Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-07-11
Another Chapter from the Record!

another Chapter from the Record!
In December, 1925, Mrs. PENELOPE
DENNY, of New York, applied to Congress
for pension. We learn from the records
of the day that she was the widow of a
Lieutenant in the revolutionary army, a
venerable, helpless, and destitute woman,
whose son had been killed in battle by the
pirates while he was engaged in the naval
service Of the country. He was her only
son, and had long supported her, by dVid-
ing with her the pay he received as quar-
ter gunner. She asked for the small pit
lance of eight dollars month to be con-
tinued for five years, in the expectation,
that as she was old and iniirm, she would,
before the expiration Of that time, be re-
leased from her dependence on human
compassion, by death. Her son had, it
appears, served in the navy throughout the
glorious war of 1912, had been several
times captured by the enemy, and was at
one time amongst the prisoners in Dart
moor He was chosen with others as a
suitable person of tried courage and skill,
to destroy the buccaneers in the Gulf of
Mexico, and was killed at his post "in the
hour of victory" He had no wife or child
to claim pension on account of his ser
vices. 1t would seem to us that any man
having one drop of the milk of human
kindness in his breast would have consent
ed to give the aged mother of such a son,
the small pension she asked; but Mr.. Bu-
chanan, the federal opponent of the war
of 1912, the calumniator of Madison,
turned his back upon her petition, with
even less conjunction of soul, than he did
upon the Niagara sufferersl Is such
man entitled to the affection and conf
dence of the free people of this country?
We copy from Gales ard Seaton'S Reg
lister of Debates, for 1925, vol. l, portions
of the debate on Mrs. Denny's claim, so
that our readers may fully comprehend the
cold-blooded illiberality of Mr. Buchanan
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Dec. %, 1925.
A bill to allow to Mrs. Penelope Denny half
pay pension, on account of her only son, on whom
she was dependent for bread, he having been
killed in an action with pirates while serving in
the capacity of gunner in the Navy, was taken
up.
Mr.. Storrs, Chairman of the Naval Committee,
said, Mrs Denny was, as appeared from the doc
Uments of the case, the mother of petty officer
in the Navy, who was killed in action with the
pirates, who was totally dependent on her son
for support. Whilst living, her son had appro-
priated one half Of his pay for her support and
when he sailed on his last voyage, left directions
to the proper officer to pay his mother half Of all
the pay which should become due to him during
his absence. She has lost her only prop in the
service Of the country, aud seeks the same pro-
vision which the law would have made for her,
had she been the widow instead of the mother,
of the deceased. In the case Of the mother of
It. Allen, killed at the same time, a bill was
pending and would doubtless have passed, at the
time, but for her death, which took place whilst
the bill was under discussion. The principle Of
the bill went no further than this: that if any
battle, having no wife or child but leaving be-
hind him a mother dependent on him for sup
port, the halfpay pension system should be made
to embrace the mother. Conceiving this to be
just principle, Mr.. S. supported the bill.
Mr. Williams, of North Carolina, thought the
pension system already carried, in this coun-
try at least to the fullest extent that could be
justified. If in case such pension was granted,
no case could be better entitled than that Of the
applicant, if the principle was to be established
at all, this fit opportunity for beginning it.
But the pension system already too broad in
its extent. He opposed the bill.
Mr.. Cambreleng agreed with Mr.. Williams that |
our pension list had been very much extended; |
but while he did so, he must beg the gentleman |
to discriminate between our military and naval |
pension lists. While the former amounted to a |
million and half annually the latter tcas only |
about ten thousand dollars, and, even that tcas
NOT charged upon the Treasury, but upon the /
.N,aral Pension Fund 1t was not necessary to .
give history of that fund, as il must be familiar
to all II was created ont of portion Of the .
prize money ana the seaman (Mrs. Denny's SOM /
who had been killed in this action with the pi- /
rates, had, himself contributed 10 the fund |
He had served throughout the tate icar, tcas
captured three times, aud Iras among The suE
fereTs in DGyfmOOr prison. He had by has 0trH
services contributed 10 the Mural Pension
Fund MORE THAN TWENTY TmEs the triRiHg pit
tGnce which was now asked from the Treasury
for the benefit Of his mother. There was an an-
nual surplus remaining in the Treasury after 4
satisfying all the claims upon the Navy Pension
Fund Even the interest upon this surplus was +
more than equal to any pensions Of this charae-
ter, which ever could be charged upon the Treas
ury. But said
Mr.. c., the gentleman from Nerth Carolina is
mistaken; zoe are not establishing any pysce-
dent--the precedent was established more than
ten years ago. in the case Of Mrs. Cheever-and
the act, be believed would be found among the
acts Of March, 1914. He thought there were also
other cases. See vol !, pages 500 to Sos, Gales
and seaton's Register of Debates for ls25.
Mr.. Stevenson, OF Pennsylvania, said the bill I,
before the house proposed 10 grant pension Of
about one hundred dollars annually 60 the wild
owed mother Of a gunner, who, whilst in the ser
vice of the United States, was killed 10 an action
with pirates, and in the very hour Of victory
over them.
twas admitted, that, If this man had len