The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-09-07

August on The Nary Pension Bill.
The Navy Pension bill being under consideration,
in the following words:
AN ACT TO provide for the payment Of Navy PEN
sons
BE IL enacted by the Senate aud House Of Repre-
seRtatipes Of the United States Of America in Con-
gross assembled, That the of hundred and
thirty nine thousand six hundred and sixty-six dol
lars and six cents Is hereby appropriated TO be paid
out OF any money in the Treasury not otherwise APP
propriaed Tor the payment of pensions and half-pay
chaIgeabe on the navy pension fund.
Sec. = Aud be IL further enacted, That no officer,
seaman, or marine entitled to pension from the navy
pension fund, who receive pay from the public TIea-
sury, shall receive from said fund than suf
cient TO make the whole amount received from both
the above named sources, equal 10 the pay fixed by
law for the grade TO which the officer seaman,
rine may belong.
Mr. Woodbury., of New Hampshire, moved the
following amendment 10 the st section
Provided that no part of this money shall be APP
piled TO the payment Of any pensioners not entitled
under the acts OF Congress as they existed prior to the
year A. ID. 1887"
Pending which, Mr.. CHOATL said he desired to
engage the attention Of the Senate to objections
to the amendment. He was afraid the Senator from
New Hampshire was about TO persuade them to do
an act of injustice, and OF very mpotc injustice al
though he certainly intended no such thing. He was
embracing the same principles with that of the amend-
ment had been passed by the Senate at former
zion, although had fortunately failed in the other
House.
Let me say, he went to observe, that in SO far
the Senator seeks To repeal the first section of the
act Of March s. 1887, prospectively, with due regard
to vested rights and just expectations, am in clined
to agree with him. II is very worthy Of considers.
ton, whether the widows children of all persons
who shall hereafter, under whatever circumstances,
die in the naval service should receive pensions Per
haps IL may be expedient to fix time should sug
gest three months IRON the passage of the lawatter
which the representatives of such die, not of
wounds or disabilities received service but from
other causes, shall cease TO be SO entitled
But the decisive objection to this amendment Is that
goes great deal further than this and seeks to ei
feet very different thing. II strikes off at once every
widow and every child from the pension list on which
they have been placed and by force Of the act OF March
s. 1897 Or rather, still Extensively, it cuts off
every dollar of provision from them leaving them still
on You recollect sir that that act declares that, if
any person shall have died. shall afterwards die in
the naval service his widow, if be left shall
ceive pension equal 10 his halt pay, until her death
or marriage; and, ii there be no widow, his children
shall receive the provision until they of age
nder that act, and invited by its liberality, many
persons have entered have renamed, in the naval
service, and have died in it their widows children,
and tie widows and children Of those who had died
before, have come forward proved their titles within
the law, obtained their certificates, become inscribed
on lhe Ioiis, ana nave pten receiving inc stipulated
provision Of grace policy, and justice, down 10 this
moment. These, ALL the amendment of the Senator
proposes TO strike of al blow, without notice, with
out discrimination.
submit TO the Senat that this is harsh proceed
ing not legal, not honorable, not polite. Ii goes
great deal too far. In his zeal TO correct hasly and
mprovident egislatonfor such the act Of the Sd Of
March may be admitted to have been-he would make
us dsappont hopes and cause Suffering more than is
necessary, and therefore than is right Sir, If
our legislation has been Objectionable, let our return
To wiser system be marked 10y Kindness temperance,
and the smallest possible infection OF intermediate dis
ress II would be unfortunate to expose ourselves TO
the sarcasm that our wisdom was worse than our folly,
and that correction of did more mischief than
the commission of IL.
The persons whom this amendment would thus sud
denly strike out Of UT books, about two hundred
and seventy widows and ninety five children. This
is about the number who in the actual receipt of
pensions under this act. The widows receive, an
average each one hundred and eighty seven dollars
per annuu and the children one hundred and TWEEN
ty-onc The whole annual amount we pay them,
therefore, is fifty -four y-fve thousand dollars
To save this to the people, do not know what
fraction of cent piece i, would be-you are to de-
pye this number and this description of persons, in
instant Of SO important provision OF grace or of
right.
Now, say, first, that this is harsh and unkind
proceeding. II it were legal, or honorable, polite,
1t is austere is cruel The misfortune is that you
have yourselves induced those persons to rely on this
provision is considerable one. To some OF them II
is doubt large part of all they have in the world
Their calculations have been made on it. Their Int
tie plans Of hietheir social positionther contracts
the houses they live in the schools they 90 TO, have
been determined by it, They have done, and have
neglected TO do what they would not have done or
neglected but for this. They have taken irrevocabe
steps on the xpectaon of it. They have enjoyed II
so long and you have promised ii to them ahso-
lu,ely, that they rely it with much confidence
the rising of Tomorrow sun. Sir those orphans
have become our children BY their country's adop.
ton they are her children they for their
customed and daily bread, and she gives them
stone
submit sir that such thing is not to be thought
Of BE il that the grant of the pensions was improvi-
dent first be that you have indlscreetly excited
these appropriate penalty which
pay for such kind of legislation that cannot in
stantly etrace steps and that must indulge the
hopes to which have given BIRTH cost what It will
Let all reforms of our policy be attended with con-
sidcrate compassion for those whom its abuses, with
out their fault have led rely implicitly the stead
fast word of their country.
But is there not, in the second place. deeper OBJ
lection TO this amendment Have we not contracted
pay this provision and conferred vested right to
it, Let Inc read the first section of the act
"Be Il enacted &c That if any officer, seaman
or marine have died or may hereafter die in the ma
val service, leaving widow, and If no widow, child
children, such widow, and, if no widow such child
children sh II be entitled 10 receive hathe month
~ pay which the dcccas would have been entitled
under the regulating the pay of the navy IN force
the first day OF January, 1885 to commence from
the time of the death of such officer seaman, or ma
rne but in of the death intermarragc OF such
widow the hafpay shall go to the child or children
of such deceased officer, seaman marine Prorided,
That the halt pay granted to the child or children
shall their death, on their attaining the
aye Of twenty lone years
Now, what is the legal meaning Of this II de-
claes generally and Absolutely, you observe, that
any one shall after the passage of the ac die IN the
naval service his widow shall have sum equal to his
half pay until her death marriage, and hls children