The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-04-22

full pay for five under the resolution Of Congress
the I'D Of March, 1882
After the words eighy-ve" may be inserted the words
including assistant surgeons, surgeons mates, who
shall be allowed the same as lieutenans"
The amendment was agreed 10.
Mr. EVANS. / move to amend the bin further by add
ing after the fifth section the following additional
section
And be further enacted That in all where any Off
cor received full under the act OF 18th of May 1928
and soldiers Of be ar e e yeYponan %
amount received shall be deducted from the which
saeh officer or his nea descendants be entitled under
TINS act and the time for which such officers hafpay shall
DC computed shall at the time he receives such pension
desire to say that the object Of the committee has been
throughout and the bill has been drawn with that single
view, TO do justice TO these officers and to give
one an advantage another Therefore this clause
contains this provision BY the passed the 5h of
May 1928 all the surviving officers Of the revolutionary
army to receive full pay for life The act contains
provision that their haay under this shall
the time when their pensions commenced but their PEN
sion was more than hal-payi twas full payi and this
additional section merely provides that whatsoever they
ceved and above their hafpay shall be deducted
from the TO which they may be entitled This il done
with the view of putting the survivors the footing
MS deceased officers
Mr.. WALKER. | do not know that properly under
stand the amendment Of the honorable from South
Carolina and | will ask him whether | understand it
Alright IL do il provides that from the time that the PEN
sons under the act Of 1923 commenced the hupay shall
Mr.. EVANS. Yes sir.
Mr. WALKER And in addition thereto, if an officer
lived for any length Of time afterwards and received PEN
son onc-a of the pension received to be deducted
from the amount of hapay which he would received
up to the commencement Of the pension.
Mr.. EVANS. That is it,
Mr. WALKER Well sir cannot go for that PROPOSE
ton think that the withholding of the hafpay Of the
revolutionary officers rather the communication Of it. in
fiiced sufficient injury upon them.
Mr. EVANS. II the from Wisconsin, the chair
of the Committee Revolutionary Claims objects to
the amendment will withdraw il
Mr.. WALKER ] think that it is better to do so.
Mr.. EVANS. withdraw the amendment
Mr.. CASS. Mr.. President this is a very important BILL
and must confess that am not prepared to vote in favor
of il; nor may say, to vote against it at present All
those who have known, historically additionally any
thing of the Of the revolution must know that it
period of suffering from its commencement to its
termination In fact during the existence OF that srug-
gle scarcely had government Our institutions were
kept almost by their force. From the
ment to the termination Of the revolution from year to
year there successive depreciation of the currency
issued by the government whether in the shape of ecur
ties or continental money, or whatever IT was These
graduated and the losses imposed upon the
community from time to time.
We all know that the amount of payment TO the Off
and soldiers small in fact next to nothing My
own father was of the officers of the revolutionary
army, and recoect perfectly, that when boy heard
him tell that he had given months pay for what was
called yard of tobacco in those days. That depreca
ton was the lot of all
Now, my difficulty in regard to the matter is this: This
matter settled nearly half century ago do not
know how it comes before Have there been appica-
tons from any particular quarter for IT Then If we be-
gin system of compensation which shall make the gov
pay case class of cases. the actual
and nominal of It's money issues without reference
the scale Of depreciation at which they issued
why not called upon to pay off the old continental
money dollar for doar2 Yet we all know that IL
ectly impossible TO do any such thing revenue could
not meet it at all The losses Of the revolution did not
fall upon individuals alone but less upon the
whole community; and il TO that ought to
understand thoroughly what we are doing The honoa-
bic from South Carolina know has investigated
the subject and after his examinations he has stated the
amount Of expense which the bill win subject not
exceeding "a 100000 But sir every who has attend
ed 10 the operations Of this government for series of
years must know how little dependence be placed
such calculations Let any go back 10 the history Of
the pension laws the heavy Of which commenced
about 1891 and he will observe what little connexon there
has been between the estimates and the actual expend
under the pension laws The expenditures have
ceeded the estimates three four five times This will
be the here Judging from what has happened we
may well suppose that this will be Perhaps have
not sufficient materials which base calculation
Whatever the circumstances which led to the result
such nevertheless has been the fact under the pension
laws
think am in the same condition with number of
other gentlemen of the Senate on this subject and
for the purpose Of stating that am not prepared to
vote on this bill want to do justice but il TO
that this bill will be either opening the door very partially
win be opening door for expenditures which IT would
be Of the power Of this any other government TO
meet
Mr. EVANS. Mr. President when this bill was before
the Senate some days ago submitted what supposed
be fair statement Of the amount in which IL likely TO
involve in the way Of expenditure now hold In my
hand letter from the Third Auditor in which he says
that the whole number Of officers who have received the
continuation or halfpay for life to two thou
sand two hundred and fftysx If you add TO these the
claims that have been presented ortysix more il
will make two thousand three hundred. The highest
amount which the officers of the revolution have
been estimated thousand four hundred and eighty
but Il does not appear from the books in the Treasury De
parmen that than two thousand two hundred and
hfty-sx have ever received eommutaton balfpay.
Now IL you take the average number OF officers at two
thousand three hundred, and allow them (what en-
dcayored to show, and what have doubt is over
rather than under esmae) the hafpay Of captain
for twenty years taking that the average of their lives
the amount Of expenditure viii be what before stated
In the books In relation to revolutionary claims that
have looked at the officers said TO be of the age of
"thirty and upwards If they of that age, think
we may fairly oomputesud this is the largest computo
ton that have secnthe average OF their lives at twenty
years beyond the close Of the Then the hapay of
captain which would be about the average and probably
little than average Of the hafpay of all the of
hccr would be S2a00 deducng ms this bill proposes the
commuaton which each has already received Each Off
cer therefore; will the average stll be entitled TO
cevc 80 400 under this bill Then according to this cal
culaon the largest amount supposng that the descend
and receive under this bi win be S5b2oooo But Of this
number two thousand three hundred what proportion is
it likely viii present their claims In the first place
think II fair presumption that in the time which has
elapsed between the revolution and this period, at least
oneourth Of those families have become extinct To be
sure this Is conectura We have tables statistics
BY which ascertain this matter with any great
tanty beg leave however to state one or two facts in
connexion with IL
L had occasion some years ago compare list Of the