Rensselaer Republican, Volume 25, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 June 1893 — True Purpose of Democratic Pension “Reformers.” [ARTICLE]

True Purpose of Democratic Pension “Reformers.”

The indications so far are that the World’s Fair will be a failure from a financial point of view. It surely will be so unless the railroads abandon their shortsighted policy, and make low rates to Chicago and make them pretty soon. President Cleveland plead pressure of public business as a reason for not accepting the invitation to attend Memorial Day exercises at Arlington Cemetery, just across the river from the White-house. The pressing public business was getting his fishing tackle ready for a fishing excursion, upon which he departed on the afternoon of Memorial day. The Princess of v Spain, Eula lia, whose official Spanish title is the “Infanta,” is now in Chicago, seeing the World’s Fair. The princess is, by all accounts, a very sensible, kind hearted and good natured young woman, and deservedly popular, and it is very proper that she should be received and treated in a manner becoming to her station. It is to be hoped, however, that the people of Chicago, will not forget self-respect and adopt the toadism that characterized the conduct of some of the New York people, towards her. “Congressman Hammond seems to have lost all influence with the administration. The democratic organ at Springfield, Mass, says: An Indiana congressman named Hammond was recently “turned down” very effectively by Post-master-general Bissell. Hammond recommended a henchman for postmaster at Monticello as a reward for casting the deciding vote in the convention that nominated him for congress. The people protested and held an election for postmaster, in which a certain John Turner received all the votes. Hammond announced that if his recommendation was overruled he would resign his office, but the Postmaster-general appointed just the same. — ■* 11 ■ if ■;* ' Indianapolis Record: A story is told of an ardent Indiapolis pensioner who went about last fall favoring the election of Cleveland because it promised a thinning out of the pension roll. His principal objection to the roll as it now stands was because “every one who dreamed he was in the army is drawing a pension.” At the last quarterly payment he went to the agency to get what was due him.~~ He was paid and informed that he had been dropped from the roll. Then there was wrath with revilings and threats of vengeance. When reformers can bear self-sacrifice with Spartan fortitude, the easier will be the work of adjusting reform to meet the favor of the people.

Seven -saloon licenses were granted by the county commisioners, Monday. No doubt but some, and perhaps the nmjority of these applicants coaled have been defeated, had any effort been made to do so. Our present Board of Commissioners are always keen enough to refuse saloon licenses when any opposition is made to the applicants and any reasonable, or hhlf way reasonable evidence is presented against them. It is not the Commissioners place however, to make a contest against the applicants, themselves. Their duty is to consider thejevidence that is presented, and if those who know, or think they know, of any reason why any applicant should be refused a license, it is their duty to see that such evidence is presented in proper form. Failing in that, they can not, in decency, blame the Commissioners for complying with the jaw and granting the liotneec

Delphi is about tp follow' the , lead of Monticello and indulge in a post-oiliee election. There are some obstacles in the way of it but they will be overcome. One , hundred and nineteen democrats jietilioned the. chairman of the democratic committee to dall an election. As this same chairman had Congressman Hammond’s indorsement for the postoffice he was not anxious for an election and\declined to issue a call. The petition was then forwarded to Postmaster General Bissell and it is expected that he will order the election called or instruct Congressman Hammond to do so. The people demand a hearing and object to the method adopted by Congressman Hammond of naming his appointees before he had even taken the oath of office.

The World’s Fair has been open for two Sundays now, with results that have been more or less disappointed to Sunday openers and Sunday closers alike. The Sunday openers are disappointed because the attendance was so much less than was expected, and the Sunday closers because of the great apparent respectability of those who did attend, and their entirely good behavior. It must be conceded, however, that the question of the popularity of a Sunday fair has not yet been fully tested, as last Sunday the weather was very unfavorable, and the Sunday before, the fact that the fair was to be open, was an uncertainty until the very hour for its opening, almost. This question of Sunday opening has been tried upon its merits before the U. S. Circuit court, in Chicago, and the decision will be rendered to-day. That decision will be accepted as final by the government and by the fair authorities, and also by the great mass of the people, generally.

Philadelphia Inquirer The persistency with which the fight over the pension abuses is being waged in various parts of the country has had the effect of opening the eyes of the public to the underlaying purpose of the “reformers.” The Grand Army has in several instances proffered its assistance to the federal authorities in the uprooting the alleged abuses, and the organization has no sympathy with the undeserving persons who managed to get their names upon the rolls. It has made its position clear on that point. But, notwithstanding what it has said and done it is gradually dawning upon the public mind that the first purpose of certain parties is to overthrow the Grand Army itself as welt as the pension system. The democrats first tried to convert the individual Republicans who are members of the orfanization, but they failed in that. laving failed, they propose now to destroy it—if they can. In this emergency every act of injustice which the men in charge of the Pension Department perform should be noted by the veterans. The striking of every unworthy name from the rolls should be approved, but if any others are dropped the public should not be allowed to overlook it A great many of the pension abases exist principally in democratic minds.