G. A. B. in regard to pensions are quite as unjust and partisan in their charaoter as could be expeoted f.om an organization which piofesses to exclude politios from its notions. They are the morefunjust because they are indirect in their charaoter—insinuations rather than charges.— For example: “The Grand Army of tho Eepul lie has no objection to the search-light (of investigation being turned on the pension list —the nation's roll of honor- but it does demand that it be the search-light ol love for and not hatred toward the brave man who bore the battle, or their widows or orphans. ” This is evidently intended for an assertion that the “ searoh-light” of the present administration is one of'hatred. The direct form of this inuendo, whioh appears in various forms at several points, is in the report of the pension committee where, after recounting and denouncing the ruling of t e department, the organization "scouts and denies these indiscriminate charges of universal | fraud, and resents the imputation that beoausesome unworthy; survivors may be found discredit Shall be oaßt upon the entire rt 11, and this great body of brave andpatrlotio oitizens shall stand disgraoed before the country." That is to say the repoit of the committee asserts that the aotsof the pension department in the suspensions are “ indiscriminate charges of universal fraud."

To the extent that this language has, or is intended to have, this meaning, it is simply false, as appears by the pension records. There are on the pension rolls ntotal of 966,012 names. Of these 30,911 are pensioners of the Mexican, Indian and 1812 wars. Tliere|remain 935,101 as pensioners of the civil war. The large majority of these have not been questioned by this administration in anyway, adn have not been iuspected by any kind of a searob light nor has there been any suggestion of intention of so doing. The classes of pensions not questioned in any way are as follows; Class. Number. Invalid pensions, general law, 360 658 Widows and relatives, * “ 137,639 Army nurse, 284 Navy invalids, 2 782 Navy widows, 4^83 Widows and relatives, aot of 1890, 77,838 Navy widows, act of 1890, 4,114

Total . 557,898 These pensions have not 1 een questioned at all by this administration, and are not in any way affeoted by;the rulings complained of, so that the "indiscriminate charges of universal fraud" have no reference to the majority of the pensioners of the civil war at all. The only pensions that have been questioned are those issued by Gen. Baum nnder the act of June 27, 1890. In the seoond place, no charge of fraud

as been made by this administration against this class of pensioners. The only charge made is that in a number of cases Raum issued pension certificates without authority of law. And this charge was originally made, not under Cleveland’s a ministration, bnt nnder Mr. Hanison’s —not under Hoke Smith, but under Gen. Noble. On Jan. 7, 1893, Gen. Bussey, assistant seoietary of the interior, decided that the admininistration of the law by Raum had been improper and ordered th ,t the views herein expressed bo obseived in future adjudications of the act of 1890." He made no effort to rectify the illegal issuance of claims prior to that date.— He turned on no searoh-light. He left over three hundred thousand already issued by Raum under the act of 1890 with the cloud hanging over them; or that pait of them that had been issued without an. thority of law. And, what is worse, Raum continued to aot, as before, in defiance of this order. The present administration proposes to find out what certificates were unlawfully granted and rescind them It does not indorse the proposition that a man has a vested right in a pension grant' ed without authority of law. It has pu* to work a board of revision to sift out the pensions that appear to be unlawful and has suspended 75,000 of the 337,203 claims allowed by Raum in accordance with the judgment of that board. Of the 935,000 civil war pensions B£o,ooo have not been questioned, and the 75,000 that are questioned are questioned for lack of legal authority, not fraud. Hence the talk of "indiscriminate charge of nniversaifraud" is a fiction whioh adds nothing to the force of the comm'ttep’s report. If the G. A. R. questions the law as administered it can test it in the coarts. If we understand the policy of the present administration it favors the nse of searchlights of neither love nor hatred, bnt of law. It is the business of the executive department to ad i inikter law, not sentiment.—lndianapolis Sentinel.

Be sure and see the s ock of watches, clocks and jewelry at Eiglesbach a old stand before purchasing elsewhere. AN emery wheel twelve Inches in diameter by one Inch thick wae run at 8,000 revolutions per minute, when it burst and killed a man. This is called “a singular accident" by a contempor rary, A solution of gutta percha in benzine (consistency of cream) is a simple preservation against rust on metal. It can be easily applied with a brush and as easily removed by the application of benzine. Halliday, the inventor of the cable street car system, states that the sight of six horses vainly endeavoring to draw , a car qp a steep hill at San Fr&nciso first suggested to him the foundation . (or his Invention. The distance of the horizon is governed by the height of the eye above the earth or sea. On the sea, with the eye at a height of five feet, the distance ' would be three miles; at sixty feet In i height, ten miles.