Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1820-03-24

pen>ious) gave a history oil the progress
of the act Of 1913, the ditiercnt features
IL assumed, and its ultimate shapS, com-
pared with the bill originally reported
by the committee, of which he was chair
man, 10 slew that they were innorent oi
having produced the embarrasS aeuts
which had grown out OF that aci. To
,es, whether the House were willing 10
repeal the existing act, he moved 10 strike
out the first sec. Uf this bill.
Mr.. Cannon moved 10 strike out so
much OF the section as allows TO officers
higher pensions tlIan To privates. He ar
gucd thai they we're all citizens an6 were
entitled III an act OF bounty 10 AN equal
Quau.um of relief.-Hc however waived
his amendment 10 give way 10 one, en-
braciag his idea, which Mr.. Barbour in
timAlrd hls inienliUu TO otter.
Air. b. then offered his amendment, The
substantial object oi which Is explained
IN the following skeicii OF lIs reanarks.-
II also proposes io require schedule ot
eroper!y vi ibe applicant TO ue sUora to III
open CURT, and forwarded wiih the 0pin-
iou of the cnnr, on the value oi SAID pro,
perry 10 the Secretary oil War; 10 person
90 receive ilie benefit OF the ari, who
from this schedule appears TO possess
property beyond certain value 10 be tiS-
ell by the law. MIR. Barbour explained
60 The commliiee the substantial object
of his auiendmeui. The first object as
would be seen by The first section, was
10 c'peal The iiw, as 10 all those WHO had
served tor d term less than three years,
after ,key shall have received their pea
sions for ivo years and 10 continue pen
s,on>, fer hte, 10 all those who had servei
three years aud upwards, 10 officers and
soldiers au equal su II, after 'iey also shall
have received two years pension according
90 the aci of 1918 Mr.. Is. then proceeded
10 Stale, good deal at large, HE induce
ments which operated on him III voting
sor The ac, of 1918. lie had voied for
the law under the best iee!ipgs. lie was
willing To DO an act ofOeuevoence and,
he hau been Influenced, he confessed, not
little by The impressive language OF his
honorable friend from New Jersey, (Nr.
Bioomheld) who had himself been a cou.
SpicuOus actor III the scenes oil the revo-
luton, and who had Introduced and adj
rocaied the bill OF 1918 bu, in giving
lI.S sanction 10 that act Of bencvolence.
Mr.. Is. had no idea that IL wosid pro
duce so vast consumption OF the public
resources. According 10 The report OF
'he coaImitiee Of 1918, il WAS expected
ehat HE Uaximum Of the pensions 10 be
thousand dollars: but what was the
fact II was ROW fonnd that they rx-
ceeded that amount by about fifteen
t!mss. Mr. b. WAS thea, and was yet,
willing 10 perform towards the soldiers
Oh the revolution Az acl OF benevnl.ncp,
tut not al a cost which the nation was
not prepared TO pay.
As 10 the proposed repeal being incon-
sistent with tue honor of the nation, or
as was said Inconsistent with vested
right. Mr.. B. observed, he was not among
those who would do amy thing that was
inconsistent with either, and yet he was
prepared 10 vote for v"ry considerable
modification of the lon. Il" argued that
she pensions granted could no, be deem
al vested right--that the act was one of
graiuilous bounfy-noi OF Justice be
cause, had II been demanded bv Justice,
II could have known no distinction: HAT
being an act of charity, u continued al
me Opii0n OF Tie government and this
opinion Mr.. r. illustrated by various ar.
gumen,s. ln voting for this modification,
lie dIi no violence 10 The bcueYolence
WHICH detailed tie first act, because a
nan is aol ID 'und 10 extend charity 10
The injury OF his own family. To con-
Time The act unmodiiled, would be Iulu-
nous and unjust to large portisn OF
thepeop!e OF this nation, as II would be
necessary 10 raise the amount required
by II, by laying taxes, either directly or
INDIRECTLY /; and he wished ihat IlIe stale
oil the Treasury might moi be such as 10
coerc'- the House iuto The imposition Of
direct taxes. Let tie committee, Mr. 3.
SAID, casl d look over the country, anj
See II there were mol thousands and tins
oil thousands on whom The tax would TALL.
who are as poor, and Infinitely poorer,
than thousands of those pensioners for
whom the lax would be laid, &c.
MIR. b. agaiu adverted 10 The details of
his amendment. He bad singled on, those
who had served three years and ups ards,
because il was they who bore the heat
and brunt of the war-of the campaigns
OF II, rs aud '7o-in the fields of Mon
moH,l, of Princeton, of Bennington, of
BTandywine, &c. great part oil the
Dine add twelve months men. were sub.
stliutes-and III addition 10 rneir pay
rom their country, received pay as
substitutes In many cases he had under
stood, they were double subsliutes--ser
wing successive tours as such. Mr.. Is.
thought all who continued to receive pep
sions, ought TO be put on an equal foot.
Tag; the sum allowed he would make
sniil tent TO provide for them food and
cioihlng-inrther than this, ii was utter
~ impossible for the government 10 go.
In fixing the allowance, the comfortable
subsistence of The ndiyiduals was all that
could be provided for Fl he could NOT think
OF tauug their families into view, or Ell.
lering into considerations of former al
huence, &c. To provide relief with such
views TO that extent, would be beyond
the ability ct The nation 10 pay, without
Fesorllng TO the means before alluded TO
4, OF laying taxes on tie people, &c. In
support OF the opinions, which he adyan-
ced ~ the coarse of Isis remarks, Mr.. b
entered t,gp a ,.,,,ut,ar a o...I