Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 December 1885 — The Mendacious Commissioner of Pensions. [ARTICLE]

The Mendacious Commissioner of Pensions.

DemagogiMiM, Extraordinary J Editor Republican:—As an exsoldier, I wish to-say a few words in regard to the report of John C. Black, Commissioner of Pehsions, for the year ending June 30, 1885, which he is just now sending d\er the country, to ex-soldiers, and, which is, to say the least, a strange document to emanate from the head of a Department, and, stranger still, coming from a man who was. himself, a soldier, and is, himself, a pensioner. Aside from the statistics given, *the Report might be said to consist of two* parts, the one a laudation of John C. Black, other a mass of sD/#', and most palpable falsehood, evidently intended solely for the purpose, of p irti/ electioneeri-iy. and as an attempt t<s mislead soldiers into the support of a prfrty which utterly failed to support them in their hour of need, and in the Nation’s hour of sorest trial. He says;

“At one tirne tlie Pension Bureau was all but avowedly a political machine, fETeJIFom border to border with the uncompromising adherents of .a single organization, who had for the claimant other tests than those of law, and who required, in addition to service in the field, submission to, and support of a party, before pensions were granted.' 1 What more monstrous falsehood could be published, than the above? John C. Black, himself a Democrat of the most virulent type, as this report clearly shows, is a plain, living testimony to the falsehood of his own statements;, he, under a Republican administrajaop, having received apensi on, one among the largest paid by the government. If further-testimony is required by citizens of our county, it will be found on an examination of the list of pensioners of the county, from which it will appear that the pei’ centagt- cf pensioners of Democratic politics is as great if not considerable greater than the per centage of all the soldiers of the -county voting the Democratic ticket. Again he says:

“The enormous array of medical boards, (established in every qua: ter, was almost solidiy partisan. ’ ’ How much fairness is exhibited in this last quotation, will be seen when we remember-that the medical examiner of this' county, lias been, from the first, a local Democratic leader, holding the position from fitnesss alone, that the same is true of thousands of other ■ such appointees; hnd when we. observe that hcforc l/iK report'coulti i,e pub'ifiheii this samo'John C. Black has, by removals and appointments, made the boards, to which lie alludes, almost exclusively. Democratic. Again he skys: “Examiners, trained in tin crapulous schools, traversed the land as' recrmtiug sergeants, for a party. * * * A careful study o-f tables 21 and 21A oi, this report, will show how a tide of money was poured by his office into the "seel ions where political struggles were oroxrrestino-.” Low a •-•reference” to thess(tables shows, what Mr. Black probably considers a shrewd arrangement, but which must appear, to any fair mran, sim-}fiy coixteroptthte." dfbr the purpose intended- he has so arranged these tatles, as to make-a comparison, between such cities on the one hand as Baltimore, Knoxville, Louisville, New Orleans and St. Louis, where there were very few or no loyal soldiers, ami where comparatively few have since located, with such cities and IfisttH-fs on the.other hand, as Bos. An, Chi' cage and Springfield, New Yprk and Syracuse three Districts in Ohio./ooif/y and three' Districts in Pennsylvania jo, What a convincing’ specimen of Democratic logic and fairness! After much more similar he says,speaking of himself: “Ht-h’ls r»tftin.ed special uniners aud medical examiners of opposite political beliefs.’’ This Report only comes up to June 30th, up to which time he had hardly time to do any thing else than ‘‘retain” those whom he found occupying the positions; the special examiners were protected by law frem.’ arbitrary rempyal, and yet if is well known that his first ofih-i;.I .work was to discharge as’ vot . '■«"o, j large numbers oi these examiners, jmd that lie has been maktng appointments of Ot-i----ots-• Democrat's-to fill their places ever since. L is also 11 known that lie has removed nearly every I’ger.f for payment of pension.; in the hind. ar I appointed Democrats in their places. He has not tin hardilciod t<> say that he iitos "/r point: ,1 per.-; ins of “ojqwsi-.e poiligca!’beliefs,”.hut. he does say that “he has erdb d ditto the service of the Bureau men' fronr every State, without regard to former (•political) coiifiit-rd'ns. < In other words, he has placed in the Bureau, to pass upon the c&inrs.- <■£ t-oldieys 1 qho saved the Nm-fom im n who did all they could to destroy it, men arrayed in arfi er against the claim-

ants, old time traitors in armed rebellion against the Government, they now maim the right to administer “Without regard” to their forme! “condition” as traitors And rebels. A bhAutiful picture to present to the loyal soldier! A “political machine.” Can a single Report be found, prior to this, which exhibits any thing pointing in this direction? Could anything be prepared more palpably displaying the intention of this’Democr tie incumbent to make it a Democratic, ‘Apolitical machine,” than this, his first effort? If his treatment of the soldier is to be governed byas much unfairness and falsehood as appears in his report, the Lord deliver us fromh is tender mercies.

SOLDIER.