The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-01-11


who have been obsevan of the disposition OF some
bers OF this body for Two or three years past well
know that has been the evident purpose and policy OF
portion Of this body TO make the pensions OF widows
OF officers OF the army permanent
Mr.. PEARCE, tinterposing) II the senator will allow
me- will mention fact to correct his misapprehenson
He supposes no such this has occurred In this
be is certainly mistaken | can name two similar
TO this, which he will probably we'll Iemember-one the
of The widow Of Major Dade who lost his life in
the senator's State. (Florida and the other that of
the widow Of Captain Gardner passed al the ast session
OF Congress Then, there are the cases which have
before alluded lo-lhe widows OF Colonel Mclean and
Gen WORTH which, to be sure, not of renewals,
but OF original PENSIONS granted where they had right
to pension al ALL according to law, for single mo.
Mr. YULEE admit that there have been several
cases which the application not coming within the special
provision of the law have been rejected by the Commits
soners of Pensions and been the subject OF special egs
laon but if the cases Of Major Dade aud Captain Gard
ner 10 which the gentleman refers are cases of renewal
they have escaped my attention. And II they
of renewal il makes the more necessary careful deter
mnaon by the Senate OF the principle which shall apply
to this application because by these repeated instances
of special legislation, necessity will grow up in justice
general provision for all Now, should if intend
tog on establishing presidents by which we may be
drawn into general provision OF this Kind determine
them at once, the first instance if it is right should
do 50; for if i is right that we should do al all, it is
right should do il in every Now, | have no
doubt that this is case appealing specially and very
strongly to our sympathes the circumstances mar
rated by the senator's from Maryland and New Hamp-
shire yesterday are all irue and that they present
very strong OF individual appeal to our sympathies
but l could mention hundred other cases quite
strong, and perhaps more so, 10 my own State, and
doubtless many gentlemen this floor present nu
meroas other instances, where the appeal would be
equally strong to sympathies and aid. necessity
will grow up, Mr. President, for general provision for
all similar cases. this allowed 70 pass and session
after session will have to provide for special
brought forward here.
Now, then, the ground upon which, as suppose the
policy has rested by which the nation has provided live
years pensions to widows OF officers that have died in the
line OF their duty has been make such provision for
them would enable them, upon the suddenness OF the
emergency sustain the 1seves comfortably until, by
other means, they might be enabled 10 make permanent
provision for their support This is the ground upon
which most liberal provision ID made tor five years
Now. then, if il is proposed to make that provision per-
manent and perpetual you must rest upon principles OF
charity; and i is upon that principle that the senator
from Maryland made the appeal yeserdayior as read
his remarks published this morning, he presented it
case appealing to the charity OF the Senate
The examination was DESTROYS to make was into the
amount which is paid for the pensions OF widows.
and which, as it appears to me- the hasy examination
made Is exceedingly laIgs-much Larger even than
Of dollars annually Now. was deoirous OF ascerainng
from the Commissioner of Pensions what would be the
probable addition 10 the burden upon the treasury if we
recognise and adopt policy which would continue and
peTpeuate the annual pensions to widows OF deceased
officers; and If we commence we make general pro-
vision ior i we make special legislation we must IN
provide Tor the future, but we must go back and pay
annual pension to every one whose five years have
ceased, the beginning of this government and it is
important TO know 10 what amount we TO be mucied
in the present stinted condition of treasury When
look to the large amounts we obliged to pay, and
the limited means provided with TO meet them, il
becomes to look carefully before establish prece
dents by which may be drawn into SO large
sion OF the pension system would like 10 have had
the Committee Pensions not prepared to answer
specifically, would like to have the subject referred
to the Committee Military Affairs, with instructions
thor xNE l.
vision If provision is 10 be made for this case,
shall deem i, my duty to bring forward hundred other
cases, under circumstances equally strong, and appealing
strongly to the sympathies OF the country this
know of many in my own State where the widows are
probably in condition in which they have less sup
port from the sympathies of those around them than
this lady, who resides in more popuous region of
try, as suppose and in community not less charitable
than other portions OF the Union sorry to inter.
pose any difficulty 70 the easy passage Of this bill
through this body Ii it TO stop with this special
and single case, would deem il my duty to do SO
but believing, from the manifestation OF two sessions
past that i is the manifest design and desire OF portion
of this body TO establish policy and system by which
the provision for widows Of deceased officers shall be
permanent and perpetual, deem it important it
on this bill which presents precedent under which that
purpose may in the end be carried into effect
Mr. PEARCE. Mr.. President, this BILL it is true, doe
within the form OF the existing law but within
the Of the rule of that law. The senator has
said, very properly, that the object of the law which
gives hveyears pension TO the widows Of officers Of
the army who have died in the service OF their coun
y 49, 10 PROVIDE against sudden and helpless deetltu
ton. The law assumes. as general rule, that If the
widows have pension for five years, that destuton
will be efeciualy provided against That probably, is
the fact IN the majority OF and. being So the
general rule ought to correspond But where there an
exceptional Case which within the Of
the rule of the awCongress ought to make the excep
ton by its legislation, and extend its bounty to those
dIvduas, aud them from deslilution. After they
have lost their natural protectors their only source OF
dependence from which they draw, except the
bounty of the governmentwhen that is the CASE and
the general OF the rule OF five years does apply
TO them, then the instance which the bounty OF
Congress is just EFFICIENTLY demanded il ogi
nally.
The from Florida remarked Yesterday upon the
difference between the different footing OF the officers OF
the army and those OF the navy-tha we gave pensions
between their rights TO pension, because there
pension fund rom which the provision for naval officers
was made. III the senator had gone little further he
would probably have said that this fund had been taken
out OF the earnings OF officers the navy, not from their
emolumens, but from their prize money. Now, know
the unjust discrimination between army and navy officers
that respect II which endea vored to correct
the army and navy the same footing The army
officers have no prize money and though they capture
millions and millions OF public property, none OF il is
devoted to their use the government takes the whole.
1t is therefore really particular merit which entities
naval officer to the pension fund which was created out
of the pize-money. That is much the grant of the
government as anything else II military officers had
would have been fund of provided for them
from their captures But there is such provision and
do not think the charity OF the government towards the
surviving widows of the officers OF the army should be
snted because il has not thought proper allow po-
hon OF the to be appropriated to pension