Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-04-29


ths great inequality partially diminished in l79sawhen
the allowance Of the regular soldier was fxedatS5.
Ia lhe last laws had been passed which authorized the
calling out Of $1,000 volunteers and militia. In December,
1917 the pay Of private in the line raised TO SO, with
bounty o. l6 IN money 100 land, and three months
pay ~ March following the compensation Of volunteers was
pua 8 without any land bounty however any extra pay;
Wnie they received less allowance OF clothing
than The regulars got In 1915 the pay Of the regulars
again reduced TO S. and the militia again put down their
former allowance OF $685. In 1888 the pay Of the prsates
IN the regular army rased and fixed at ST.
In 1896 The militia also received ST. In July, 1898. very
curious Instance Of legislation had occurred On day
congress voted 10 the soldiers serving in the Florida So
monthly pay and land bounty of 100 acres but in two days
ae struck out the bounty entirely and lowered the pay ST.
thus stood the pay OF the troops the Of
the present war.
Il was then proposed to allow the volunteers $40 month";
but The proposition failed. At the following session, however,
was proposed give both regulars and
was frustrated by amendment from the Senate but
both branches Of the service secured land bounty Of I60
acres AT present the only difference between the de-
scrptions of troops in this that the
celved for clothing $3.50 while the regulars got but So so
and that the regulars allowed Is cents for mileage while
the volunteers received so cents
Mr. again observed that he considered the existing pay
as wholly inadequate.
The question that he would present the committee
was whether they would extend the operation
OF the law OF the last session the soldiers and
stoned officers the last Why not Up the last
OF Congress land bounty had been provided to volunteers
militia save under particular circumstances, TO those who
met with appreciation Mr. t. said he wished cas-
sy the allowance be made that those who had served
in the last for twelve months longer should be entitled
10 receive the those who had served the length
Of time the present and those who months
to half the amount; and there he would stop.
question here put Mr. T. to the probable
ber of those who would be entitled to receive his proposed
allowance.
Mr. r. replied that he had gone the document room,
and had made what he there ound calculation
rae as the records enabled him.
In hal of
volunteers who had then served and he held in his hand the
return made from the War Department The total number
Of volunteers called during the last had been hum
dred and fifty thousand the most of whom, however, had
served but months many for single month"; and
but for few days Of the welvemonths men, who received
bounty (but who if wounded received pension, and
whose widows received bounty they killed there
would be $50 entitled bounty by his amendment of six
months men there would be 60, 375. Now, if the House
concluded to allow bounty Of hundred and sixty TO
the tweve-monhs men, it would require l02 400 acres;
and they should give eighty the six months
would require $780, 600 making grand total Of
5,932 400 acres of land
Now going back the legislation of Congress the
subject OF bounty land be found that there had been mil
lions of acres of the public domain apart for that exclusive
purpose the lands bring situated in the three States of Illinois,
Missouri and Arkansas
The land apart for officers who served in the last
had been 0S 7sS That given the party who
ed with Lewis and Clarke had been 3 420 The land
bountes regulars including those allowed the widows of
volunteers killed in the service bad been six mions there
yet located nearly 800, 600 acres
Mr.. IL added other items, which the Reporter failed
to CATCH but concluded by stating that remained sas
y the bounty land Of the last 300 900
To satisfy the WHOLE he proposed TO take six millions of
This would be sufficient supposng that all persons
entitled should apply There at this lime much land
sold and subjscto private entry Ia the State Of Mississippi
alone there eleven millions OF and in the whole
Union not less than hundred and fifty six millions OF
lands surveyed and ready for sae there hundred and
fy-six millions of this hundred and fihysx
millions would be open be located by military land warrants.
Mr. J.. said he opposed increase in the pension
t He had always thought that savorsd too much OF the
old systems of the European wod but be wanted TO give
faithful soldiers home. II these bounty land
should be issued TO hem they would be located only lands
which had been long in the market and remained unsod
While he fully ready admit that the soldiers Of the
present bad done their duty we'll be maintained that those
who had fought in lSl3 1914 and 1915 had done equally
WELL Yet in respects they had been well pro-
vided for Those serving in Mexico had had better raons
and better clothing than the volunteers Of the last And
though he admitted that their pay inadequate, yet the
latter had received land bounty which withheld from
the former AMI while the raons furnished in 1912 and TO
the end Of that had been good the troops the
same time paid in deprecated currency Yet their services
and exposure (h the exception Of cmate) bad been quite
hard and they certainly much entitled the ga-
htude of their country. II the nation able give them
home, ought il to be willing
But (said Mr. T. will p said by gentlemen that
this all humbug My fellow cilisens[A the
OF these weknown words of stump address the House broke
into general laugh, which entirely interrupted the speaker
ior some tme who however, at length joined IN (ant)
himself
At length recovering himself Mr.. II. proceeded Gentle
might consider il humbug be considered it
than justice and if gentlemen chose 10 the risk OF
posing the proposition they might possibly End serious
thing for them Mr.. IT, could them that the be
bad given against the ten dollar pay hough based solely
his objection TO inequality Of pay between regulars and voun
teers) had given him not little trouble laugh He
had supposed that would be very clear all bis
that he influenced by that consideration alone yet he
had found great difficulty in satisfying his elIowcizens Of
that fact All the difficulties which he bad had to encounter
the ground Of his attack Gen. Taylor had been tng
IN comparison to this many Of his people only looked at the
fact that he himself receiving eight dollars day. while
he refused the poor soldier dollars month
Mr.. T. went TO say that be wanted to make tho re
wards for public service equal and just He had aided 10
tabsh the precedent in the present be did not see why
should be liberal in this than in the last They
were bound to do equal justice 10 all
His object had been 60 into any extravagant auda-
ton of the soldiers Of the last but they who
had faithfully discharged their duty, and the country
proud of results vor and constancy. Their
ward had been long delayed and although, until now they
had bad ground complain OF being treated than
others when they who had behaved gal-
Ianiy than themselves much literally provided for
would be difficult the appeal they might fairly urge
the justice Of the county. Would any gentleman under
take maintain that the troops who had fought in Mexico
brave and efficient than those who and defeat
ed the British Chippewa and New Orleans The
Government had done right setting the precedent Of