The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-08-06

The engrossed bill for the relief of John Mitchell
read third time and passed.
The engrossed bill in relation donations Of lands Ia
certain persons in Arkansas was read third time and
passed
REVOLUTIONARY PENSIONS
Mr.. HALE now move that the Senate resume the
Consideration oi report from the Committee on Pen.
sons, which laid on the table few days since al
the instance OF the senator from Georgia, now in his
| seat
The motion being agreed to, the Senate proceeded
to consider the joint resolution Of the House OF Represent
ayes. explaining the acts Of the 18th July, 1888, and
! March g. ls43. and June IL, 1874.
Mr., BERRlEN In looking into the report OF the
Committee on Pensions which extends the provisions Of
the act OF the 7t June, 1884, found that j was ex-
tended 10 all persons who had served during the reyolu
tonay for period OF two years and therefore that
The resolution might probably embrace greater number
OF persons than the senator would be willing include in
such provision have therefore drawn up amend
ment and submitted il TO the Committee on Pensions,
BY which The benefits Of that resolution are confined to
the widows OF those persons who had served in the
luonary from beginning 10 the end Il will necessarily
embrace small number OF persons. and whose claims.
in my judgment, rest upon solid foundation. The Con.
gress Of IT'S passed resolution by which they declared
that all who served 10 the end Of the should
be entitled TO years full pay ID 1850 they passed
further resolution, by which they declared that persons
who should serve during the whole OF the war would be
entitled 10 half pay for fife. In 1853 they exercised the
power Of committing the rights Of THESE officers under pre-
ceting resolutions. by substituting five years full pay
instead Of half pay for life IN 1925 they became sens
BILE OF their injustice TO these officers and made provision
Tor those who then survived, by which they allowed
them what they considered equivalent for the loss they
sustained under the resolution oil 1888 The representa-
tves OF these officers who not alive in 1928 applied
for the benefit o that act as their ancestors had served
during the OF the revolution. The object OF this
amendment is to extend that benefit to them. will stale
that have submitted to the Committee on Pensions,
and have received er appreciation Of j as substitute
for their own will send il 10 the Chair AMI ask that
il may he read
Mr., HALE The amendment Of the senator from
Georgia proposes TO strike out the amendment OF the Sen
ate committee from line one 10 the word passage" in The
l4th line, and substitute his amendment for that The
amendment was read as follows:
Tina. tho widow Of any person who served il the army
Of the United States The IL the revolution, from
the beginning 10 the end tcrcoi whose marriage nh such
WHO was i, e on The 7h das Of Jne ssa siali be en
lied 10 receive during her life such annuity pension
Tin Janc 1882, emitted IAN act supplementary
70 the &c, or the relief OF ceean Survivors officers and sol
ders Of the revolution he had been in life at the date oi
the passage o the snii act
MIR. BRADBURY. II is impossible 10 understand the
exact effect OF this amendment whoat AN opportunity TO
examine IT, and therefore hope will be laid upon The
Mr.. HALE would suggest TO the honorable SEN
ator from Maine that the joint resolution OF the House
printed some months ago. and The amendment pro-
posed by the committee OF the Senate has also been
printed. This amendment of The senator from Georgia
simply restricts the amendment of the committee OF the
Senate, and makes it apply to those widows whose hus
bands served through the whole from the beginning
to the close and gives 10 the widows who were alive
a. s passage Of the ac! q 1882 The pensions Their has
the whole effect OF IT, Ii is not necessary 10 lay on
the table, 70 have i printed
Mr. EWING. do not know but the amendment OF
the senator from Georgia may be well enough; but ii
does not conform with the provisions of the amendments
Of the act OF 1881 The act OF 1888 provides that il any
person shall have served during the revolutionary war in
the specified by the OF the 7th June, 1882. and
have died, leaving widow that widow shall be entitled
TO pension, Now, the difficulty that is attempted to be
removed here N this that IN the husband was living
in 1888, at the lime Of the passage OF this act though he
died Immediately after, the widow should yet receive
pension, the same as though he bad died before That
conceive the object OF the committee 1t was suggest
ed that the administrative Offices had given wrong
struction 10 the act II is thought that il should be 80
construed as giving pensions TO those whose husbands
Mr.. HALE. II the senator from Ohio will allow me.
ne is laboIing under mistake. The committee OF the
Senate, 10 their verbal explanation that made, said
that the resolution il came from the House in.
tended TO meet the difficulty that the senator from Ohio
suggests But the amendment OF the Senates committee
was 70 obvaie another difficulty, and not the one to
Mr.. EWING then did not have correct under.
standing OF the explanation OF the senator But that was
the reason why the pensions could not be allowed TO
those widows whose husbands died after the passage OF
the act This act in the perfect lense-s' when the
husband shall have died" The joint resolution Of Ao
guct lt, 1912, was passed. know not why-perhaps il
intended at the time il passed TO remedy that
particular difficulty II provides that the benefit Of the
as as e passs
Of the 7th June 1884, and before iheact OF the 7t
July 1885, combining the construction strictly 10 what
II would have been in 1885, These Two acts thus render
Il impossible TO give pension 10 any widow whose hus
band died after the passage OF the act OF 1888. had
and 10 allow the widow whose husband died three days
after the passage Of The bill the she would have
had, il he had died three days before the passage.
Mr.. HALE. The difficulty that Is described BY the
senator from Ohio did exist but the resolution that was
sent 10 from the House OF Representatives In
tended to remedy that difficulty The amendment pro-
posed BY the senator was this: There was class oil
widows whose husbands died prior TO the act Of 1882
who twdows) were living at the time OF the passage OF
States extended the provision OF the act OF 1892 TO the
widows OF the persons therein named and applied solely
to those widows who were alive at the time OF the
sage OF the first act OF 1892. The Senaes committee
thought that that unjust discrimination, and
that widows that alive nj The time OF the passage
OF the first act OF 1882 should be embraced for the time
they lived, as well as those who alive in 1883.
Now, take a case OF an officer who had served during
the whole OF the OF the revolution He dies prior
the charity Of her children the time Of this act Of 1882
She lives upon the charity and the benevolence Of friends
up to the time OF the passage o the act OF 1885, and then
dies few weeks before the passage OF that act Is there
any justice equality in Withholding from that widow
or the children Of that widow the gratuty that would
have been extended her had she survived the passage
OF the act of 1895 Had she lived ill the passage of that
act she would have been entitled 10 full pension under
the act OF 1892. The Senaie's committee propose TO
srcted NJ II Is 10 those who served through the whole
war, the Dement'S OF the act they would have had in
1898 Now, ask the Senate ii this Ii not which
appeals mol TO the magnanity and generosity but 10
the usce oil Congress II there any single thing that
these soldiers could have asked, who fought the battles